MALDEN — MacDonald Stadium was the place to be Thursday night, as the Lynn Classical Rams stormed into enemy territory and escaped, 30-28, against Malden.
Talk about starting strong. It was all Classical in the first quarter with Tyren Hoeun rushing for a 76-yard touchdown, followed by a Javon Clayborn quarterback keeper (8-0).
From there, Classical’s receptions leader, Jabin Pierre, won a 25-yard jump ball from Clayborn, followed by another two-point conversion from Clayborn (16-0).
“I thought we played well in the first half,” said Classical coach Brian Vaughan. “We moved the ball pretty well… We ran the ball really well tonight.”
Malden was quick to respond, however, getting a big stop that forced a safety. After that, Xavier Coulanges-Blaise took a punt to the house.
The Classical pressure was on, with Clayborn running in for a 23-yard score (Gianni McKay 2-point conversion). On the next drive, Charles Washington of the Rams got involved with an interception.
It was 24-8 by halftime, and once the third quarter began, Clayborn was off to the races with a 68-yard bolt to make it 30-8.
“I thought Javon Clayborn stood out today,” Vaughan said. “Offensively, Tyren Hoeun stood out and the whole offensive line stood out to me. I think Thomas Nolan did a good job blocking.”
But a couple of touchdowns got Malden within reach and Clayborn went down with an injury, forcing the Rams to run a wildcat-like offense the rest of the way.
“Once again, this is our fifth game of the season and we lost another starter again, so these guys are battling adversity right now,” said Vaughan, whose Rams were already without quarterback Ryan Buth due to injury. “Kings of adversity, so I think there are adjustments we have to make because we lost our starting quarterback.”
To make matters worse, Malden quarterback Aidan Brett hit Kevin Exilhomme for a 73-yard touchdown – with a two-point conversion – leaving the Rams stunned.
After a Classical three-and-out, Malden had a chance to win in the final minute, but Hoeun came up with a game-saving interception to seal it.
“The defense finally made a big play at the end,” Vaughan said. “We had to do our version of the wildcat, so overall, I think there were a bunch of guys who contributed. We will go back and watch the film. We have a bye week, so we will rest up, lick our wounds, and get ready for our next opponent.”
Owen Finn is a student at Endicott College studying journalism
