Belmont victory a perfect prelude to Thanksgiving
Published November 16, 2018
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—For the Red Raider faithful who braved the driving rain at Fred Green Field in Melrose last Friday night, they got their price of admission as the Red Raiders beat a competitive Belmont, 27-13. This represented Melrose’s (6-4) last game until their Thanksgiving matchup on the road at Wakefield next week.
It was a particularly strong night for underclassmen, including juniors Bill Pesce, Andy Calvert, Jared Karelas, Mical Duntin and Sean Herbert, who showed a glimpse of the leadership they’ll provide in 2019. Meanwhile, sophomores Jack Hickey, quarterback Brendan Fennell and Matt Dussault represent a taste what Melrose fans might come to expect in 2019 and 2020. All signs are looking good.
“Belmont was a solid team who had some big wins behind them. We hadn’t seen them since maybe 2012, so I thought we handled them well.” said Melrose coach Tim Morris after the game. “I thought we did some good things on both side of the ball. Offensively, we spread the ball around and ran a lot of guys: Kevin, Calvert, Hickey and Pesce. We weren’t going to throw a lot in the rain and I was glad to give these guys the experience and play time to become veterans.”
Belmont struck first on their opening possession, a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jared Edwards, and with a point-after attempt no good, the Marauders led 6-0. But Melrose also scored on their first possession, when Sean Herbert returned a punt to the Melrose 40, and from there, Andy Calvert hoofed a 60-yard touchdown run. A good kick by Kemar Bynoe gave Melrose a critical 7-6 edge. Melrose’s Mical Duntin came up with a fumble on Belmont’s next possession on the Marauder 30, which helped Melrose launched a seven-play drive, led by quarterback Brendan Fennell and running back Andy Calvert, which culminated in a touchdown pass to Matt Dussault. Melrose held a 13-6 going into the second quarter.
It became a 13-13 game when Belmont’s Emmanuel Clark scored on a big 85 yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 9:00 before halftime. “I think we learned from that bad return and did well defensively after that,” says Morris.
On Melrose’s next possession, Fennell connected with Billy Pesce in a series of passes and then a huge toss to Herbert that helped bring Melrose in the striking zone at the 6, but Andy Calvert was stuffed on a 4th and 2nd run. The game remained tied at 13 at halftime.
Melrose capitalized on an interception with three minutes left in the third quarter when Andy Calvert picked off a pass from Belmont quarterback Avery Arno back into the Melrose end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. It gave Melrose a 19-13 lead.
As downpours grew harder, the Red Raiders relied on a running game and so did Belmont, and that led to a Marauder fumble, recovered by Melrose’s Duntin. Sophomore Matt Hickey got his legs wet on several carries including a 4-yard touchdown for Melrose. A two-point conversion toss from Fennell to Calvert gave Melrose their final score of 27-13.
With just Wakefield on tap for the 59th Thanksgiving Classic next week, Morris reflects on the season and the results of the league. “It was really Stoneham and the rest of us this season. They’re undefeated and the rest of the teams in the league were trying to eek out wins. But we’re looking forward to hopefully winning one more on Thanksgiving.”