NORTH READING — A patched together Lynnfield Pioneers football team, decimated by injuries, had its chances yesterday in the 59th annual Thanksgiving Day game against the host Hornets. But it never could get over the hump, losing 27-13 to finish the season 8-3.
The Pioneers had no answers for the Hornets’ Jake Bedell (15 carries, 170 yards), who rushed for two touchdowns in the first quarter (7 yards, 35 yards) and tacked on a third in the third quarter (64 yards).
Already missing their leading rusher, senior captain Anthony Murphy, who suffered a season-ending broken leg late in the North Division 5 final against Watertown, the Pioneers’ luck went from bad to worse in the final seconds of the first half.
After driving to the Hornets’ 3-yard line with under a minute to go and down 14-6, the Pioneers were knocking at the door, but came up empty after senior quarterback Matt Mortellite was injured on a sack and had to be taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital with an apparent concussion.
Pioneer coach Neal Weidman was forced to shuffle the deck, going to junior quarterback Brett Cohee, but Cohee (3-for-5, 18 yards, 2 INT) was intercepted in the end zone on the next play to kill the rally.
“That was a big swing there and had we managed to score, it would have given us some momentum with the ball to start the second half,” said Weidman. “That was tough and unfortunately we weren’t able to get it in on that one, and we also didn’t get it in on the other one, so that was unfortunate.”
Lynnfield trailed 14-0 after one quarter, but cut the deficit to 14-6 after a 24-yard touchdown pass from Mortellite (14-of-18, 114 yards, TD) to Jason Ndansi (4 catches, 70 yards).
After squandering the chance on their possession in the first half, the Pioneers drove to the North Reading 25 only to lose the ball on a fumble.
Bedell made the Pioneers pay, breaking tackles left and right to make it a 20-6 game with a 64-yard run up the middle.
The Hornets attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff from the Pioneer 45, thanks to a 15-yard Pioneers penalty for a personal foul following Bedell’s score, Anthony Floramo recovered the kick at the the Pioneers’ 37-yard line. Six plays later, Cohee made it 20-13 with a 35-yard scamper up the middle (Nick Kinnon kick).
North Reading’s next drive was plagued by penalties (4 for 41 yards), and ended with a fumble, recovered by Lynnfield captain Nate Drislane at the Hornets’ 49 with 8:25 to go.
Cohee drove to the North Reading 12, only to lose the ball on a fumble, recovered by Luciano, who put the nail in the Pioneers’ coffin, returning it into the end zone with 5:28 to go.
“We talk about adversity all the time, and I thought we played tough against a pretty good team considering everything we were up against,” said Weidman. “We lost by 14, but it was a little bit closer than that. If we could have pulled out a win today, that would have been pretty good stuff.”
Kinnon, a senior captain, had eight catches good for 40 yards.
The good news for Lynnfield was Ipswich rallied at home to defeat Hamilton-Wenham, 22-20 in overtime, giving the Pioneers a share of the Cape Ann League Baker Division title, their sixth in as many years.
