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AMESBURY — With the latest chapter of the Newburyport vs. Amesbury rivalry complete, we are left to wonder about the legacy each school’s senior class will leave.

Fair or not, Thanksgiving is the day when heroes are made on the high school football circuit. Amesbury captain Steve Serwon will always be remembered for sparking Thanksgiving Day upsets in 2006 and 2007 with defensive touchdowns. Indians quarterback Jared Flannigan will always be thought of as the game manager who took care of the football and kept the chains moving in victories in 2007 and 2008.

With a win, Newburyport would capture the wild CAL Small race and go to the playoffs. If Amesbury wins and gets a few breaks it could win the tie-breaker on the three-way tie.

This is one of the biggest showdowns in the modern history of this storied rivalry. With a win, Newburyport would capture the wild Cape Ann League Small race and go to the playoffs. If Amesbury wins and gets a few breaks it could win the tie-breaker on the three-way tie.

NEWBURYPORT — Newburyport sophomore Andrew Sokol earned some redemption last night to throw the Cape Ann League Small division up for grabs.
Burned on an 83-yard Georgetown TD pass, from Joe Esposito to Anthony Conte on the first play of the game, Sokol made a marvelous 39-yard scoring catch in traffic with 1:02 to play, and then clinched the victory with an interception in the closing seconds to provide a heart-stopping 27-26 victory.
The win puts Newburyport (5-5, 5-0) in the driver’s seat in the CAL Small. It can clinch the title with a Thanksgiving win at Amesbury. The Indians (8-1, 3-1) can throw the division into a three-way tie with Georgetown (9-1, 4-1) if it beats the Clippers.
“I feel good for Sokol,” said Newburyport coach Ed Gaudiano, a resident of Methuen. “He was kicking himself after falling on that first play, but I told him that he had to keep his head up, that we were going to need him later.”
Kyle LeBlanc kicked three extra points for the Clippers, and that ultimately made the one-point difference. Esposito narrowly missed one extra-point kick and another was foiled when a high snap necessitated a desperation pass that was intercepted.
“This is what high school football is all about,” said Georgetown coach Matt Bouchard. “Our kids played their hearts out, and we had opportunities to win, but I give them credit.”
The Royals held a 26-20 lead and had the ball and a four downs with 3:20 to play, but they failed to gain a first down. Then, after Georgetown buckled down on defense and forced a fouth-and-9, Clancy threw deep into the end zone to Sokol, who snuck between two defenders to make the grab.
“If we had just gotten one first down, it probably would have been the game, but we just couldn’t get it,” said Bouchard.
Until then, both teams moved the ball effectively for more than three quarters in what was an impressive offensive display.
Following the Esposito to Conte bomb to open the game, Newburyport scored on two TD passes from Joe Clancy (14-25-2, 288 yards) to Kyle LeBlanc, but the Royals scored twice more, on a 9-yard pass to Conte and a 39-yard burst by Jaymie Spears to grab a 20-13 halftime lead.
A 61-yard heave from Clancy to LeBlanc on the second play of the second half tied the score, but an 8-yard pass from Esposito to Spears late in the third quarter gave Georgetown the lead until the final minute of the game.
Esposito finished with 85 yards rushing and 139 yards passing to go over 1,000 yards in both rushing (1,082) and passing (1,054) for the second year in a row, while Spears enjoyed a fine overall game with 76 yards rushing on six carries, two receptions for 33  yards and an interception.
For Newburyport, Clancy now has 21 touchdown passes, which leads Eastern Mass. in Division 3A, and LeBlanc has 14 TD receptions and 101 points.
“I can’t remember a game with so many playmakers,” said Gaudiano. “They’re a great offensive team and I was saying during the week that we’d need to score 28 points to win the game.”

NEWBURYPORT — The road to redemption continued for Newburyport, which after starting the season 0-5, has won its last four games.

Last night the Clippers overwhelmed North Reading, 21-0.

NEWBURYPORT — The road to redemption continued for Newburyport, which after starting the season 0-5, has won its last four games.

Last night the Clippers overwhelmed North Reading, 21-0.

HAMILTON — Judging strictly by its record, one would assume that Newburyport High is just another mediocre 3-5 football team playing out the string this season.

But nothing could be further from the truth. The Clippers look every bit like championship-caliber material in the Cape Ann League Small and stated their case in emphatic fashion here Saturday with a 28-14 thumping of Hamilton-Wenham.

NEWBURYPORT ­— Starting its CAL Small opener with a bang, Kyle LeBlanc intercepted Lynnfield quarterback Chris Grassi’s pass on the second play of the game returning it 40-yards for a touchdown, and the Clippers never relinquished the lead, beating the Pioneers, 24-14.

IPSWICH — Big plays were just what the doctor ordered for Newburyport, which got four touchdowns of 20 yards or more in a 41-21 win over host Ipswich last night.

The Clippers (2-5) scored on their first three possessions of the second half to turn a one point hole into a commanding lead. Quarterback Joe Clancy led his troops back, tossing his third and fourth TD passes of the night, one a 45-yard bomb to Andrew Sokol and the other a bubble screen to Kyle LeBlanc, which turned into a 65-yard score.

NEWBURYPORT ­— Pentucket led by a touchdown, but Newburyport had marched to the Sachems’ 1-yard line. Then, the Green and White took control.The Sachems’ defense turned in a big goalline stand, and followed it with a 99-yard drive of their own with their backup quarterback in the game to down the Clippers 19-0 last night.