LYNN — The sports rivalries between Classical and English are as historic and intense as any.
The Bulldogs and Rams engage in tight battles every time they meet on the basketball court, the soccer field, the diamond and the gridiron. The annual powderpuff game between the two schools is no exception.
This time around it was Classical’s pesky defense that dictated the outcome in a 12-6 Rams victory Sunday afternoon at Manning Field.
“I thought our defense played incredibly,” Classical coach Rob Smith said. “We were prepared. We bend, we don’t break. We had three weeks to prepare and we couldn’t have prepared any better.”
Both teams possessed the ball twice in the opening quarter. The Bulldogs and Rams swapped three-and-outs on each team’s first possession. English then drove to Classical’s 30-yard line before its drive stalled on 4th-and-22.
“Classical’s defense was a bend don’t break,” English first-year coach PJ Holey said. “We has opportunities to score but every time we did, Classical made a play. They played great defense.”
Rhode Alcindor carried the Rams into Bulldog territory on the ensuing possession to kick off the second quarter.
Classical moved to English’s 7-yard line before the Bulldogs forced an incomplete pass on 4th-and-goal to keep the Rams out of the end zone.
Classical finally got on the scoreboard at the end of the half when quarterback Paris Wilkey linked up with Johnna Calder for a 1-yard touchdown pass. The score was set up by a pass interception by Meaghan Leavitt at the English 18. At halftime, the Rams led 6-0.
“We changed things up a little bit to get Paris more time to throw the ball,” Smith said. “We executed well and took it from there.”
The Rams’ offense carried its momentum into the second half. Classical upped its lead to 12-0 when Alcindor found the end zone on a 4-yard run on the opening possession of the third quarter. That’s where it stayed after three quarters.
Another big Classical stop on defense kept English off the scoreboard to start the fourth quarter. But the Bulldogs avoided the shutout with a dose of trickery on the final play of the game. Quarterback Tommi Hill tossed the ball to Ely Guity, who found a wide open Adrianna Chhor in the end zone on a halfback option play.
“I’m proud of the way the girls kept going,” Holey said. “I’m proud of the way Tommi played. She had to learn a lot in a few weeks. These girls are a good unit and you can tell why they’re such great athletes in their respective sports.
“It was my first year coaching powderpuff and I had lot of fun coaching these girls,” Holey added.
“Our girls wanted bragging rights,” Smith said. “The last three years, we’ve had bragging rights. These girls came to play. My hat’s off to PJ and his staff. They did a great job and so did our coaching staff.”
For the Bulldogs, Sydney Denham tallied 50 rushing yards on 10 carries while Guity ran for 70 yards on 10 carries. Classical’s Wilkey completed eight of 19 pass attempts for 100 yards. Jeylly Medrano, Wilkey’s favorite target of the afternoon, caught six passes for 65 yards while Alcindor tallied 60 yards on 12 carries.
