BEVERLY — Despite getting off to a slow start on the offensive side of the ball Saturday, the Peabody football team turned things on in the second half and notched a 17-10 victory over Northeastern Conference foe Beverly at Forti Field. With the win, the Tanners have beaten Beverly and Danvers (who Peabody beat on April 1) in the same year for the first time since 1933.
Sophomore quarterback Shea Lynch continued to impress in his first season as a varsity starter, completing 11-of-23 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown. Brandon Pszenny led the receiving corps with four receptions for 71 yards, while Drew Lucas had a 27-yard touchdown reception that ended up being the difference in the game. Jonathan Teixeira (two receptions for 36 yards) and Eli Batista (two receptions for 34 yards) also had solid games through the air, while Kyle Maglione led the ground attack with 10 rushes for 60 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Joe Swanton added a 37-yard field goal in the win.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle that would’ve made any defensive coordinator ecstatic. After a three-and-out on the opening possession, Peabody punted the ball away and Beverly stormed into the red zone. But the Tanners’ defense wouldn’t break, holding Beverly on third down and forcing a 22-yard field goal from Joe Loreti.
Peabody had trouble moving the ball offensively for most of the first half, but Lynch and the passing game came through when it mattered. With just over a minute to play in the second quarter, Lynch found Teixeira on a 32-yard pass to put the Tanners deep in Beverly territory with time running out. The Tanners couldn’t move much further than that, but Swanton stepped up and drilled a 37-yard field goal with 20 seconds to play to make it 3-3 at halftime.
After the Peabody defense held Beverly and forced yet another punt early in the second half, the Tanners offense put together its most complete drive of the game. Peabody marched 80 yards down the field, capping the drive when Lynch faked a handoff and hit Lucas on a short pass and then Lucas trucked a defender en route to a 32-yard score to make it 10-3, a lead that the Tanners took into the fourth quarter.
Peabody added another score on a four-yard touchdown run from Maglione, then the defense took over from there. Although Beverly did get within a score when Jaichaun Jones broke free for an 18-yard touchdown run with 6:35 to play, in the end the Tanners were just too strong on the defensive side of the ball. After Maglione burst through the line and sacked Beverly quarterback Anthony Pasquarosa on fourth down with 18 seconds to go, the Tanners took home the victory.
Peabody (3-1) plays on the road at Gloucester Friday evening (5).
