In every football season there are many ups and downs along the way. For Lynnfield, the season will be remembered for the one that got away.
On Nov. 10 at frigid Pioneer Stadium, the Pioneers were 75 seconds away from defeating Watertown in the Division 5 North sectional final. The Pioneers had a 10-point lead, 34-24, after Tyler Murphy’s 29-yard touchdown run with about three minutes to play.
After that everything that could go wrong, did. A defensive pass interference call, a perfect onside kick and two Watertown touchdowns in the last 1:15, and suddenly the Pioneers were on the outside looking in.
Lynnfield got off to a 6-0 start, cruising to a 32-0 win over Newburyport in its opener. Senior captain Anthony Murphy ran for two touchdowns and senior quarterback Matt Mortellite threw for two more.
In week two, the Pioneers won an overtime thriller, defeating Wayland, 28-26. Lynnfield led 20-6 at halftime, but Wayland scored 14 unanswered second half points to force overtime, then took a 26-20 lead after scoring on its second try in OT. Murphy answered the call, knotting the score at 26-26 with a 2-yard plunge, then added the 2-point conversion to put the win in the bank.
Weidman said he was pleased the way the team hung tough after losing the lead.
“I just liked the fact that when they (Wayland) tied it up, we didn’t pack it in,” he said.
In week three, in a 27-0 win over Amesbury, the defense forced two Indians’ turnovers and gave up only 101 yards of offense. Weidman was able to rest his starters.
“These guys played four quarters and then some last week, so it was good to get them off the field,” said Weidman. “The guys coming in did some good things in that second half.”
Next was a 47-6 home win over Winthrop, followed by a 35-14 victory over Manchester-Essex. The Pioneers struggled early, with only a 12-7 lead at the half. But it hit stride in the second half. Mortellite tied his 2016 school record for TD passes in a game with four, hitting senior captain Cooper Marengi, Peter Look, Nick Kinnon and Tyler Murphy.
Against Ipswich in week six, Lynnfield trailed 29-27 at the half, but shut the door in the second half en route to a 52-29 win. Mortellite hit the record books again, setting a mark for most career touchdown passes (32).
Lynnfield fell from the ranks of the undefeated in week seven with a 35-7 loss to Hamilton-Wenham.
“We shot ourselves in the foot with too many mistakes,” said Weidman. “We just never got anything going.”
The Pioneers finished the regular season as top seed in the Division 5 tournament. They rolled to a 34-6 win over No. 8 Bedford in the quarterfinals, thanks to a superior effort by the offensive line (Zachery Huynh, Harry Collins, Kenneth Babine, Nicholas Torosian and Ernest Umlah), which paved the way for 240 rushing yards.
In the semifinals, Lynnfield had no trouble against league rival Newburyport, winning 26-7.
While the Clippers held a huge edge in possession, it was the Pioneers who again proved they can put up points in a hurry, scoring on the final play of the first half (8-yard pass from Mortellite to Kinnon) and the first play of the second half (95-yard kickoff return by Kinnon).
With its Super Bowl hopes dashed, Lynnfield will be playing for Pioneer pride on Thanksgiving Day against 7-3 North Reading.
