SAUGUS — It was ‘bend don’t break’ for the Saugus football team’s defense in Saturday afternoon’s game against Winthrop. The Vikings drove the ball to Saugus’ red zone five times but scored just twice. Down two points in the fourth quarter, Sachems running back Marvens Jean scored the game-winning touchdown on a 6-yard dash to lead Saugus to a 20-14 win at a muddy Stackpole Field.
Winthrop didn’t have much of an answer for Jean, who carried the ball 17 times for 164 yards and scored two touchdowns. Saugus quarterback Mason Nickolas (5-of-9, 65 passing yards) scored a touchdown on a 4-yard keeper.
“It starts up front,” Saugus coach Mike Mabee said. “The o-line played awesome, setting the holes for him. (Jean) got going, making some good reads. He’s tough to take down once he gets going.”
For the Vikings, quarterback Bobby Hubert (6-of-10, 48 passing yards) scored both touchdowns on a pair of keepers. Feedle Small was the focal point of Winthrop’s offense, logging 16 carries for 125 yards.
“We’ve been waiting for Feedle to kind of break out and I think we kind of saw what we have when Feedle gets going,” Winthrop coach Jonathan Cadigan said. “I think he’s a mudder, number one, so this is a perfect track for him. He’s a physical runner so a field like this helps. It was good to get Feedle going this week.
“The effort was definitely there for four quarters,” Cadigan added. “You get inside the 10-yard line and don’t score, that’s pretty much the difference of the game.”
Winthrop marched down to Saugus’ 20-yard line on its first possession of the game but Dante McGrane forced a turnover on downs when he broke up a pass on 4th down. Hubert (11 carries, 36 yards) ended the scoreless drought with a 2-yard keeper, patiently waiting for his blockers to open a lane and diving in for the 6-0 Winthrop lead with 7:25 to play in the second quarter (conversion failed). Saugus answered quickly, with Nickolas tying the game at 6-6 on his 4-yard touchdown run (PAT blocked). Jean caught Winthrop’s defense off guard before the end of the half, taking a dive up the middle for a 63-yard touchdown run (conversion failed). Saugus led 12-6 at halftime.
Austin Daigneault (four catches, 24 yards) intercepted a pass at the Saugus 31 with 8:18 to play in the third quarter. Hubert cashed in on the short field three minutes later when he scored from a yard out and gave the Vikings a 14-12 lead (Hubert conversion).
“I’m proud of the way they responded at halftime,” Cadigan said. “The last play of the (first) half where we’re in a prevent defense and they bust a run, that’s tough.
One of the things we said is ‘that’s just one play. We have 40-50 plays in this next half to make a difference.'”
Winthrop drove down to the Saugus 16 early in the fourth before Jean sacked Hubert on 4th-and-goal. Down 14-12 the Sachems needed a big drive to regain the lead- and they got one. Jean’s 6-yard touchdowns rush, shortly after a key 4th down conversion, gave Saugus a 20-14 lead with 2:22 to play (Nickolas pass to Jason Casaletto conversion).
“I pulled the kids over and said ‘we’re going to go right at them,'” Mabee said. “They said ‘absolutely coach, we’ve got your back.’ I think that 4th down play really helped us. We got that first down and drove after that.”
Jake Morgante’s sack on Winthrop’s final drive forced a 4th-and-long. James Moise sealed the victory with an interception for the 20-14 Saugus win.
“Jake kept saying to me ‘coach I’m going to get a sack’ and in a big spot he came up and made a big play,” Mabee said. “Same with James coming and closing the game.”
Saugus (2-4) hosts Swampscott next Friday night (7). Winthrop (2-4) hosts English next Friday night (7).
