PEABODY – If it were a boxing match, Bishop Fenwick would have been given a standing eight count after St. Mary’s landed a haymaker in the first round. To their credit, the Crusaders withstood the blows, but the Spartans never let up on the way to a 38-6 win in the annual Thanksgiving football clash at Donaldson Field.
The Spartans received the opening kickoff and it took them only five plays to go 70 yards and get on the scoreboard. Quarterback Yaniel Belliard found an open Jake Peterson for 16 yards, followed by three Rowan Merryman runs for 53 yards total. Belliard capped it with a 1-yard run and after Ryan Esquivel added the PAT, St. Mary’s was ahead 7-0 with only 1:24 elapsed.
“The opening drive, they came out with an attitude which we asked for all week,” St. Mary’s coach Sean Driscoll said. “That was a good way to start the game, obviously.”
On the other sideline, Fenwick coach Dave Woods was suitably alarmed, even though it was very early.
“I felt it was going to be a long day if we can’t stop the run,” said Woods, whose fears were realized.
By the time the first half ended, the Spartans had compiled 197 yards on the ground and 300 yards of offense in taking a 24-0 lead.
The Crusaders had a chance to tie it late in the first quarter, taking over at the St. Mary’s 42 after a short punt and driving to the 2 on the strength of a 29-yard run by Jesse Timson and 23-yard pass from Andrew Kiricoples to Tristan Giles. But the St. Mary’s defense stopped Tyler Connolly on fourth down and the Crusaders came away empty.
“They did a good job on both sides of the ball up front,” Woods said. “They controlled the line of scrimmage. They had a good defensive game plan and (St. Mary’s defensive coordinator) Coach (Tim) Phelps does a great job.”
St. Mary’s scored on all three of its second-quarter possessions, starting with a 25-yard field goal by Esquivel. After a Michael Sherman interception, Belliard (5-8, 115 yards) rolled right and threw back to the left to a wide-open Merryman, who had nothing but artificial turf in front of him on the way to a 66-yard touchdown. He could have run to Treadwell’s without being tackled.
A 10-play, 72-yard drive made it 24-0 with 20 seconds left in the half. Merryman had three runs for 25 yards and caught a 5-yard pass, while Tyren Hoeun – the game’s leading rusher with 146 yards on 16 carries – had an 18-yard scamper. Fullback Nathan Cutone, who typically serves as lead blocker, got a long-awaited touchdown, plowing his way into the endzone from the 1.
“They played well and performed the way we hoped they would,” said Driscoll, whose team had a 13-day break after losing to Shawsheen in the MIAA Div. 5 quarterfinals. “Preparation was the difference. We were coming off a tough loss in a physical game. Every practice we had was really competitive.”
Fenwick, meanwhile, was only six days removed from a 49-20 loss to a very good Fairhaven team in the Div. 6 semifinals.
“That was an advantage for us,” Driscoll said. “They played a physical team and had to regroup, but we knew they would show up ready to play. I think we played one of our best games of the year.”
The Crusaders looked much more alive to start the second half and got on the board midway through the third quarter after a 10-play, 67-yard drive that took only 2:27. Kiricoples completed two passes to Dylan Patturelli for 15 yards and ran twice for 29 yards, including a 10-yard TD. A 2-point conversion would have made it a 2-score game, but Connolly’s pass fell incomplete and St. Mary’s maintained a 24-6 advantage.
Merryman (114 yards rushing, 83 yards receiving) scored on an 18-yard run in the third and Cutone got his second TD from a yard out with 5:11 left. Game. Set. Match.
“Tough start, tough finish, tough middle,” Woods said. “They’re a good team. We knew they have strong runners and are big up front. We knew what they were running and couldn’t stop it.”
After three straight losses in the middle of the season, St. Mary’s won five of its last six to finish 7-4.
“The schedule wore us down a little at times, but you bounce back and they played hard all the time,” Driscoll said. “That’s a good win. Any time you get a chance to play your rival on Thanksgiving, it’s an important game. That’s a victory for the school and for the alumni that come out and support us.”
Fenwick rebounded from a 1-3 start and won five of six prior to the state semifinal loss. The Crusaders finished 6-6.
“We had a good run down the stretch,” Woods said. “When you lose that last game, it’s an emotional letdown and tough to bounce back.”
