Holliston proves too much for Lynnfield

LOWELL ? Consider this: In its 26-0 Division 4 State semifinal win Saturday at Cawley Stadium, South Sectional champion Holliston scored more points than North champion Lynnfield allowed (21) through seven regular-season games. Though slowed at times by the Pioneers, Tri-Valley Large champion Holliston (11-0) produced from multiple sets. Senior feature back Nick Athy finished with 156 yards from scrimmage and three TDs, playing quarterback in the first half and wingback in the second from the Panthers? “War” package ? essentially an updated version of the Delaware Wing-T. However, a Holliston defense perhaps overshadowed by the Panthers? prolific offense, decided it. Holliston?s dazzling team speed bottled up the Pioneers from the outset, forcing six punts while intercepting quarterback Dan Sullivan twice. Cape Ann League Baker champion Lynnfield (10-1), averaging more than 36 points per game, never gained traction. Accustomed to hitting the home run ball, Lynnfield managed just one play of more than 20 yards ? a 31-yard rumble by center David Adams on the back end of a hook-and-ladder. They were 1-for-9 on third- and fourth-down conversions. “They had a ton of team speed and we knew they did. We knew what they wanted to do but the team speed was the deciding factor. We were playing behind the sticks the whole time. We just couldn?t get anything going,” said Lynnfield coach Neal Weidman. A harbinger of how things would unfold occurred during Lynnfield?s first possession. The Pioneers halted Holliston at the Lynnfield 17 on the game?s opening drive, then moved quickly to a first down on three Jake Rourke carries. Seeking a quick strike, Sullivan went over the top only to find Jon Knee bracketed by two Holliston defenders 40 yards downfield. The ball fell harmlessly to the turf, Lynnfield punted shortly thereafter, and Holliston launched a 68-yard drive that produced the only score the Panthers required. It came on Athy?s five-yard burst on the first play of the second quarter and Grant Buchanan tacked on the PAT. Holliston then seized control with a nine-play, 80-yard march executed entirely on the ground. It featured double-digit gains of 11 yards by Matt McIsaac, 19 yards by Athy, and 12 yards by Joseph Bellomo on consecutive plays and was capped by Bellomo?s three-yard plunge. Buchanan?s kick made it 14-0. Lynnfield provided a bit of excitement in the half?s final minute when Adams rolled 31 yards to the Holliston 39 on the hook-and-ladder pitch from Cam Rondeau and Sullivan followed up with an 18-yard completion to Rondeau. However, Sullivan?s pass on the final play of the half was broken up in the end zone. Holliston was back at it on its first play of the second half as Athy sprinted 49 yards to the Lynnfield three and scored two plays later from the two to make it 20-0. The Panthers? next possession started at the Lynnfield 20 after a low punt snap ? one of several on the day ? eluded Lynnfield?s Alex Soden, whose eventual kick from the end zone netted two yards. Athy scored from the four with 4:46 left in the quarter, accounting for the 26-0 final. Lynnfield?s best drive, a 54-yard march to the Holliston 32, died when Zach Elkinson picked off Sullivan at the Panthers? five to preserve the shutout. Lynnfield never saw the ball again as Holliston consumed the entire fourth quarter with an 86-yard drive that ended with the Panthers in victory formation at the Pioneers? five.