LYNN — Crossword puzzles, the modern zipper, and household electric refrigerators were created in 1913 — as well as a little high school football rivalry in Lynn.
Well, you could say it’s not so little anymore. In the 112th Thanksgiving clash between Lynn English and Lynn Classical, the Bulldogs concluded a nine-win season — the program’s best in a decade — with a 36-12 victory against the Rams.
Make it nine consecutive victories (0-2 start) for second-year coach Tyllor McDonald and company.
“I’ve got to credit my coaching staff as well — it’s not easy,” said McDonald, a 2011 English graduate who compiled 5,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in just two years as a quarterback. “I’ve got a lot of good kids who come from good families.”
Speaking of quarterbacks — and the Turkey Day hero in this one — look no further than Greater Boston League Most Valuable Player Shane Knowlton-Simard, who stole the show with 212 yards rushing, 131 yards passing, and five total touchdowns Thursday.
“We wanted to end the year on a great note and show the coaches just how much they mean to us — how much we appreciate them,” Knowlton-Simard said.
Knowlton-Simard compiled more than 2,700 yards of offense to go with 38 total touchdowns this season.
“The kid’s just a great football player and he earned it,” McDonald said. “He showed up every day . . . grinded for what he got this year.”
Classical drove downfield to start the game, but English’s Keilan Smith, a freshman, intercepted quarterback Mark Walsh’s end-zone pass.
Then, the big plays.
English scored four touchdowns on five offensive plays to jump ahead 24-0 at halftime. Xavier Beauchamp rushed for an 80-yard score before Knowlton-Simard kept two himself for 76- and 93-yard touchdown runs.
The dual-threat gunslinger showed he could throw, too, when he delivered a beautiful 77-yard touchdown pass to Jason McDonald down the left sideline.
“X (Beauchamp) and Shane are explosive and they’ve been showing it all year,” McDonald said. “It was nice to see . . . the crowd was going crazy.”
On the other side, first-year Classical coach Brian Smith credited Knowlton-Simard and Beauchamp for being “two of the better players” in Massachusetts.
“We knew coming in that it was going to be a huge task to stop those two,” he said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get enough stops on them and couldn’t convert some first-half chances we had. Hats off to them and they had a heck of a season.”
The second half was more competitive with each side scoring 12 points. Knowlton-Simard squeaked in a 4-yard touchdown before connecting with Kenneth Gomez Lopez for a 6-yarder.
Classical found the scoreboard when Charles Washington rushed for a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Dylan Hoeun raced for a touchdown as time expired in the fourth.
“They came out in the second half and played them pretty close. I think we actually tied them in the second half,” Smith said. “We’re looking to make this a huge rivalry again. It’s a program on the rise, so you look forward to the offseason and to building.”
Smith credited Walsh for his first start under center.
“He played his heart out; this is his first year playing football.”
The Rams concluded the season 3-8.
