SWAMPSCOTT — Friday night was one to remember for Swampscott football fans, as the Big Blue played their first game under the new lights at Blocksidge Field against nearby rival Lynn English in the fifth annual Jeff Blydell Cup.
“The kids enjoyed it,” Swampscott coach Bobby Serino said. “The kids came out to play. We got off to a little bit of a slow start but the kids fought back. Sometimes it’s who makes the last play.”
That turned out to be English, however, as the Bulldogs turned an 11-point deficit into a 33-30 win with the last two touchdowns of the night. Receiver Tahj Purtur delivered the game-winner with a 73-yard touchdown catch from the arm of quarterback Mathias Fowler.
“It was unbelievable. This was a great football environment,” English coach Chris Carroll said. “It was
tremendous. It was a great environment for the Blydell Cup. Two storied rivals, English and Swampscott. It was just unbelievable.”
The Blydell Cup was established in 2015. It honors the late Jeff Blydell, a youth sports coach in Lynn and Swampscott, who died after a battle with cancer in 2015. English has won four of its five editions.
“Jeff was a mentor, a friend,” Carroll said. “It means a lot to keep that Blydell Cup at Lynn English. I think he would’ve loved the performances from both teams. It means a lot to us.”
