Revere ekes out win over Medford

MEDFORD – Revere stopped Medford on a two-point conversion attempt to escape with a season-opening 35-34 victory at Hormel Stadium on Friday night.Kaleb Silva helped Revere build a two possession lead before Medford put together a late rally in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs scored two quick touchdowns with 1:39 left in the game. Medford decided to go for the win in regulation, but Revere’s defense, anchored by linebacker Steven Noel, tackled Medford running back Corey Moore well short of the goal line.”We knew {Moore} was going to get the ball,” said Revere head coach Lou Cicatelli. “We were fortunate to get a push and stop them on that two-point conversion because that was it.”Revere kept pounding the rock with Silva (159 yards and three touchdowns) in the second half. The burly halfback wore down the Medford defense. The Patriots chewed up most of the time in the fourth quarter on one long drive that covered 70 yards. Silva culminated the drive with a 5-yard scamper to give Revere a 35-20 advantage.”We ran a lot of iso,” said Cicatelli. “They were shifting everybody down in the wing. The adjustment we made in the second half was we ran iso away from the wing.”Medford came back on the next possession to score on a 52-yard screen pass from Adrian Pineda to Moore on a 4thdown play. After Medford added the two-point conversion on a pass from Pineda to Myles Olivier in the back of the end zone, Revere held a tenuous 35-28 lead. The Mustangs recovered the ensuing onside kick at midfield.Medford scored on a 1-yard jaunt by Moore with 1:39 left in the game.Medford scored on their initial possession after they forced Revere’s offense to turn the ball over on downs.The Mustangs traveled 65 yards and scored on a 7-yard run from Moore. Medford missed the extra point as the score remained 6-0.Revere came back as quarterback Dan Murphy hit a streaking Anthony Berry down the seam to give Revere a 7-6 advantage on the final play of the first quarter.Both teams traded scores until Silva helped Revere take a 28-20 lead with a 2-yard touchdown run.Late in the first half, Revere forced Medford to turn over the ball on downs deep in Revere’s territory and they also picked off a pass in the end zone to end the first half.Revere was able to win despite missing four starters and playing on the road.