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Junior duo takes center stage for Hornets

Thursday, November, 22 By Mike McMahon
Staff writer

NORTH READING | On a day that North Reading was honoring its seniors, it was a pair of juniors who stole the show.

Wideout Darren Hartwell and running back Dino Rizzo combined for 306 yards of total offense as North Reading rolled to its third straight Thanksgiving victory over Lynnfield, 30-12.

"We came out a bit sloppy, but we finished strong," said Hornets coach Jeff Wall, whose team finished the year 6-5.

Hartwell was the big story of the day, catching 5 balls for 178 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown from senior quarterback James Campbell.

"Darren is a very good player, but today he was great for us," Wall said. "That duo of James and Darren has been there all year long. We rely on them a lot ... We'll take Darren one-on-one with any defensive back in our league."

Hartwell, who stands at 6-foot-1, also broke up a number of Pioneers quarterback Chris Rossi's passes.

"Darren always gets the credit on offense, but he is great for us on defense, too," Wall said. "He's big and uses his height. He is our cover guy back there, and all year, he has made big play after big play. He was just huge on both sides of the ball."

Hartwell was almost outdone by the legs of junior running back Dino Rizzo, who rushed for 132 yards on 15 carries, and three touchdowns.

"We had some mismatches up front that we knew we could exploit," Wall said. "Most of the year it's been our passing."