The Swampscott High football team defeated the Saugus Sachems by a score of 38-0 on a beautiful Thursday evening in front of the fans who love them most.
With the concession stand open and stadium lights shining underneath a pink sunset, it was time for the boys of fall.
Right from the opening kickoff, Swampscott’s defense swarmed the opposition. Saugus was forced to start at their own 4-yard line. Two failed runs and a sack later — courtesy of Ethan Gee — and they were forced to punt.
On Swampscott’s opening drive, Jason Codispoti led the charge with consecutive runs that gave the team strong field position. Elijah Burns then caught a pass from quarterback Zack Ryan that put the ball on the Saugus 20-yard line.
In the red zone, Ryan handed the ball off to Codispoti who took it 15-yards to the house — giving Swampscott a 7-0 advantage after the extra point.
The only thing better than someone who can provide offense, is someone who can also provide defense. Codispoti intercepted Saugus’ Cam Preston on a bomb down the right side — taking his return inside the 25-yard line.
Swampscott’s second drive began at the 40-yard line. From there, they converted a 3rd and 8 with Chris Ferragamo hauling in a Ryan pass. Although, a sack and penalty later, the Big Blue were forced to punt.
During their next drive, in what looked like a potential big gain for Swampscott, the Sachems’ Danny Shea came up with a sliding tackle to take down Burns off a screen pass — followed by some energetic claps from the sophomore defensive back.
The first quarter came to a close with the score reading 7-0 in favor of the Big Blue.
It was then Jaiden Smith’s turn to make his presence felt for Saugus, taking down Codispoti in a one on one situation on third down — forcing a turnover on downs the following play.
At the 7:49 mark of quarter number two, Burns brought the crowd to its feet with an interception — playing his part in providing a short field for his offense.
At the 5:36 mark, Ferragamo decided to extend the lead for his team — hauling in a Ryan pass on a slant route. Their lead would double to 14-0.
Ferragamo wasn’t done, however – intercepting the ball, then dancing his way around two Sachems to give his team some energy towards the end of the half.
Later on in the drive, the Ryan-Burns connection struck again on a slant, bringing the team inside enemy territory.
In the final minute of the half, Saugus learned that holding Nakeylen Davis’ leg won’t work in the realm of tackling, as he broke consecutive tackles and barreled his way into the end zone, bringing the lead to 21-0 into halftime.
Saugus tried to sway momentum with an onside kick to start the second half. The Big Blue recovered, however, and began their drive with only 46 yards between them and the promised land.
After a 32-yard catch from Burns, the team was forced to settle for three points as – plays later – Ryan would overthrow his man in the end zone on third down.
Saugus’ Tommy DiSimone impressed in the third quarter, changing directions in the backfield to pick up respectable yardage. But as quick as he was on his feet, Swampscott’s Liam Keaney was equally as quick to intercept yet another ball for the home team.
Football fans enjoy stiff arms — just ask the Swampscott faithful. Burns brought the lead to 31-0 (extra point) after pushing down a Sachem defender and racing his way down the sideline for another score.
Swampscott’s Will Bush took a handoff in the waning moments of the third quarter. The result: a 38-yard bolt to midfield — ending the quarter on a high note for his team.
In the fourth, Henry Beuttler found the endzone on the ground through traffic, increasing the margin to 38-0.
Swampscott would execute on the ground to finish the rest of the game — putting the finishing touches on an extremely well-rounded performance. The final score: 38-0.
Throughout all of the touchdowns, interceptions, and dazzling plays, Swampscott Head Coach Bob Serino made sure to highlight his team’s resilience after the game – as the group also made their fair share of mistakes throughout the game.
“Well they don’t dwell. We talk about it in practice,” Serino said. “The bottom line is, forget about it and move on. And that’s what we say at practice, we say it every time. If somebody wants to slap their helmet, it just doesn’t work. We don’t have that bad body language on this team.”
Next on the schedule for Swampscott is Northeast Metro Tech on Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. as they look to defend Blocksidge field once more. For Saugus, next Friday’s matchup against Salem starts at 6:30 p.m. in Saugus.
Joey Barrett can be reached at [email protected]
