The Saint John’s Shrewsbury Pioneers picked up a road win against the Lynn Classical football team on Saturday afternoon at Manning Field, 20-6.
With touchdowns of 46, 50, and 55 yards, the Pioneers fended off a Classical comeback bid to snag their third win of the season, while Classical lost its third straight.
Classical’s rungame was efficient from its first snap. Tyren Hoeun rushed for gains of eight and seven yards, followed by RJ Faessler placing a screen pass perfectly in stride to John Nasky for a 7-yard gain. Despite crossing midfield, Classical turned it over on downs.
Saint John’s 6-5, 200 pound quarterback Ryan Miller threw across the field on third down, but Faessler crushed a receiver in the middle of the field to cause a drop. The Pioneers punted the ball back to the Rams.
Grabbing his jersey won’t stop Classical’s Jordan Delgado, as the senior running back dragged a Pioneer with him for 16 yards.
The first quarter ended scoreless with Hoeun rushing eight times for 24 yards.
After a Classical turnover on downs, Saint John’s took over, but not for long. Branden Da Rosa wrapped up a Pioneer on a third down option pitch, bringing him to the turf before reaching the marker.
“I thought the defense played excellent,” Classical Head Coach Brian Vaughan said.
Saint John’s got the ball back with just less than five minutes remaining in the half.
The result: six. Junior running back Logan Mercer raced through the secondary for a 55-yard touchdown to break the tie. With the point after, the Pioneers led 7-0.
Classical failed to convert again, but senior Nick Costa impressed with a beautiful punt to pin Saint John’s inside its own 20-yard line.
The Pioneers struck again. Miller threw deep to senior Tanner Russ for a 50-yard touchdown. Russ went right up and over Nasky, extending the Saint John’s lead to 14-0 after the kick – a score that remained at halftime.
Yoel Sosa crushed a Pioneer to start the second half and helped prevent a Saint John’s first down. However, the Pioneers got the ball back on a fumble recovery after Classical crossed midfield.
Costa caught eyes with a timely tackle for Classical, tripping up a Pioneer on fourth down before he could reach the marker. The referees brought out the chains, and the call stood.
Hoeun kept the momentum going, bolting for 31 yards into the redzone off a handoff. Nasky broke free in the endzone a few plays later, but Faessler’s pass was a hair too far and a diving Nasky couldn’t control it. The third quarter ended with Classical still down 14-0.
“We’re just not finishing. There’s nothing positive when you don’t finish,” Vaughan said. “We’re not accepting the challenge.”
The Rams broke through with 6:32 remaining. Faessler led Nasky beautifully on a 29-yard pass in stride and to the endzone. With the two-point conversion no good on the ground, Saint John’s still held its 14-6 lead.
Mercer responded for Saint John’s, running 46 yards for his second rushing touchdown. The Pioneers took a commanding 20-6 lead with around four minutes remaining.
The Rams played until the final whistle, but were bested by the bigger Pioneers who capitalized on their chances. Now, they wait for a Thanksgiving Day matchup against their rivals of Lynn English.
“We’ve got to clean up those mistakes, we’ve got to fix it. The good thing is we have two weeks to do it,” Vaughan said.
