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Fri, Oct 02, 2009 07:00 PM @ Lawrence

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Chelmsford	0	7	14	8	29
Lawrence	7	14	0	13	34

Lawrence shocks No. 11 Chelmsford

Friday, October, 02 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

LAWRENCE – The pieces were in place for a historically horrifying Lawrence High football loss last night.

 

“We’re changing history,” said Lancer coach Mike Yameen.

 

Only minutes earlier Yameen’s lancers had pulled off the unthinkable shocker, stunning unbeaten Chelmsford,  the 11^th-ranked team in Eastern Mass., 34-29, at Veterans Memorial Stadium with a dramatic game-winning drive.

 

“There’s going to be a lot more of that to come,” said Lancer quarterback Nick Elwell, fresh after marching his club 65 yards in the final two minutes, capping the drive with an 8-yard TD connection to Michael Calzetta. “We understand how big it is beating a team like Chelmsford, top 10 and everything, but it’s not like we were going to be intimidated.”

 

In the victory, Lawrence’s first over Chelmsford since Yameen’s senior season of 1985, the Lancers displayed a newfound resilience. Lawrence led 21-0 with 34.1 seconds left in the first half.

 

That advantage evaporated by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, as did a 28-21 lead midway through the fourth.

 

When Joe Gennaro plowed through from the one and Doug Emerson victimized Lawrence for the two-point conversion via the swinging gate, Lawrence appeared poised for heartbreak.

 

Enter Elwell, on his 18^th birthday, to deliver the history-changing magic.

 

Elwell (15 of 24, 196 yards, 4 TDs) got some help. Devin Montanez dashed 11 yards on a swing and Kevin Valerio made a diving grab, tapping a toe in at the sideline for 20 more.

 

The senior was a tad fortunate, too. First he completed a 12-yard chain mover to sophomore guard James Urbaez – off a ricochet – and then he watched his only mistake of the night, a floater under heavy pressure, slip right through a waiting linebacker’s arms.

 

“Down 29-28, it was tough, but I just tried to stay calm and make my reads,” said Elwell. “It doesn’t hurt to have a little luck either.”

 

With a new lease on life, Elwell found old reliable, Calzetta on a slant and the 6-foot-4 banger willed his way into the end zone for the score and the lead with :27.6 left.

 

The Lions weren’t done and actually had a shot at the end zone, but Francis Nova picked off a Hail Mary try as the clock ran out, locking down the upset.

 

“I think now these kids know how big this one is,” said Yameen, whose club at 2-2 with three conference points now leads the MVC small division. “But it’s big for tonight. We have Andover and a huge Homecoming game to worry about.”

 

Lawrence pounced on the Lions early, racing to the 21-0 lead. Elwell hit Calzetta and Christian Reyes for scores, while Montanez connected with Valerio on a 20-yard halfback option TD.

 

Chelmsford ignited in the final stages of the first half, moving 60 yards in the final 34.1 seconds to make it 21-7 into the break.

All the momentum had a Lawrence catastrophe written all over it.

"In the past, Chelmsford beats us in a game like this by a touchdown or two after they tie it up," said Yameen. "But this group is a little different. They were resilient. It was nice to see."

In the Nick of time

With Lawrence down 29-28 with 1:50 play, Lancer senior Nick Elwell authored his own version of “The Drive,” moving his team 65 yards for the winning score in the upset of Chelmsford.

Here’s how it happened:

1:37 – On first-and-10, Elwell finds Devin Montanez in the flat for 11 yards and a first down.

1:09 – On 2^nd-and-10, Elwell rolls right and heaves one to Kevin Valerio, who slides and makes a tremendous catch on the sideline, good for 20 more yards.

:54 – Lancer halfback Francis Nova gets the corner and zooms 14 yards to the Chelmsford 20.

:43 – After two incompletions, Elwell tries a middle screen. In traffic, the ball deflects off players from each team, into the arms of offensive guard James Urbaez. “I was looking to block and the ball was right there,” said Urbaez, who got a crushing block from Lance Thigpen and rumbled 12 yards for another first down at the 8.

:35 – Elwell feels the heat and lofts a duck, right into the arms of a Chelmsford defender. Fortunately, the ball falls harmlessly to the turf, incomplete.

:27 – Elwell hits classmate Mike Calzetta on the slant for the score, the pair’s seventh TD hookup of the year and one of the biggest completions in Lawrence football history.

   

Additional stories:

• Lawrence shocks No. 11 Chelmsford
• Lawrence shocks No. 11 Chelmsford