LYNN — It was shaping up to be an exciting football matchup between Lynn Classical and Lawrence before rain and lightning interrupted play. The teams battled heavy rain, gusty winds and numerous penalties, but it was Lawrence that left Manning Field with a 16-14 overtime win.
Despite losing his first game in charge, Lynn Classical head coach Brian Smith said he was proud of his team’s effort.
“Hats off to our guys. They played five quarters of football tonight, and if it wasn’t for the officiating we would have won this game,” Smith said. “I hate that it came down to a couple calls, but the guys fought hard and they played 100%. That’s all I could ask for.”
The game opened in a downpour that led both teams to lose possession in the first quarter on failed quarterback-center exchanges. The first quarter ended scoreless, and just before the second began, lightning forced a delay.
“We just told our guys to stay ready. That’s all you can do,” Smith said regarding the delay. “The weather was the same for both teams. I know both teams had a hard time holding onto the ball.”
After more than an hour delay, the Rams struck first. Gianni McKay ran it in from four yards out, and quarterback Angel Ortega kept it on the conversion to make it 8-0.
Classical took that lead into halftime, but Lawrence responded on the opening drive of the second half. Quarterback Manny Perez connected with Denzel Morales for a 58-yard gain to inside the Rams’ 5-yard line. On fourth down, Perez again found Morales for a touchdown, and the two-point conversion tied the game at eight.
With 3:09 left in regulation, McKay intercepted Perez and sprinted 65 yards for what appeared to be the winning touchdown. But a holding penalty on the Rams brought the play back to their own 32.
Lawrence forced a punt, and on the return the Lancers muffed it, with Classical recovering at the Lawrence 18 with 1:01 to play. On the next snap, another failed quarterback-center exchange led to a fumble recovered by the Lancers.
“He should have won the game on the run back, but the officiating had a different call on it,” Smith said.
The game went into overtime. Classical struck first with Doug Andrade scoring on an 8-yard run. The Rams failed on the two-point try, leaving the lead at 14-8.
Lawrence answered when Jamany Gonzalez scored on a shuttle pass. The Lancers converted the two-point attempt with Perez again finding Morales, this time for the game-winning points.
Smith said he was encouraged by what he saw despite the result.
“Lawrence is from the Merrimack Valley. Everybody had us as a 21-point underdog in this game. I think our guys kicked their butts all game. That’s all I could ask for,” Smith said. “I know Lawrence doesn’t want to play us again.”
Classical will look for its first win of the season Friday when it travels to Everett for a 6 p.m. game.
