Saugus can’t catch Lynnfield

LYNNFIELD – The Lynnfield football team came into the opening round of the MIAA Div. 4 North tournament having steamrolled through all comers on the way to a 7-0 record and a CAL Small title that earned it the third seed. The Pioneers had a chance on Saturday to make a statement against a very talented Saugus team, and they took full advantage.View Photo GalleryLed by 100-yard rushing games from quarterback Dan Sullivan and tailback Jake Rourke, Lynnfield scored the first five times it touched the ball on a rainy and cold evening while the defense held the Sachems nearly 30 points below their season average. It all added up to a commanding 42-6 win and a date with No. 7 Swampscott in the semifinals Friday night in Lynnfield.”(Saugus) has scored a ton of points against some really good teams so to come out and hold them to (six) was really good,” Lynnfield coach Neal Weidman said.The Sachems (5-3) moved the ball with some ease early in the game but they failed to come away with points on their first two drives, both of which reached inside the Lynnfield 25, with the Pioneers turning each stop into a touchdown to jump out to a big lead that proved insurmountable.”We had a couple of good drives early that stalled on missed blocks, missed assignments — things that we haven’t done all year,” Saugus coach Mike Broderick said. “Lynnfield is a good team and you have to give them a lot of credit. They made us make mistakes. The end result is what ended up happening.”Saugus got the ball to begin the game and gained 50 yards on the first two snaps as Justin Winn (14 carries, 46 yards) ripped off 14 yards and Dan Cacciola (21-150) dashed 34 yards to the Lynnfield 25. The Pioneers’ defense, however, which has allowed only 33 points in eight games stuffed the Sachems at the 20.Sullivan (10-167) ran 43 yards on keeper and Rourke (24-117) ripped off a 20-yard gain and then scored from the 9 to cap a six-play drive that took only 1:56 and gave Lynnfield a 7-0 lead after the first of Dan Bronshvayg’s five PATs.Saugus drove down to the Lynnfield 23 on its next possession, but the Pioneers stopped them on downs again, this time at the 28.It took Lynnfield only 77 seconds to score as Sullivan ripped off runs of 16, 9 and 42 yards before Rourke powered in from the 1 to give his team a 14-0 lead after one quarter.Saugus closed to within a touchdown as Cacciola, who eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the first half, scored from 19 yards out to cut the lead ot 14-6 with 7:14 to go in the half.The Pioneers, however, had an answer as Sullivan scored on a 20-yard run for a 20-6 lead.Lynnfield’s defense would come through again as Cam Rondeau picked off a pass at midfield with 2:24 left in the half. Five plays later, the Pioneers extended their lead to 28-6 as Sullivan hit Rondeau for a 23-yard touchdown and a 28-6 lead at the break.Lynnfield put the game completely out of reach with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Sullivan to C.J. Finn early in the third quarter 7:48 left in the third. The Pioneers closed the scoring when Rourke carried 11 straight times on a 60-yard drive that culminated in a 6-yard score with six minutes left in the game.Meanwhile, the Lynnfield defense held Saugus to only two first downs in the second half.”We got the score right before the half which is always key and then to be able to score on that first drive in the second half was good,” Weidman said.