AMESBURY — The Lynnfield High football team is still in search of its first win. Friday night at Landry Stadium, the Pioneers were routed, 30-8, by a hungry Amesbury team.
The win snapped a nine-game Pioneers win streak against the Indians, who had not beaten the Pioneers in 10 years.
Amesbury led 30-8 lead at halftime and coasted from there.
While the silver lining was the Pioneers’ second half defense, which held Amesbury scoreless, the Pioneers were unable to gain any ground in the half. They picked up just 15 yards of offense with only one first down. Two of their three possessions were three-and-outs.
But the game really turned on the Pioneers’ three first-half turnovers, two of which the Indians converted into a quick 16 points.
“In this game, mistakes can be so costly and they were tonight,” said Pioneers coach Pat Lamusta. “You have to keep working to minimize your mistakes and we need to play better at practice to convert that into game conditions. It’s about using that next play, that next opportunity to have players say ‘I’m going to give my all.’ We need to have a short memory and go back and start over, one play at a time.”
Using a significant size advantage on the offensive line, the Indians pounded the ball through the middle for much of the game, including their opening drive when they were virtually unstoppable, going 72 yards in 10 plays capped by a 5-yard touchdown run by Brady Dore, to take an early 6-0 lead.
Lynnfield gamely responded and drove to the Indians’ 42-yard line. Facing 3rd-and-12, quarterback Clayton Marengi (10-of-18, 123 yards, TD, INT), hit John Lee with a pass that would’ve secured a first down, but the ball bounced off Lee’s hands into the hands of Amesbury linebacker Griffin Short.
Lynnfield’s defense forced a three-and-out and an Amesbury punt, giving the Pioneers decent field position at its 30. The offense responded and picked up four straight first downs on back-to-back receptions by Jack Ford (10 and 11 yards), a 10-yard reception by Lee and a 14-yard Marengi scramble, but the drive ended when Marengi fumbled.
After a Pioneer defensive hold, Amesbury’s Pat Birmingham scored from 24 yards out on the Indians’ next drive and it was 14-0.
It went from bad to worse for Lynnfield on its next defensive series when Kyle Donovan picked off a Brett Cohee pass and took it into the house from 65 yards out to make it 22-0.
Lynnfield finally got on the board on its next series on a 49-yard Marengi to Lee touchdown pass. Jaret Simpson hit Leo Quinn to convert the 2-point conversion and make it 22-8.
But Amesbury quarterback Blake Bennett got those points back quickly with a 47-yard bomb of his own to Jacob Robinson go into halftime leading, 30-8.
Having deferred the opening kickoff, Lynnfield had the ball to start the second half, but the offense fizzled, going three-and-out, to pretty much seal the Pioneers’ fate.
“We needed to create some offensive momentum on that first possession, but instead their defense prevailed,” said Lamusta. “After their first drive, we got better tackling. Passing was a major positive. Clayton did a good job throwing the ball and controlled the tempo and John Lee (4 catches, 72 yards) did a great job on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Cole Moretti had a strong game and Cam Comeau had that nice strip to cause a fumble.”
Jack Ford also caught five passes for 43 yards.
The Pioneers visit Winthrop next Friday (7) at Miller Field.
