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Generals aim to slow speedy Masco in early season showdown

Thursday, September, 27 By Matt Jenkins
Staff writer

Andrew Morency sat in the Donaldson Field stands on Sunday and watched the Masconomet football team dismantle a very good Bishop Fenwick club.

Before Morency had even made it to his car in the parking lot after the Chieftains' 35-14 victory, he was already thinking of ways to make sure his Hamilton-Wenham Generals weren't Masconomet's next victim.

"Their team speed is pretty impressive at different positions. They fly to the ball defensively and offensively they attack," Morency said. "I thought what was really impressive was that they went down early, but remained settled and poised, and came back and overtook (Fenwick). That's a sign of a determined, quality football team. I was definitely taken aback by how soundly they took control." Morency will be looking for his Generals to be the team taking control on Saturday (1:30) when Masconomet invades Hamilton-Wenham.

The biggest issue at hand for Hamilton-Wenham is how it can neutralize Masco's quickness on both sides of the ball. "They use their speed in various ways | running, passing, and on defense. You have a lot to handle and a lot to prepare for," said Morency, whose team is 2-0 after getting last weekend off. "It's very difficult (to prepare for their speed) because it puts you at a disadvantage. Another thing to look at with Masco is that they have so many weapons. It's simply one guy after another. We, as a team, have to play sound, mistake-free football."

Masconomet sophomores Chris Splinter and Evan Bunker have already established themselves as major two-way threats. Splinter, the starting quarterback, leads the Chieftains with 222 rushing yards. He has run for three scores, and completed 18-of-32 passes for 252 yards and four more scores.

Bunker, meanwhile, has been the featured running back for Masco, carrying the ball 35 times for 194 yards and one touchdown. Bunker has already become Splinter's No. 1 target as well, catching six passes for 126 yards and three scores. Both have also stood out in the defensive secondary this fall.

Senior T.C. Mannetta is another burner for the Chieftains. He already has 150 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Masco's receiving crew of Dom Bavaro, Steve Sylvia, Sean Gallagher, and Kevin Anderson have also been instrumental to the Chieftains' offensive success, both through catching the ball and blocking.

Masconomet may feel good about itself with a 3-0 record, including wins over some pretty good opponents, but Jim Pugh knows his team has to leave all the other games behind to focus on the Generals.

"It's time to move on," Pugh said. "At this point, the focus is on Hamilton-Wenham. We've been able to beat them the last couple years, but we've had tough games. I saw them against North Andover and saw them on film against Pentucket. (Nate) Masterson is one of the better players in the league, and (Jake) Cotter is a tremendous running back and athlete. You can't focus on one guy. That's the nice thing about their offense and the tough thing for us."

Cotter opened the season with a five-touchdown game, and he leads H-W with 284 rushing yards. Masterson is second on the team with 183 yards on the ground and two scores.

Sophomore quarterback Andy Duval has done nothing to hurt the Generals so far, and their biggest strength may be in the offensive line where Tom Drinkwater, David Littlefield, Jeremy Walton, John Hession, and Corey Daff have all returned with a year of experience under their belts.

The Generals have also had extra time to prepare for Masco with an early bye week, but Morency isn't so sure that's a big advantage.

"It's something you would think would be an advantage, but being so young I just don't know. We tried to take advantage (of the extra time) by addressing certain issues," Morency said. "Last year we were going into Masco feeling pretty good and lost a tough one."

Dropping a game like this doesn't hurt either team's chances of advancing to the postseason. Hamilton-Wenham is in the CAL Small, while the Chieftains play in the CAL Large. But the intensity will still be high in this battle.

"You're talking about bragging rights and tradition. These kids have been playing each other in other sports and they've grown up playing against each other. When we started the split, a lot of people were against it," Pugh said. "But there's a lot of pride at stake. Our kids will be fired up for this game."