RallyNorth.net

Splinter, Masconomet football team overpower Hamilton-Wenham

Saturday, September, 29 By Matt Jenkins
Staff writer

WENHAM -- If momentum were a material object owned permanently by a particular person or group of people, Masconomet's Chris Splinter would have left Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in handcuffs Saturday afternoon.

Every time the Generals got momentum on their side, Splinter swiped it from under their noses and disappeared like Keyser Soze on a foggy dock.

The job of a sophomore quarterback is typically to avoid making mistakes. Splinter, however, has developed a knack for making all the big plays, and he's done so in only four varsity starts. This weekend he scored three touchdowns -- including long scoring runs of 70 and 66 yards immediately following Hamilton-Wenham touchdowns -- in Masconomet's 29-22 victory.

"He's a special player; there's no doubt about it," Hamilton-Wenham coach Andrew Morency said. "We would go through methodical drives, score and feel pretty good, and then the next play Splinter would come back on a broken play and hurt us like that. That's a sign of a spectacular player."

The first half was a typical, take-what-you-can-get battle when these two teams meet. A Splinter 10-yard keeper on the first drive gave Masco an early lead, and Hamilton-Wenham's Jake Cotter fell on a teammate's fumble in the end zone to tie it. Splinter then connected with Dom Bavaro for a 7-yard touchdown pass for a pedestrian 14-7 Masco halftime lead.

Then, things heated up.

A defensive stop, followed by a pair of highlight-reel runs from Hamilton-Wenham's Nate Masterson brought a buzz back to the stands. Masterson (17 carries, 155 yards), who got the ball into Masco territory with a 40-yard run, showed power and speed on his 33-yard touchdown run that knotted things at 14-14 early in the third quarter.

The home crowd's enthusiasm was wiped away faster than spilled milk in Martha Stewart's kitchen when the human momentum shift (that would be Splinter) rolled out right on 2nd-and-8, tucked the ball away and out-raced everyone on the field for his 70-yard touchdown run.

"I just saw that all the defenders dropped back into coverage, so it really opened up on the left side," Splinter said. "I just made some guys miss."

Late in the third quarter, Hamilton-Wenham started an 18-play drive that lasted more than seven minutes. Sophomore signal caller Andy Duval scored on a 1-yard keeper with 5:20 to play, and Masterson's conversion rush gave the Generals a 22-21 lead.

Yet again the crowd sensed Hamilton-Wenham's personal four-game losing streak to the Chieftains might be snapped. And yet again Splinter destroyed that notion, only this time it took just one play.

On first down from his own 34-yard line, Splinter sprinted out right, turned upfield and cutback all the way against the grain for a 66-yard touchdown run that the Generals couldn't recover from.

"We felt pretty good. Our defense was pretty hyped up, and we really felt we had a shot to make a statement with our 'D'," Morency said about his team's attitude after taking the lead. "We had stopped them previously coming out of the half, but on that broken play when you have a spectacular player like that, that's when you can get hurt."

Splinter's play-making ability had everyone questioning how he was able to take over the game Saturday.

"You know what it is, Coach Pugh does a great job of coaching him and telling him when to cut," Masconomet coach Jim Pugh laughed. "I have no idea how he does it. The great ones, you just try to stay out of their way. He sees things and makes stuff happen."

Just moments after rushing for 175 yards on eight carries and amazing fans, coaches, and players alike, Splinter found a way to credit his teammates and coaches.

"The beginning of that drive (after Hamilton-Wenham took the lead) we were just thinking about having a good, solid drive," Splinter said. "We were definitely not thinking we were going to score on the first play. It was a good play call, and it just opened up. Guys were downfield, blocking the whole way. That's what it's really all about, downfield blocks."