Masconomet's Tim Towler (22) makes the catch, despite efforts by Classical's Malcom Leng-King (6) during their game at Manning Field Friday. (Item Photo / Angela Owens)

Originally Published on Saturday, October 29, 2011 By Matthew Roy / For The Item

LYNN - Give a good team an inch, and more often than not, they will take a mile. That proved to be the case at Manning Field on Friday as red hot Masconomet pounced on Classical, 40-6.

The Chieftains, winners of four in a row after a 1-3 start, turned three Classical turnovers into 14 points as quarterback Ben Panunzio threw three touchdowns and six different Masco players scored touchdowns.

"This is two games in a row now where we haven't played our best," Classical coach Tim Phelps said.

"We have to play mistake free. When we do that we've looked pretty good."

Masco (5-3, 2-0 NEC/CAL Tier 1) took the opening kick and drove to a 7-0 lead in a little under four minutes, capped by Dylan Mann's two yard touchdown run.

Classical (3-4, 0-2 NEC/CAL Tier 1) turned the ball over on its first series and the Chieftains made them pay early in the second quarter when Panunzio scrambled and floated a 14-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Nathan Silveira for a 13-0 lead.

The Rams went three-and-out on the next series but the defense held Panunzio on a fourth-and-goal carry from the two to keep it a two score game.

"Ben is playing with a lot more confidence right now," Masconomet coach Jim Pugh said.

"But that was the one mistake he made all game."

Classical gained only one yard after the stop and a short punt put the ball at the Ram 32. Two plays later, Jake Gillespie took a screen pass 28-yards to the endzone on a first-and-20 play for a 19-0 lead at halftime.

"We had some sparks in the first half but we didn't make enough plays," Phelps said. "We had them in third and long a couple times and they were able to get out of it."

Mann helped the Chieftains move in for the knockout punch on the second play of the third quarter when he picked off Finnigan at the Ram 28. On the next snap, Panunzio hit Tim Towler for a 28 yard touchdown and a 26-0 lead less than two minutes in.

Masco drove again late in the third and Mike Tivinis capped the drive with a nine yard run on the first play of the fourth for a 33-0 lead.

Brad Scuzzarella finally got the Rams on the board with 3:58 left via a six yard run that closed a 13 play drive. Mckenzie Cashin's 66 yard run closed the scoring.

Classical's Rudy Collymore (34) gets tackled by Salem's Nick Paine (7) during their game at Bertram Field in Salem on Friday. (Item Photo / Angela Owens)

By Kevin Doyle / For The Item

SALEM - Lynn Classical coach Tim Phelps said his club got noticeably better during its bye week. He'll get little argument from Salem following the 41-15 smack down the Rams laid on the Witches Friday night at Bertram Field.

Click here for a photo gallery of Friday night's game

"We needed this. The kids worked hard during the bye week and they got better. They looked really good tonight. We had guys out with injuries and other guys stepped up. The guys who couldn't play stayed in the game mentally. That tells me it meant something to them and that they cared how their teammates were doing," said Phelps after the Rams leveled their record at 2-2. Salem slipped to 1-4.

Diminutive senior back Rudy Collymore rushed for a game-high 88 yards and three TDs, including a scintillating 61-yarder in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback John Finnigan ran for two scores and passed for a third as the Rams chewed up real estate (345 net yards) and clock, running 46 total plays compared to Salem's 29 (10 in the first half).

"Rudy stepped up and I'm happy for him. He's not the normal guy in that position but he got a chance and he stepped up," Phelps said.

The Rams' game-opening 70-yard scoring drive featured a fourth-and-three conversion from their own 37 and a 45-yard Finnigan to Brad Scuzzarella connection and was capped by Finnigan's one-yard scoring plunge. Scuzzarella scrambled for the two-point conversion after a high PAT snap for an 8-0 lead.

"We've hurt ourselves in the past but tonight it worked. It's a gut feeling," said Phelps of the early fourth-down gamble that set a positive tone.

Classical's second possession began at the Salem 42 after Joe Rose harassed Salem's Jonathan Crimble into a four-yard punt. Collymore bounced in from five yards for the score. Tevin Young's PAT made it 15-0 with 8:32 left in the half.

It took Salem all of 1:09 to tie it. First, sophomore Shakir White found a seam and returned the ensuing kickoff 82 untouched yards. Christian Dunston's two-point flip to Patrick Charlton made it 15-8. Then, on the first play after Joshua McRae's diving interception at the Classical 38, Dunston lofted a scoring strike to Nick Paine, who adjusted nicely on the ball near the goal line. Crimble's PAT tied it, 15-15.

Classical re-asserted itself immediately with a 60-yard drive. Collymore's three-yard sweep one play after Finnigan's 27-yard rumble made it 21-15.

The Rams converted on the second of two late first-half turnovers by Salem. Steve Sam's leaping interception with 1:02 left in the half put them in business at the Salem 25. Finnigan delivered a six-yard scoring strike to Rakeem Ifill slanting across from the right six seconds before intermission for a 27-15 lead at the break.

Classical sealed the deal early in the second half. After Jeff Beck and Devin Crayton engulfed Salem's Chad Coehlo for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-one at the Classical 46, the Rams covered the 53-yard distance 10 plays. Scuzzarella ripped off a 27-yard run to the Salem 26 and Finnigan swept left from nine yards for the score. Young's PAT made it 31-15.

Collymore's 61-yarder was the icing on the cake early in the fourth quarter. He momentarily disappeared in the scrum near the scrimmage line, ducked under one would-be tackler, squirted between two more, popped into the secondary and outraced the pursuit as the Classical sideline erupted in jubilation.

The Rams will look to build momentum into CAL/NEC Tier One when they take on winless Gloucester Friday night. "They're still Gloucester and we lost to them only by seven last year. That game still weighs heavy with us but this is a chance to begin league play with momentum," said Phelps.

By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

MALDEN - You won't win many football games if you're going to put the ball down seven times.

That -- as much as anything else -- explains why Classical lost, 21-0, to Malden Saturday. The Golden Tornados won their first game of the season without having to do much of anything offensively, because the Rams did it all for them.

One Malden touchdown came on a fumble recovery that Raymond Sainristil ran back 58 yards. Another one came after Classical, 1-2, had to punt from deep in its own territory (the 10). Malden ran it back to the Rams' 19, and scored three plays later on a keeper by quarterback Justin Martino.

And even though Malden had to go 41 yards for its final touchdown (a 23-yard run by Angel Latimer), the drive came about because of one of the Rams' seven fumbles.

All in all, it was a frustrating day for Classical and coach Tim Phelps.

"Way (too) many mistakes," said Phelps. "Those are the things we have to keep working on in practice, but we have to stop doing things like that if we're going to win."

As is often the case in a game where the winning team only has to work half the field to get its points, Classical gained more yardage than Malden offensively, 167-108. Yet Phelps certainly wasn't fooled by the statistic.

"Of course we were (outplayed)," he said. "Those mistakes ... it's all a part of the game."

For the amount of trouble the offense made for the defense, Phelps thought his team was pretty good on that side of the field.

"I thought the defense did very well," he said. "They ran a fumble back, and the other times, they started on our end of the field."

There were some bright spots. Justin Avery, a sophomore, ran for 79 yards. And Jordan Brown, who played the second half at quarterback in place of John Finnegan, seemed to have a grasp on running the offense.

"We hadn't done much in the first half," said Phelps, explaining why he made the switch. "This doesn't mean it's permanent. John's done well for us. But sometimes, it's good to create competition. It keeps everyone sharp."

Brad Scuzzarella, too, ran well, rushing for 58 yards in eight carries.

"There were some positives," Phelps said. "But overall, we just did too many things wrong."

Despite all its mistakes, Classical only trailed, 15-0, at halftime and looked to get back into the game in the third quarter when it launched a lengthy drive (52 yards) -- all of it on the ground. However, the drive stalled at the Malden one-yard-line on a third-and-one when the Rams coughed it up.

It was one of eight turnovers on the day.

"We have two weeks to work on it," said Phelps. The Rams are off this week.

By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

The Classical football team has a chance to right the ship Saturday afternoon (1:30) at Malden - one of several games on the docket that could prove to be real tests for some teams.

The Rams fell last Friday, 34-13, to Beverly - a loss that stunned many people. But looking at the players both teams had coming back, the Panthers had most of the kids who won the Division 3 Super Bowl returning while the Rams had a lot of unanswered questions coming into the season.

The Golden Tornados are 0-2 thus far. They're coming off losses to Haverhill (39-12) and Methuen (26-20).

Malden was 5-5 last season, but the Golden Tornados return some talented players, including Witchie Exihomme, a linebacker being recruited by Syracuse, UConn, URI and UMass; and running back Oshane McCreath.

Classical's Brad Scuzzarella hopes to return to the form that saw him account for over 200 yards in offense and score three touchdowns against East Longmeadow.
 

Lynn Classical's Justin Avery (32) runs with the ball during the game against East Longmeadow at Manning Field Thursday. (Item Photo / Angela Owens)By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

LYNN - For shear entertainment value, Classical's 32-26 opening game win over East Longmeadow High School Thursday at Manning Field had it all.

Let's start with Brad Scuzzarella. The sophomore running back saw limited action as a freshman last year, but he answered the bell Thursday night, scoring four touchdowns while piling up over 200 yards of offense.

Then there was senior quarterback John Finnigan, who stepped into the role of quarterback this year after having been a linebacker and proved very effective. He ran for 99 yards and threw for 68 (3-for-3). Throw in a solid running game by sophomore Justin Avery (18 carries, 105 yards) and a heart stopping finish and all-in-all, the fans on the Classical side got their money's worth.

Although there was a time early in the fourth quarter when it looked like the Rams would run away with this one, that didn't happen. Classical trailed 13-12 at the half, but three unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter and early fourth quarter gave the Rams what seemed to be a fairly comfortable 32-13 lead. A couple of Classical fumbles combined with two East Longmeadow touchdowns and the Spartans were right back in the hunt.

Classical got the ball back with 3:26 left in the game and managed to run out the clock with Scuzzarella (151 yards rushing, 41-yard reception, four touchdowns) providing the nail in the coffin when he picked up a first down on fourth-and-three with 1:56 remaining.

Although happy to come away with the win, Classical coach Tim Phelps wasn't satisfied with some of the things he saw.

"Brad's a talented young kid. It was his first varsity game. He ran well tonight. He protected the ball, which is a big thing, but I thought overall everyone was a little too slow," Phelps said.

"We didn't execute as much as we should have," Phelps said. "The scoreboard might say differently, but we're going to run into some better teams further on who get to scout us and know what we run. We have to play better."

Classical got a wake up call early on when the Spartans marched down the field on their first possession of the game and Dan McGuill took it in from the one-yard line for a 6-0 lead (the kick failed).

The Rams (1-0) got it right back, however, when Scuzzarella scored on a two-yard run to cap a 10-play drive. Avery backboned the effort with a couple of big runs including one for 15 yards and the other for 24 yards that put the ball on the two.

The Rams took a 12-6 lead on their next possession when Finnigan ran 30 yards for a touchdown to put the finishing touch on another 10-play drive that started on the Rams' 20. The Spartans got that one back in a hurry with Tom Mazza taking the ball in from three yards out and Joe Hopkins kicking the extra point for a 13-12 lead at the half.

It was all Rams (295 yard rushing, 68 passing) in the third quarter. Scuzzarella returned the opening kickoff 29 yards to put Classical on the Spartans' 46. Eight plays later, he scored from five yards out for a 20-13 lead.

It looked like the Rams were going in again when Finnigan broke out for a 25 yard run, but he fumbled the ball. The Rams recovered nicely on their next possession when Scuzzarella took the first snap of the series and raced 68 yards for a touchdown and a 26-13 Classical lead. The Spartans went three-and-out and it was showtime again. Classical got the ball on the East Longmeadow 48 and after a two-yard run followed by Finnigan connecting with Scuzzarella on a 41-yard pass, Scuzzarella ran it in from the five for a 32-13 lead.

The Spartans made things interesting with two late touchdowns, one a Dan McGuill 49-yard pass to Sam Blake and the other a one-yard run by McGuill with 3:26 left. The kick was good, closing the gap to six points with 3:26 remaining. The Rams, however, never gave the ball back and escaped with the win.

East Longmeadow coach Scott Raymond said his team, which graduated 12 seniors and lost three starters off a team that went 9-2 last year, has some things to work on.

"They (Classical) did a good job with the option. They wear you down and they keep coming at you," he said. They moved the ball up and down the field."