It was an up and down season for the Peabody football team. The Tanners dug a hole for themselves with losses in their first three games, but then won five of six to top the .500 mark (5-4) before losing in overtime to Lynn Classical in Week 10, 26-20.
After a 5-6 finish last year, Peabody football coach Mark Bettencourt made it clear that his team would mean business in 2017. But on Sept. 9 at Somerville’s Dilboy Stadium on opening day, it was the Highlanders that were all business in a 24-7 win over the Tanners.
After Somerville fumbled on the first play of the game, senior captain Eric DeMayo scored Peabody’s first touchdown of the season on a 3-yard run in the first quarter. After that, however, it was all Somerville, who put 24 unanswered points on the board.
“There are no excuses there, their athletes beat our athletes,” said Bettencourt.
Peabody then dropped its home opener to Danvers, 7-0 even though its defense limited the Falcons to six possessions. For more than 41 minutes, neither team scored. But that changed when the Falcons’ Matt McCarthy raced 50 yards into the end zone for the game winning score with under three minutes to play.
“It’s just heart wrenching when your defense gives you an effort like that,” said Bettencourt.
After a 21-7 loss to Marblehead in Week 3, Peabody got a win against Revere, 21-0. But the following week, four interceptions resulted in a 35-7 to Masconomet.
However, the Tanners found their rhythm, winning their next four games, in dominant fashion, outscoring opponents, 124-32.
DeMayo ran for 124 yards in a 40-0 win over Malden. A 20-9 win over Beverly followed, but it wasn’t enough for Peabody to make the Division 2 North playoffs.
Despite that letdown, the Tanners clobbered Westford, 30-0, at home and then beat Haverhill, 34-23, on the road.
In the Classical loss, Peabody had the lead and the ball on Classical’s 32-yard line with 2:13 to play, but a fumble opened the door for the Rams to tie things up at the end of regulation, then win it in OT.”Mistakes were made,” said Bettencourt. “They capitalized on our mistake in the fourth quarter and that took the wind out of our sails.”
The Tanners now move on to their final games of the season on Thanksgiving Day against a much-improved Saugus squad at Stackpole Field.
“We need to get healthy, that’s our No. 1 need right now with so many kids so dinged up after a long and trying season, and we know that this Saugus team is not the pushover they have been in the last few years, so there will be no blowout this year. Saugus didn’t play a weak schedule like some people have said, they are a pretty good team at 4-6 so I am expecting a tough, hard battle, but our kids are nothing but resilient.
“We know that Saugus ran some spreads early in the year and that they also went to the double wing toward the end, so it’s going to be tough as we have to prepare and practice for both. We have our hands full.”
