Something’s got to give at Miller Field Friday

There are three undefeated football teams left on the North Shore but only one of them will come out of Winthrop’s Miller Field unscathed on Friday night after the Division 4 North final.The Vikings, who are the No. 1 seed, and No. 3 Lynnfield both sit at 9-0. A 10th win will earn one of them a spot in next week’s EMass final and the chance to play for a berth in the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.With the success of teams like St. John’s Prep, Marblehead and Peabody this season, both the Pioneers and Vikings outstanding seasons have gone under the radar. But both Winthrop’s Sean Driscoll and Lynnfield’s Neal Weidman know that Friday’s game is going to be a battle.?We are very grateful to be able to play the game at home,” Driscoll said. “We haven’t had a big game like this since 2005 and 2006. Lynnfield is very good, very skilled and they have the best offensive line that I’ve seen in a couple of seasons.”The respect is mutual on the other side as the Pioneers know they will have their hands full against a Winthrop team that has won big games on the road and at home this season.?(Winthrop) does a lot of different things on offense and defense. They are big up front and very fast in the skill positions,” Weidman said. “They are very good.”It will be the first time Winthrop and Lynnfield have ever played each other. Both have been as dominant as any team in the region this season.For Lynnfield, it’s been a season full of big plays on both sides of the ball. The Pioneers have scored 330 points in their first nine games. More impressively, they’ve surrendered a grand total of 33 points all season.Leading the way for the Pioneers on offense has been the backfield combination of quarterback Danny Sullivan and tailback Jake Rourke. In his second season as a starter, Sullivan has thrown for over 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns while Rourke has emerged as one of the top backs in the area thanks to his 13 touchdown runs.That unit will go against a Winthrop defense that has greatly improved as the year has gone on. Since allowing over 500 rushing yards in a win over Saugus in week one, the Vikings have shut down talented runners like Peabody’s Doug Santos and Classical’s Micah Dublin en route to the NEC South title.Leading the way has been linebacker Alex Anzuoni, who has a team leading 62 tackles. Sean Gillis also has been a force on ‘D’ for the Vikings as 12 of his 60 tackles have gone for losses. Winthrop’s secondary also has picked off 11 passes.?Our defense has really improved over the year,” Driscoll said. “A lot of them have been playing together since the ninth grade and they’ve built into this.”The Winthrop offense will also have to go against a very stout defense as the Pioneers have been among the state’s best since day one, evidenced by their average of 3.7 points allowed.That group will have its hands full, though, as they go against a Winthrop offense that has four rushers with over 200 yards on the ground along with a deadly passing game.Leading the offense is senior quarterback Dylan Driscoll, who has rushed for 345 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns while also passing for 815 yards and eight touchdowns.Tailback Reise Turransky has been the workhorse out of the Vikings dangerous Wing-T. He has rushed for 694 yards and five touchdowns on just 111 carries. Jake Chuidina has added 548 yards and five scores while Jon Gonzalez has 236 yards and three touchdowns.?We have a lot of backs that we’re able to rotate through and we’ve been able to get (Dylan) more involved in the run game this year,” Driscoll said.Both coaches know the game could likely come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes.?This has been a special season for us and we’ve been able to come back and win in a couple of games,” Driscoll said. “It should be a fun game. There are great teams on both sides.”Weidman shares that sentiment.?They are tough, fast, well-coached and good in all three phases of the game,” Weidman said.