LYNN — Sometimes, the “Game of the Week” label is nothing more than a handout – you know it to be true.
But Friday night’s between Lynn Classical and Salem oozed storylines.
The Witches hadn’t beaten Classical in nearly two decades, starting quarterbacks Brian Vaughan Jr. (Classical) and Corey Grimes (Salem) each threw four-plus touchdowns last week, and, other than Classical’s loss to Peabody in Week 2, each side was perfect heading into the mid-October showdown.
Well, 92 points and nearly three hours of game time later, Salem (6-0) defeated Classical (4-2) at Manning Field, 48-44.
“Most of these kids weren’t born the last time Salem High beat Classical,” said Salem coach Matt Bouchard. “I know these kids. I’ve seen them since they were in second grade playing youth football… my heart skipped a beat seeing all those kids excited.”
Fans had their hearts skip some beats, too. Neither team led by more than a touchdown.
“They gave us a lot of challenges. They have a lot of talented players,” Bouchard said.
Talented, indeed. Vaughan Jr. (20-for-25, 409 yards, 5 TDs) and Grimes (13-for-22, 185 yards, 3 TDs) led the charge.
“It was a good game. It was a fun football game to play in – as a player, and as a coach,” said Classical coach Brian Vaughan Sr.
After Vaughan Jr. hit RJ Faessler (216 receiving yards, 3 TDs) on fourth-and-goal for the lead in the fourth quarter, Salem had one last chance with 3:46 remaining.
“I told my kids, ‘Somebody has to lose and somebody has to win,’” Vaughan Sr. said.
Unfortunately for the hosts, Grimes connected with receiver Albert Pujols in the back of the endzone for the game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds remaining.
The high lob caught via toe-tap didn’t come without controversy.
“He wasn’t in. I’ll be honest with you, and I let the refs know,” Vaughan Sr. said. “Both feet were on the white line, but that’s the game of football. Things are done fast. The human eye doesn’t see everything all the time… it was probably tough for him to see that. It’s not his fault.”
Salem recovered an onside kick with eight seconds to go, and that was all she wrote.
“With these guys, they perform their best in pressure situations,” Bouchard said. “You put more pressure on them, they get more… focused, more serious about what they need to do to be successful. I’ve never coached a team like that.”
Alongside Faessler, his partner-in-crime, John Nasky (145 yards, 2 TDs), shined in Classical’s aerial attack.
“Defensively, as you saw, we had a hard time,” Bouchard said. “We were sacrificing four defensive backs to cover some of these guys, and we still had a giant problem with it.”
As for touchdowns, Javon Clayborn of the Rams rushed for an 80-yard burst on the first play from scrimmage, one of Faessler’s three was a 73-yard strike in the third quarter, and three of Vaughan Jr.’s came on fourth down.
“I thought we did a good job. Every time we got down, we battled adversity to take the lead back,” Vaughan Sr. said. “We were just inconsistent on the defensive side.”
Friday continued a stellar senior campaign for Vaughan Jr.
“Yeah, he was out there having fun,” Vaughan Sr. said.
Classical hosts Revere next Saturday, Oct. 21 at 3 p.m., while Salem looks to conquer the Winthrop Vikings on their home turf at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
“These kids have worked extremely hard,” Bouchard said. “We’re turning the tide. This was a big win for the program.”
