LYNN — From the outside looking in, it’s easy to pencil a No. 2 seed in for a win over a No. 7 seed. But when the No. 7 seed comes ready to play, things become easier said than done.
In short, that was the story of Friday night’s Division 3 North quarter final between No. 2 English and No. 7 Concord-Carlisle at Manning Field. The Bulldogs escaped with a 35-33 win but not before the Patriots put multiple scares in them.
“Good for (Concord-Carlisle). They came out and gave us their best punch,” Bulldogs coach Chris Carroll said. “We won but it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t one of our better games this year. Don’t take any credit away from Concord-Carlisle. They came out with a good offensive game plan and executed.”
Quarterback Matt Severance completed 11-of-15 pass attempts for 200 yards and tossed a touchdown pass to Mathias Fowler (three catches, 42 yards). Severance also ran for touchdowns of two and six yards.
Tahj Purter was Severance’s favorite target, hauling in six catches for 122 yards. Running back Miguel Ramos, filling in for injured starter Ishmile Bangura, ran for 60 yards on nine carries and scored two touchdowns.
“Ramos wasn’t 100 percent either,” Carroll said. “He’s a tough kid. One of those scores, that was all him. I’m proud of him. He stepped up and made plays.”
Kicker Tyler Drinan went 5-for-5 on PAT’s.
In a back-and-forth first half, the Patriots made it known they were ready to play. English took advantage of a short opening kickoff, scoring on the game’s first possession. Severance capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Fowler (Drinan PAT), and English led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Patriots kept English’s offense off the field for the next eight minutes, tying the game at 7-7 with Cam Ladd’s 4-yard touchdown carry (Christian Gemelli PAT). English’s defense forced a turnover on downs on Concord-Carlisle’s next possession. Severance, who also plays safety, made the key play when he stuffed a Patriots run on 4th-and-4. Ramos’ 4-yard touchdown dash regained the lead for English at 14-7 (Drinan PAT) with 3:22 left in the half. Refusing to head into the locker room without momentum, the Patriots tied the game in the closing seconds when Gemelli tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tim Hays.
English’s halftime adjustments paid dividends for the Bulldogs in the third quarter. Touchdowns on consecutive possessions (Severance 2-yard keeper, Ramos 6-yard carry) gave English a 28-14 lead (Drinan PAT’s) heading into the fourth quarter.
Things got interesting in the fourth. Concord-Carlisle opened the quarter with Gemelli’s 48-yard touchdown scamper (Gemelli PAT). The Bulldogs stumbled on the ensuing drive and Concord-Carlisle whittled the deficit to one point, 28-27, behind Gemelli’s 40-yard toss to Tyler Jameau (conversion failed). Severance put what seemed to be the nail on the coffin with a 4-yard touchdown rush (Drinan PAT) to give English a 35-27 edge with 56 seconds to play.
Not so fast, said the Patriots. Gemelli linked up with Ladd for a 22-yard touchdown pass to make it a 2-point game at 35-33. The Patriots opted for a roll-out pass on the conversion attempt but Tommy Gaylord and Fowler read the play perfectly, broke the pass and sealed the 35-33 victory.
“I’m proud of my kids for being resilient,” Carroll said. “There were 14 starters tonight starting their first playoff game. People forget that sometimes. They battled and they made a play when they needed to make a play.”
English hosts No. 3. Danvers next weekend (TBA) in the Division 3 North semifinal.
