Post publication updates:
Lynnfield falls to Manchester Essex 41-19 (Oct. 24)
Lynnfield falls to Newburyport 29-19 (Oct. 17)
By JAMES CRANNEY
BYFIELD – Following a lopsided loss at Amesbury, the 1-2 Pioneers traveled to Triton last Friday night for a matchup with the 1-2 Vikings. Lynnfield’s struggles the week before stemmed from trying to slow down Amesbury’s steady rushing attack.
On a crisp fall night in Byfield, the Pioneers would once again run into the same issues. The Vikings pounded the ball for 375 rushing yards against Lynnfield before securing a 37-14 victory.
“It’s a tough offense to stop,” commented Pioneers head coach Pat Lamusta on Triton’s tenacious rushing game. “Single-wing offense is tough, and we’re down some guys. Coach Ed Melanson’s been running that offense for a while now and when you have a good running back like they do, they’re really hard to slow down.”
For Vikings senior running back Carl Lucy, it was a night to remember. Lucy accounted for 78 percent of Triton’s rushing yards running for 293. The Vikings put the ball in Lucy’s hands early and often. On the third play of Triton’s first drive, Lucy was rushing to his right before patiently cutting back to the left for a 44-yard score.
On the Vikings’ next possession, leading 7-0, it would once again take Lucy just three plays to find the end zone. From his own 39-yard line, the senior running back took the handoff running to his right. Lucy was able to find some daylight, then shot up the sideline.
“He’s [Lucy] the type of player once you get him in the hole, you have to get him to stop his feet,” stated Lamusta on the challenges of stopping Lucy. “We had trouble up front getting enough penetration to do that. We saw that he’s a physical runner on film and knew it was going to be a challenge.”
After the 61-yard Lucy touchdown and failed two-point conversion, Triton was in control with a 13-0 lead and had all the momentum. Late in the 1st quarter, the Pioneers finally found a way to stop the bleeding.
Senior captain quarterback Matt Tracy (12-21, 107 passing yards) got Lynnfield’s third drive started with back-to-back throws towards senior captain Luke DiSilvio (7 catches, 73 receiving yard). Now in Triton territory, the Pioneer offense kept moving, getting solid runs from junior running back Lucas Deraps (9 carries, 43 rushing yards) and senior captain Dan Lemieux (4 carries, 21 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown).
On 4th-and-1 from the Viking 15-yard line, Lamusta decided to keep his offense on the field. Out of the Wildcat formation, Lemieux took the snap and followed his blockers to the right before barreling his way across the goal line. Following the 15-yard rushing touchdown, Lemieux stayed on the field booting the extra point to make it 13-7 early in the 2nd quarter.
While the Pioneer offense was able to get on the board, the defensive struggles continued.
Triton came roaring back with yet another lengthy Lucy run, a 69-yard touchdown extending the Vikings lead to 20-7 with 10:14 remaining in the half. In the closing minutes of the first half, Triton would deliver a back breaking blow.
The Vikings had driven the ball to Lynnfield’s 6-yard line with only 6 seconds left before halftime. Once more, Triton handed it off to Lucy who lunged over the goal line as time expired making it 27-7 at the break.
In the early stages of the 3rd quarter, the Pioneers were able to put together another scoring drive. Lynnfield took advantage of two chunk plays with a 22-yard run from Deraps and a 15-yard pass to Luke DiSilvio on 3rd down. After converting a 4th-and-1 from the Triton 5-yard line on a Tracy quarterback sneak, Tracy’s number was called again. On the next play, the senior captain punched it in for a 3-yard score.
That was all the battered Pioneers could muster for the remainder of the contest. Battling injuries along with a vicious Vikings rushing attack, Lynnfield was simply outmatched. With the 37-14 loss, the Pioneers now drop to 1-3 on the year.
Next week, Lynnfield will have an opportunity to get their season back on track. On Friday night at 6 p.m, the 0-5 Newburyport Clippers come to Pioneer Stadium still searching for their first win.“We’re definitely thin at this point and might have lost a couple more guys in this game,” says coach Lamusta on Lynnfield’s current injury status. “Hopefully, we get a few guys back to health for Newburyport next week.”
While the past two games have not gone according to plan for the Pioneers, Lamusta still knows it only takes one game to start building momentum. If Lynnfield can get back to the basics, while getting some players healthy, there is still plenty of football ahead of this team.
“We have to try and play our game, drive the ball and get some stops,” said the coach.