RallyNorth.net

WAKEFIELD — Jeremy Torres fell a tad short of the mark he’d set for himself. But the senior running back isn’t one to quibble over a measly five yards. Running on the fresh legs a three-week layoff provides, Torres got stronger as the game progressed Saturday to lead Greater Lawrence to a 28-12 victory against Northeast. The No. 7 Reggies (4-2) are expected to play at No. 2 Brighton (7-0) this weekend in the Division 5 North quarterfinals. Torres finished with 230 yards on 22 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns, including the final, clinching score with 10:14 left. “Everyone on the sideline was on me to run harder, run harder,” said Torres. “And the line was perfect. I saw a lot of big holes out there. “My goal was 235 (yards). It was something I wanted to achieve. But I can live with finishing five yards short. As long as we got the W and made the playoffs.” The Reggies’ last game was Oct. 4. The long layoff was due to a bye week and a cancellation of a game due to a whooping cough outbreak at the school. “We had three weeks to prepare for this team,” Torres said. “We wanted to come in here, beat them and make our way to the playoffs. We want to make some noise in the playoffs. Making the playoffs is very important.” Torres, who ran for 200 yards against Manchester Essex in Week 3, ran for his biggest yardage when needed most. “The game plan was just to run the ball and pound it in,” Torres said. “My line was firing off and everything was perfect. We just wanted to keep going.” Both sides of the line enjoyed their best game of the season as the Reggies finished with 322 yards on their 52 carries (6.2 yard average, while Northeast (3-4) was held to 77 on its 32 attempts (2.4 average). Three Reggies toil on both lines: two-way tackle Daniel Hernandez, guard/defensive end Edgardo Garcia and center/tackle Brandon Nichols. “My major fear was playing after having three weeks off,” GL coach Tony Sarkis said. “We had a roller-coaster kind of ride up and down, and then they sealed it in the fourth quarter when they put it together and played well.” Greater Lawrence also got touchdown runs from Angel Martin (19 yards for the game’s first score), and Shane Dunn (a 1-yarder that provided a 22-12 lead). But it was Torres who put the finishing touches on Greater Lawrence’s grand finale. “He’s been up and down (this season),” Sarkis said. “He’s really settled down and playing a (heck) of a game. He’s very athletic and a hard worker. But he’s also starting to be a leader which is the most important thing.”