BOXFORD — Despite turning the ball over four times, the Peabody football team leaned on a strong defensive effort to pull out a 14-10 win over Masconomet in a Northeastern Conference battle at Walt Roberts Field Saturday night. The Tanners forced four turnovers of their own on defense to help earn the win, including two interceptions from Brandon Pszenny.
“The bottom line is that we obviously have to get better at holding onto the ball, as it’s been a thorn in our side for the past two games,” said Peabody coach Mark Bettencourt. “On the defensive side, I thought our effort was much better from start to finish and we were able to put four good quarters together. It was enough to pull out the win, but we need to improve.”
Quarterback Shea Lynch had a strong game despite throwing two interceptions, completing 12-of-21 passes for 92 yards and one touchdown. Pszenny had four receptions for 35 yards, while Eli Batista had three receptions for 27 yards and one touchdown. Cam Cuzzi led the Tanners’ rushing attack with 56 yards, while Alan Paulino and Jordan Thompkins each rushed for 30 yards.
Masconomet struck first in this one, breaking the scoreless tie with a 10-yard touchdown connection from Matt Richardson to Tyler McMahon to go ahead 7-0 late in the first quarter.
But Peabody fought right back. After Pszenny snatched his first interception of the game to give the Tanners a short field, Lynch found Batista for a 15-yard touchdown to tie the score at 7-7 in the second quarter.
Then the two sides battled to a stalemate over the next quarter and a half before Masconomet got another chance to strike. After forcing and recovering a fumble deep in Peabody territory, the Chieftains retook the lead on a 25-yard field goal from Sam Ferrigno late in the third quarter.
Trailing 10-7 in the fourth quarter, Peabody was facing a third-and-two from the Masconomet 25-yard line when Lynch kept the drive alive after he completed a pass to Pszenny that got the Tanners into the red zone. From there, Lynch did things himself and took a keeper six yards for a touchdown to give Peabody a 14-10 lead with 8:16 to play.
“It’s a great sign that we’re improving from game to game as a young team, and that go-ahead drive showed a lot,” said Bettencourt. “With so many young players at our skill positions, to see them not look nervous and execute the game plan is very encouraging.”
It was all on the Peabody defense from there and the Tanners didn’t disappoint, getting an interception and a series of big tackles down the stretch to keep Masconomet off the scoreboard and take home the win.
Peabody (1-1) will now prepare on a short week, as it hosts Danvers Thursday evening (5).
“Peabody-Danvers has become a bit of a rivalry in recent years and we’ve embraced that, so everyone is excited about this week,” said Bettencourt. “On a short week, you obviously have to worry about your team’s health and how quickly guys will be able to bounce back. That means less time for contact in practice, so preparation will be key in this one. We’re going to break down the film, get guys healthy and come out ready to play Thursday.”
