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Thanksgiving Football Game 2005

English Hangs on to Barely Defeat Classical
By Matthew Roy / For The Daily Item of Lynn, Friday, November 25, 2005

SWAMPSCOTT -- On a day that was better suited for mudders, English and Classical battled to the bitter end at Blocksidge Field. When the mud was finally cleaned off the ball for the final time, the Bulldogs had pulled off their fourth consecutive Turkey Day win, 24-20.
"I'm glad that no one wrote about throwing out the records because these are two of the best teams in the area," English coach Gary Molea said. "And they proved that (Thursday). When these teams put it all together, it's entertaining to watch."
The dreadful conditions were evident from the beginning as Jeff Watson couldn't handle Sam Cabe's opening kick, pinning the Rams at their seven. It didn't get much better on the next play, when James Green fumbled and the Dogs recovered
at the three. Mario Joseph (33 carries, 137 yards) made the mistake hurt, plunging into the end zone on the following play for a 6-0 lead 13 seconds into the game.
Green returned the ensuing kick off to the English 40 and it looked like Classical might turn things around. Jeff Watson (19 carries, 126 yards) then bolted 33 yards to the English two, setting up a dramatic turn of events.Three carries by Watson netted one yard before his fourth attempt was stuffed by the English defensive line, turning the ball over on downs.
"That was an unbelievable goal line stand by our defense," Molea said. Classical (7-4) got another chance late in the opening quarter, starting on the English 32 after a short punt. Quarterback Michael Quintana found Green out of the backfield for a 29-yard gain to the three. One play later, Quintana scored on a sneak to knot the game at 6-6 after one quarter.
"There was no quit in my team," Classical coach Matt Durgin said. "I'm proud of these guys."
English (8-2) had a response, putting together a lengthy drive that stretched midway into the second quarter. Chris Carroll got English to the Classical 22 on completions to Steve Hill, Brian Bingham and Scott Fiore. Carroll's 12-yard completion to Hill put the ball at the 10, setting the stage for Carroll, who took the ball in two plays later for a 12-6 English lead.
"Chris is a great leader and that's what you need on days like this," Molea said.
The Bulldog defense came up with another big play on Classical's next drive when P.J. Holey intercepted a Quintana pass and returned it to the Rams 42. English then called Joseph's number on eight of the next 10 plays. The senior tailback capped off the nearly six-minute drive with a three-yard plunge that gave English an 18-6 lead. "Mario was a pleasant surprise and when our offensive line wanted to move people, they did," Molea said.
Classical needed to turn momentum around at the start of the third quarter, but the Bulldogs picked up where they left off at halftime as Joseph bolted 45 yards to the Classical 10 on the first snap.
A personal foul penalty moved the ball to the five where the Rams defense came up with a stop. Three runs by Joseph moved the ball to the two before Quivari Jackson picked off Carroll in the end zone. Classical's rally lasted all of one snap as Quintana fumbled and English recovered at the Rams 16. One play later, Carroll threw a strike to Byron Brown
on a post pattern for a 24-6 lead with 9:54 left in the third.
Classical, however, wasn't ready to give up the fight and managed to make a game out of it late in the third quarter. After a botched punt snap by English, the Rams moved 32 yards in eight plays. Watson capped the drive with a one-yard run on fourth-and-goal. His 2-point conversion closed the gap to 24-14 entering the fourth quarter.
"They kept coming at us and that's a credit to them," Molea said. Early in the fourth, an English fumble of a punt closed the gap even more. Classical recovered at the English 44 after a Joseph's muff. On the very next snap, Green flew off left tackle for a 44 yard TD that got Classical within four points.
The Rams kept the momentum, holding English to a punt with 6:10 left, but all of that came to a screeching halt when Green was injured after a carry on second down from the Classical 12.
The senior tailback was taken off the field on a stretcher and it was believed that he had a fracture of his right leg. Watson responded with a 24-yard jaunt to the 39 with 3:30 left. That, however, would be the Rams last hurrah as the English defense came up with one final stand to take over on downs with 2:29 left. The Bulldogs then picked up two first downs to easily kill the clock.