RallyNorth.net

Lawrence slays No. 18 Lynn English

Friday, September, 10 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

LYNN - A little luck, a little bit of guts, a little quarterback and a whole lot of gritty defense lifted Lawrence High to opening-night, 13-9, shocker over Lynn English, the 18th-rated team in Eastern Mass.

"We're hungry, hungrier than we've ever been before," said Lancer middle linebacker Steve Mannion, who delivered a game-high 14 tackles despite battling leg cramps the entire second half.

Mannion and the defense somehow brought Lawrence back from the dead in a wild finish that saw Lynn English's last-minute march end on the Lancer 2-yard-line as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Call it a battle of attrition with Lawrence making fewer mistakes. Either way, you had to understand the elation in Lancer Land after the win.

"I love the idea that people are doubting us," said Mannion. "That just makes us work harder."

Still, the Lancers were a tad fortunate.

With just over a minute left, Lynn English held the ball with a 9-7 lead, needing two yards for a game-clinching first down.

The Bulldogs went with a long count, trying to draw Lawrence offside.

But the shotgun snap sailed 15 yards past QB Tyler McDonald, who scooped up the ball and flung it out of bounds for a 26-yard grounding penalty.

At its own 4, English punted. Miguel Rodriguez caught the boot on the run at the English 36 and sped across the field, racing all the way to the 7.

On the first play, Nathan Baez hit Jean Zorrilla on a slant for the go-ahead TD with :49.3 on the clock.
English wasn't done, though.

McDonald hit Division 1 receiving prospect Trevonne Berry-Rodgers for gains of 7, 6, 17 and 4 yards, mixing in scrambles of 10 and 12 yards to forge to the Lawrence 2.

The QB calmly killed the clock with .4 seconds left, setting up the final play, a fade lob to Berry-Rodgers.

With Ony Ramos, draped on him with perfect position, Berry-Rodgers couldn't come up with the miracle, and

 Lawrence had its second stunner over a top 20 EMass-ranked team in as many years.

The victory was highlighted by the emergence of 5-foot-5 junior quarterback Nathan Baez, who tossed a pair of TD passes and darted for 108 yards on 23 carries in his first varsity start.

"Thank God, the defense gave me another chance," said Baez, who ran nine straight times on Lawrence's penultimate drive only to land inches short of the end zone on 4th-and goal with 3:47 to play.

"I had my fingers crossed, but really I felt like the defense would give us another shot."

Mannion and Ramos were by no means the lone heroes on the defense for Lawrence, which turned English away on a first-and-goal earlier in the night.

Jean Zorrilla had an interception and eight tackles, while nose man Robert Hughes and linebacker Kelvin Severino were among the active Bulldog chasers all night long.

Offensively, coach Mike Yameen left the ball in Baez hands.
The junior, who started JV last year, endured a pounding a

ll night, only to get the best of his opponent in the end.

Lawrence (1-0) opens its league schedule a week from today with a matinee at Tewksbury.