MALDEN — Malden’s football team (2-3) entered Thursday 0-2 against Lynn schools this season, losing to Lynn Tech and Lynn Classical by a combined score of 54-14.
The third time’s the charm, as the Golden Tornadoes flipped their struggles against Lynn with a 21-14 win over Lynn English (1-5) at MacDonald Stadium.
In a game full of turnovers, the first came on the Bulldogs’ first possession. Their 58-yard drive was cut short by a fumble just 9 yards away from the promised land.
Malden recovered, taking some momentum, too. English coach Anthony LaFratta called it a “back-breaker.”
After a punt from each team, Malden, from its own 8-yard line, needed just two plays to go the length of the field for a 7-0 lead.
“We just didn’t make enough plays in the first half,” LaFratta said. “When you put yourself in that type of situation, it makes it really hard to win football games.”
English took its opening possession downfield, but another fumble put Malden in prime scoring position.
After the recovery, a 10-yard rushing score gave the Tornadoes a commanding lead halfway through the third quarter.
LaFratta further commented on the two costly turnovers.
“We’ve got to clean it up so we can win some football games… 120 plays normally come down to less than 10 that can turn a whole game, so we’ve been on the wrong end of those,” he said.
The Bulldogs showed fight in the fourth, driving 77 yards for their first score of the night on a 21-yard scamper from quarterback Limbert Thomas (148 total yards, TD, INT).
Malden responded quickly with another scoring drive, but the Bulldogs just wouldn’t quit.
English’s Jordan Em kept his team within striking distance, blocking and recovering a punt for a touchdown to make things interesting with three minutes left (21-14).
After another punt from Malden, English regained possession from its own 23-yard line with 1:35 remaining.
Thomas drove his team near the redzone, but a last-second shot at the end zone fell incomplete.
Despite the final score, LaFratta was thrilled with his group’s fight.
“I’m proud of our guys for giving us a shot, for battling, and for not giving up right to the last play,” he said. “It just shows you the resiliency of our group.”
