The Peabody offense couldn’t get much going Friday night at home, losing a defensive battle, 7-0, to Danvers.
Both teams struggled to generate offense in a defensive standoff. The lone touchdown of the game came from Danvers running back Matt McCarthy, who busted through the middle for a 50-yard touchdown run with just over two and a half minutes left in the game.
The Tanners had chances on the final drive, but the Falcons defense held steady, and Colby Holland came up with an interception on a fourth and long play for Peabody.
Ramon Franco had an interception for the Tanners, while Cam Powers had a sack.
Danvers (2-0) will take on Medford next Saturday afternoon, while Peabody (0-2) will host Marblehead next Friday night back at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium.
Gloucester 25, Beverly 15
Matt Smith, Marc Smith and Daylon Lark each had a rushing touchdown for the Fishermen in the win, with Matt Smith’s 31-yard touchdown run icing the game with less than a minute to go. Gloucester (2-0) will host Somerville next Friday night.
Clark Marchand was the star for Beverly, rushing for a 58-yard touchdown and also catching a 39-yard score. The Panthers (0-2) will take on Malden next Saturday afternoon.
Salem 36, Essex Tech 0
The Witches were big winners Friday night, with Jeffrey Rodriguez stealing the show. Rodriguez had two carries for 32 yards and one reception for 25 yards, and scored three touchdowns.
Rodriguez got the scoring started on a 20-yard run, and Vinnie Gaskins made it 14-0 with a 58-yard touchdown run. A blocked punt recovered by Rodriguez in the end zone gave Salem a 22-0 lead after a quarter.
Gaskins, who had 10 carries for 152 yards, added his second score of the night with a 16-yard run, and quarterback Aneudy Espinal found Rodriguez with a 25-yard touchdown pass to cap the scoring.
Defensively, Felix Cruz had a big night, making 12 tackles and recovering a fumble.
Dedham 20, Bishop Fenwick 12
Fenwick was without quarterback Cory Bright, with junior Derek DelVecchio taking over for Bright under center. The Crusaders fell behind, 14-0, early in the game, and DelVecchio was sacked late in the first half as a promising Fenwick drive stalled. The second half went more smoothly for Fenwick, but it was too little, too late as Dedham held on for the win.
DelVecchio found Stefano Fabiano with a 25-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, and the two hooked up again in the fourth to make it 20-12.
The Crusaders (0-2) will look for their first win of the season next Saturday at Pentucket Regional.
Medford 26, Winthrop 8
The Vikings dropped to 0-2 after falling behind, 14-0, after a half. Winthrop will take on Swampscott next Saturday at Blocksidge Field.
Masconomet 24, Malden Catholic 6
The Lancers scored a touchdown late in the fourth, but couldn’t get anything else going against the Chieftains.
St. John’s Prep at Central Catholic (PPD)
The Eagles and Raiders will have to wait a night, as the rain caused flooding at Lawrence Stadium. Kickoff Saturday night is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
