Craig leads Marblehead past Danvers

MARBLEHEAD ? Most of the pre-season hype surrounding the Marblehead High football team was focused on running back Brooks Tyrrell.As good as Tyrrell is, the Magicians are more than just one player.With the Danvers defense and leg cramps limiting Tyrrell, Spencer Craig threw three touchdown passes to Will Millett and returned an interception 61 yards for another score to lead the Magicians to a 25-12 win over the Falcons, in the season opener for both teams, Friday night, at Piper Field.”Spencer Craig was huge tonight,” Marblehead coach Jim Rudloff said. “He never came off the field. He played offense, defense, and special teams. Every play.”In their debut with new coach Shawn Theriault, pesky Danvers hung around until late in the fourth quarter, trailing by just a touchdown until Craig hit Millett with a 36-yard scoring pass with 2:52 left. The other two touchdown passes to the big tight end came in the first half and went for 71 and 13 yards.”He’s big and strong and athletic, said Theriault, of Millett. “I thought for the most part our defense played well tonight, but he’s a tough matchup.”Danvers made Tyrrell earn every inch of the 95 yards he gained on 26 carries. He also missed a substantial portion of the second half as one of many players from both sides suffering from cramps on a warm, humid night.”It was crazy,” Rudloff said. “We kept after the kids about staying hydrated, but on a night like this there’s not much you can do.”Marblehead held a 13-0 lead at halftime. After a scoreless first quarter, the Magicians capped off a quick 44-yard, 6-play drive with Craig’s first touchdown pass to Millett, a 13-yarder over the middle. After the fourth of four fourth down stops by Marblehead’s defense in the first half, Craig hit Millett down the middle for 71 yards with 1:21 left in the first half.The Falcons scored on their first possession of the second half, after an interception by Matt Andreas set up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Nick Andreas to Mike Nester. Danvers put together a good-looking drive later in the quarter until Craig picked off a pass in the left flat and returned it all the way for crucial score.”That pick-6 was obviously a turning point,” Theriault said.Undaunted, Danvers came right back and scored on a 72-yard, 15-play drive that featured 13 passes, the last of which went from Nick Andreas to Nester for eight yards with 6:25 left to make the score 19-12.With Tyrrell back in the game, the Magicians put together a 69-yard scoring drive that six runs until Craig found Millett along the left hashmarks for a score that put the game away.