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Reggies drop opener to Greater Lowell

Friday, March, 12 By Jeff Hamrick
Correspondent

WEST ANDOVER — Despite several turnovers, Greater Lawrence gave itself a chance to win its football season opener, but the Reggies succumbed to one final errant pass.

Greater Lowell picked off the last of its four interceptions at its own 7-yard line with 49 seconds left, preserving a 12-9 victory to open the Fall 2 season.

The Reggies began their final possession with 2:58 remaining at the Greater Lowell 48 following a 17-yard punt return by Christopher Tineo. 

A 23-yard run by Amauris Gomez and a 10-yard pass from backup quarterback Gustavo Regalado to Tiago Fernandes helped set Greater Lawrence up with a fourth-and-7 at the 14. But the Gryphons’ Axel Diaz squelched the drive with an interception.

“These guys showed some character coming back and almost winning, so, I’m proud of that,” Greater Lawrence coach Tony Sarkis said. “But we made too many mistakes. They made some big plays, and we had no big plays.

“We didn’t score in the red zone at the end which would have been the difference. That absolutely killed us. It’s a reflection of not enough practice time. Things have been crazy this year.”

Regalado, normally a wide receiver, was forced into the quarterback spot after starter Manuel Vasquez suffered a possible concussion after a late-third quarter sack. But the reserve signal caller helped the Reggies get back into the contest with an eight-play, 50-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard Fernandes run with 5:20 remaining. Regalado's conversion kick made the score 12-9.

“(Regalado) led a nice drive,” Sarkis said. “The line really stepped it up. Like I said I give them an A+ at the end of the game for effort, but we made too many mistakes on defense.”

Greater Lawrence opened the scoring with a second-quarter safety when Greater Lowell’s punter stepped out of the end zone. But the Gryphons rebounded behind quarterback Jacob Trzcienski, who accounted for 156 of Greater Lowell’s 176 total yards.

Trzcienski ran for two scores and also made a leaping one-handed interception three plays after his second touchdown. Despite missing plays with cramps, the senior rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries while completing 5 of his 6 passes for another 82.

Sarkis said, “Their quarterback was a player and made a lot of plays for them. That’s what killed us.”

Greater Lawrence finished with 150 yards rushing with Fernandes gaining 96 of them on 20 carries.

“It’s a little different (this season), but at the end of the day we have to come out and play, not make mistakes and not give up big plays,” Sarkis said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s six games, seven or 14 games, it’s the same philosophy.”