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Newburyport notches first win

Monday, October, 20 By John Shimer
Staff writer

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.

For those in attendance, perhaps the most notable element of the game was the bone-bruising hitting display Newburyport put on Lynnfield as several pioneer players had to take injury time-outs to walk off the field. More importantly though, Newburyport got its first win and to start the CAL Small season at 1-0.

“This was definitely a monkey off our back,” said the relieved Clipper coach Ed Gaudiano after his team had begun the season 0-5. “The kids have been working hard, and obviously our record didn’t show that, but to get this win was a step in the right direction. We have a lot of things to work, but this was a start, and it’s not going to get any easier.”

Newburyport did the bulk of its damage in the first quarter, holding Lynnfield to only 13 yards on seven plays. When the Clippers got the ball on for their first possession, they marched 73 yards down the field on a 12-play drive capped off by a 6-yard pass from quarterback Joe Clancy to Derek Freeman in the right corner of the end zone. On the drive, LeBlanc converted a big fourth-and-2 from Newburyport’s own 48-yard line.

After making Lynnfield fumble on its first possession of the second quarter, Newburyport’s Dean Cataldo fell on the ball in a heap of Clipper players to take possession at the Lynnfield 44. Although the Clippers got all the way down to the 5-yard line, Clancy fumbled on third-and-goal, and Newburyport had to settle for a 24-yard LeBlanc field goal to give the team a 17-0 advantage.

Lynnfield would not go quietly, as Grassi led his team to the answering score running the ball in from four yards out. After holding the Clippers to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Lynnfield got the ball with 1:25 to go in the half on the Newburyport 47.

Grassi again was terrific accounting for all of the Lynnfield yards whether it was on the ground or in the air, including the biggest play of the drive a 16-yard completion to A.J. Roberto to set up first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. On the play, Newburyport’s Matt Mottola nearly beheaded Roberto, flying to crush Roberto midair, who laid out for the reception. One play later, Grassi connected with Tyler Surrette for the score, and the quarterback had the Pioneers within a field goal after running the ball in for the 2-point conversion.

The second half was all about defense as Andrew Sokol broke up at least four Grassi pass attempts and nearly had an interception of his own. Sokol then put the icing on the cake scoring a 9-yard TD with 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter for the games final points.