The Peabody football team continues to dominate in its quest to end the season on a high note, shutting out Westford Academy 30-0 at Coley Lee Field on Friday night. With the win, the Tanners have now won three straight games and evened their record at 4-4.
But the biggest story of the night was the play of the underclassmen. Sophomore quarterback Colby Therrien threw a touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Dylan Peluso, while sophomore running back Angel Paulino dazzled with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Paulino’s touchdowns were on rushes of 30 and 25 yards, while his longest run of the day was a 52-yarder.
“We have three words for Angel when he’s out there: hit the hole,” said Peabody coach Mark Bettencourt. “Just hit the hole and let your natural talent take over once you get to the second level, and you can see what he can do once he’s in space.”
Senior running back Noah Freedman also rushed for a touchdown, while junior kicker Austin Leggett drilled a 25-yard field goal.
While the Tanners won’t find out their next opponent until Sunday, the goal remains the same: keep pushing.
“Once we found out that we weren’t going to have a chance to compete for a Super Bowl, we knew we had to go for the next best thing and that’s winning out,” Bettencourt said. “So our guys are focused on taking it game by game and focusing on execution and intensity. The rest will play itself out from there.”
Essex Tech 13, Winthrop 12
Bobby Hubert returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown for the Vikings. Winthrop went on to hold that 6-0 lead until the fourth quarter, when Essex Tech scored a touchdown to go up 7-6. Winthrop didn’t stop fighting, as Feedle Small scored a touchdown two minutes later to put the Vikings back up 12-7. Unfortunately, the Winthrop defense couldn’t get the stop it needed, and Essex Tech was able to punch in the game-winning touchdown with a few minutes remaining.
Burlington 21, Revere 20
The Patriots were holding onto a 20-14 lead entering the fourth quarter, but Burlington was able to drive the length of the field to retake the lead with only a few minutes remaining in the game.
PLAYOFF FOOTBALL
Everett 49, St. John’s Prep 14
The third-seeded Everett football team left nothing to chance Friday night, knocking out No. 6 St. John’s Prep in the quarterfinals of the Division 1 North tournament with a 49-14 win.
The Crimson Tide wasted no time getting on the board, with Jake Wilcox finding Jason Maitre with a 77-yard touchdown pass with 10:25 to play in the first quarter. Everett scored again soon after, with Wilcox finding Isaiah Likely with a 42-yard scoring pass. Before the first quarter was all said and done, Everett held a commanding 28-0 lead.
It wasn’t until the final minute of the first half that the Prep got on the board. Matt Crowley hit Luke Brennan with a 64-yard touchdown pass to cut into the lead, 35-7. Down 49-7 in the fourth, the Eagles added a late score on Trent Tully’s 13-yard run.
Everett will play second-seeded Lexington next Friday on the road, while the Eagles will wait to find out who their next opponent will be.
Division 4 North Quarterfinals
Wilmington 30, Gloucester 0
It was an ugly night for the Fishermen as they were knocked out by third-seeded Wilmington on the road.
