RallyNorth.net

Triton athletic director David Dempsey brought closure to the uncertainty surrounding the school's football coaching vacancy yesterday by naming Jim O'Leary as head coach for the 2008 season.

O'Leary, a 41-year-old Salem (Mass.) High alumnus, previously served as an assistant at Lynnfield High (1989-1996) and Salem High (1997-2000). He also served as a junior varsity basketball coach at Danvers High from 1997 to 2000. He has no head coaching experience at the high school level and has not been a member of a high school staff since 2000.

BYFIELD | Pentucket foiled Triton's game plan yesterday morning and proved once and for all that the Sachems are far more than the Nate Bunnell Show.

Yes, Bunnell scored three touchdowns in Pentucket's decisive 28-0 victory before a Thanksgiving crowd of more than 1,000 to cap a fine 8-3 season for the Sachems, but at least Triton (1-10) succeeded in slowing down the senior running back.

Where: Triton Stadium, Byfield

Date: Thursday, Nov. 22

Time: 10 a.m.

Coaches: Shawn McElligott, Triton; Steve Hayden, Pentucket

Captains: Triton: Matt Emerzian, Sr. QB, Jeff Andrews, Sr. OL, Zach Welch, Sr. OL; Pentucket: Steve Jenkins, Sr. OL/LB, Justin Bolla, Sr. TE/DE

TOPSFIELD | Masconomet captain Mike Nazzaro was conducting a postgame interview after his team's 31-7 victory over Triton last night at Walt Roberts Field when his teammates | listening to a cell phone transmission from the home stands about 40 feet away | started yelling and screaming with job instantaneously.

LAWRENCE | Triton contained Lawrence for the first 22 minutes of the game, but after that, it all fell apart.

Ramon Heredia threw for a touchdown and was 6 of 10 for 95 yards in the Lancers' impressive second half, leading Lawrence to its second win of the season, 22-7. Meanwhile, the hard-hitting Lancers held the Vikings to one yard on eight carries in the final 22 minutes en route to their first win since Week 1.

BYFIELD | The Triton football team drew first blood against Hamilton-Wenham last night, but it would all be down hill from there.

The Vikings fell to 1-7 with a 17-7 loss to the Generals at Triton High.

They say football is a game of inches, and last night one-win Triton was 36 inches away from knocking off one-loss Wilmington. A fourth quarter touchdown by the Wildcat's all-league running back Ernest Mellow, the only TD of the game, gave Wilmington a 7-3 victory.

AMESBURY | Deadlocked at the half against a fired up Triton squad at a windswept Landry Stadium, Amesbury coach Thom Connors elected to kick into the wind to start the third quarter fearing he may need to take to the air to put up some points in the final stanza.

NORTH ANDOVER | Steve Boudreau went 8-for-8 passing on North Andover's first two series. Mixed with the Scarlet Knights' traditional running attack, North Andover scored on both long scoring drives and took the wind out of Triton's sails.

BYFIELD | The Triton football team's fanbase can breathe easy this weekend.

The Vikings are on the board.

Triton tallied its first points of the season last night en route to a 28-24 victory over Ipswich at Triton Regional High. In the second quarter, the Vikings stopped their season-long scoreless streak at 135 minutes and went on to score 28 points in the next 16 minutes.