LYNN — Brian Vaughan couldn’t have started his era at Classical High School in a more auspicious manner.
Vaughan, hired as Classical’s coach earlier this year, put his team through a hard camp over the month, and, for one night at least, it paid huge dividends. The Rams ran roughshod over Medford, 39-0, at Manning Stadium in the season’s opener for both teams.
“I love our intensity,” said Vaughan. “And I thought we competed very well. We also caught some breaks early and were able to take advantage of them.”
More than any of that, though, was the Classical offense, which was simply relentless in taking it to the Mustangs, who were treated rather rudely in their first game in the Northeastern Conference.
Classical ran up 390 yards in total offense. Keith Ridley, who had to battle other players during the preseason for the quarterback job, made the most of winning it, throwing for three touchdown passes and running for a fourth.
“He had to battle a couple of other kids,” said Vaughan, “and he had the edge by the time camp ended.”
Not only did Ridley, a senior transfer who was the backup quarterback last year at St. Mary’s (where his grandfather, Jim, is principal), sling the ball all over the field (9-14 for 161 yards, to go along with the three scores) but he ran hard as well, amassing 55 yards in five carries, accounting for 216 yards in total offense.
The Rams burst out of the gate, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions. The first came on a 24-yard scoring strike from Ridley to Nashaun Butler while the second one game on a beautiful aerial from Ridley, who hit Chase Buono in stride as he was breaking away from two Mustang defenders for a 52-yard score.
Vaughan decided to strike while the iron was hot after that, surprising the Mustangs with a successful onside kick. That gave the Rams the ball on the Medford 49. Ten plays later, Marcus Tucker carried it in from the 8-yard line and it was 19-0 before the game was a quarter old.
“We thought we’d seen something that we could exploit,” said Vaughan, who played football for Clark Crowley and Gary Molea at Lynn English and for Swampscott native Barry Gallup at Northeastern “That’s what I mean about getting breaks.”
With the game well in hand after the first 11 minutes, Classical scored one touchdown each in the second, third and fourth quarters, with Ridley being the featured player. Adam Washington hauled in a 33-yard pass in the second quarter as the Rams went into the locker room with a 25-0 advantage.
Malcolm Best ran one in from five yards out in the third, and Ridley capped off the scoring with a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Vaughan wasn’t happy with everything he saw, however. There were a lot of yellow flags flying around, and seven of those were aimed at the Rams, good for 60 yards.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” said Vaughan, adding that “something did happen out there that I don’t like.”
Classical’s back in action next Friday at MacDonald Stadium against Malden, another Greater Boston League transfer.
“They have a nice team,” said Vaughan. That’s going to be a test for us.”
