BEVERLY — The Beverly football team did a solid job limiting Marblehead’s top running threat, Tim Cronin, during Saturday afternoon’s game between the two Northeastern Conference foes at Hurd Stadium.
The Panthers just didn’t have the same answer for Magicians quarterback Chris Gally, who ran in three touchdowns and threw for another as Marblehead took down Beverly, 27-6, to remain undefeated (4-0).
“A team like Beverly, they basically put eight, nine guys in the box,” Marblehead coach Jim Rudloff said. “They just try to bring outside pressure on every single play. To be fair, Beverly played a great game. (The grass) slowed down the game a lot. We played a slow game today.
“Chris was really a difference-maker,” Rudloff added. “To be able to get some of the yards he got on a slow field, on a slow day. He really did a nice job and I think without Chris we would’ve had a tough time today.”
Gally completed 9-of-16 pass attempts for 120 yards, including his 22-yard touchdown pass to Sean McCarthy (two catches, 30 yards) in the closing seconds of the first half. He ran touchdowns from six and one yard out in the first half and scored from eight yards out in the third quarter.
“They took Cronin right out of the game. I think they did a really good job on that,” Rudloff said. “I wonder if it would’ve been different if we were on a turf field but it just felt really slow today and because of that some of the things we would normally do to counter what they were doing weren’t there. The option was Chris and he responded well.”
After a scoreless opening period, Gally put the Magicians on the board with a 6-yard keeper 30 seconds into the second quarter (PAT missed), giving Marblehead a 6-0 lead. Marje Mulumbe’s sack forced Marblehead back on its next drive. Ariel Tejada’s punt return gave the Panthers a short field but the ensuing drive stalled. Logan Hood blocked the Panthers’ punt at Beverly’s 16, placing Marblehead in prime position to add to its lead. Gally cashed in on a 1-yard keeper (Mason Poisson PAT), bumping Marblehead’s lead to 13-0 with 3:59 on the clock. Down to the closing seconds of the half, Gally connected with McCarthy on a 22-yard touchdown pass (Poisson PAT) to put Beverly in a 20-0 deficit at halftime.
“(Gally) is great,” Beverly coach Andrew Morency said. “I said that before the game. I’ve watched him on film. He’s an impressive ballplayer. Going into the season, people weren’t talking about him but then you watch him on film. The way he ran that offense, he understands it, he makes decisions, he was impressive today.”
Beverly climbed its way back on Clayton McAlpine’s 2-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter (PAT blocked). The Panthers, gaining momentum, forced a three-and-out on Marblehead’s next possession but Cronin intercepted a Ryan Barror pass at Beverly’s 17. Gally scored on an 8-yard scramble with 2:20 remaining (Poisson PAT) and Marblehead led 27-6 after three quarters.
“For (Cronin’s interception) to happen when it did, that was huge for us,” Rudloff said. “I wouldn’t say it turned the game around but it sealed the game for us.”
A three-touchdown deficit was too tall a task for the Panthers and the Magicians coasted through the fourth quarter for the 27-6 final.
Despite the loss, Morency highlighted a handful of positives for Beverly.
“We have some young guys playing,” Morency said. “I thought they played hard. It’s not for lack of effort. I thought that first drive of the second half was a good drive for us. We needed that. In the end, we need to tackle better. Billy Adams, Marje Mulumba, Duncan Moreland’s always trying. We had guys giving efforts but we don’t have that continuity.”
The Panthers (1-3) visit Somerville (0-4) Friday night (7). The Magicians (4-0) host Malden (0-4) Friday night (7).
