LYNN— The English football team came into the 2017 season hungry for redemption after a tough campaign last fall. Saturday afternoon’s 49-0 rout over Winthrop at Manning Field capped an undefeated regular season for the Bulldogs.
Redemption accomplished.
“We want to keep getting better, but I’m real proud of being 7-0 and I’m real proud of the kids,” English coach Chris Carroll said. “They’ve put tremendous effort into the offseason, from the end of last season to this fall. To be at 7-0 is really a testament to the kids in our program and how hard they’ve worked.”
English’s offense set the tone early and never looked back. The Bulldogs exploded for 35 points in the first half and added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the 49-0 win.
“Our offensive line picked up Winthrop’s blitz package really well,” Carroll said. “Our running backs hit open holes and they made plays when there were plays to be made. Matt (Severance) hit open receivers and our receivers made defenders miss tackles. It was really nice to see our offense execute.”
English quarterback Severance completed 8-of-9 pass attempts for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Ishmile Bangura ran for two touchdowns while receiver Prince Brown caught a pair of touchdown passes.
Severance got things started with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brown in the first quarter. After Winthrop turned the ball over on downs, Bangura scrambled his way into the end zone on an 83-yard run. Another Bangura touchdown run, from 40 yards out, mixed in with a pair of touchdown passes from Severance to Mathies Fowler (11 yards) and Brown (six yards) gave the Bulldogs a five-touchdown lead, 35-0, at the half. English kicker Devin Curley was good on three PAT kicks and Bangura ran in a two-point conversion in the first half.
“It’s good to execute on things that we needed to improve on from last week,” Carroll said. “I’m proud of the way our kids played today.”
Caleb Orcel found the end zone on a 70-yard carry in the opening minute of the fourth quarter (Curley kick). Curley, who filled in at quarterback in the second half, tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jadiel Tejeda (Curley kick) to seal the scoring for the 49-0 win.
Allowing the English reserves to get playing time in the second half, Carroll said, provided a good feeling as a coach.
“It’s a nice feeling,” Carroll said. “There are a lot of kids putting a lot of effort in on our team. A lot of times, some of those kids aren’t necessarily on the field in a lot of situations. It’s great to be able to reward them because they’ve earned it.”
English (7-0) now turns its attention to the first round of the MIAA playoffs. The Bulldogs, the No.1 seed in Division 2 North, will host No. 8 Winchester on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s the postseason,” Carroll said. “Season one’s over, season two starts up. It’s day by day, practice by practice and game by game. It’s one day at a time and one opponent at a time. Each game’s the biggest game of the year. We haven’t been in the postseason in a little bit so we’re excited.”
