Peabody 11-22
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T14<br />
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880<br />
THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL<br />
WEEK 9<br />
Bittersweet win for Tanners<br />
By Anne Marie Tobin<br />
PEABODY — The <strong>Peabody</strong><br />
football team got back on track<br />
Friday night with a 20-10 win<br />
over visiting Haverhill (4-5) at<br />
Coley Lee Field.<br />
The game turned on a turnover<br />
midway through the fourth<br />
quarter. Clinging to a 13-10<br />
lead, <strong>Peabody</strong> senior defensive<br />
back Joe Mastromatteo forced<br />
a Haverhill fumble recovered<br />
by senior captain Chris Glass<br />
(2 sacks) at midfield. Having<br />
been denied by the Hillie’s defense<br />
in the red zone (their third<br />
red-zone stop in the game) on<br />
their previous possession, that<br />
was all the Tanners needed to<br />
seize the momentum. <strong>Peabody</strong><br />
drove all the way to the Hillies<br />
6-yard line, where the Tanners<br />
had 1st-and-goal with about<br />
two and a half minutes to play.<br />
Angel Paulino (103 yards, 2<br />
TDs) punched it in with 2:03<br />
left in the game to give <strong>Peabody</strong><br />
a little breathing room. Kyle<br />
Maglione (5 carries, 23 yards)<br />
came up huge on the drive with<br />
two 3rd-down conversions.<br />
Dylan Peluso sealed the win<br />
with his second interception of<br />
the game with about a minute<br />
to play.<br />
“We decided to go back to our<br />
old school power type offense<br />
instead of the spread on that<br />
final drive to see is we could<br />
pound the ball,” said <strong>Peabody</strong><br />
coach Mark Bettencourt. “Our<br />
line held their blocks and Angel<br />
found the holes. We missed<br />
some golden opportunities,<br />
but I was very happy the way<br />
the kids stepped up. This was<br />
one of the best games we have<br />
played, especially on defense.”<br />
With starting quarterback<br />
Matt Jandrisevits sidelined<br />
with an injury, Alex DeNisco<br />
got his first varsity start and the<br />
sophomore did not disappoint,<br />
completing eight of 13 pass<br />
Dylan Peluso (9) picked off two passes in <strong>Peabody</strong>’s win over Haverhill.<br />
attempts for 67 yards with one<br />
touchdown.<br />
“To go up against a very good<br />
MVC team in your first start<br />
has to be scary, but the fact that<br />
Alex and Matt have swapped<br />
off all year made it comfortable<br />
for Alex to step in. That experience<br />
helped him.”<br />
The win was bittersweet for<br />
the Tanners, who observed<br />
a moment of silence prior to<br />
the game in memory of beloved<br />
English teacher Lawrie<br />
Bertram, who died suddenly<br />
last Friday.<br />
“She was more than just a<br />
teacher, she was the one who<br />
stayed every day until 5 to help<br />
the kids who don’t have a strong<br />
family support system,” said<br />
Bettencourt. “She was a special<br />
person. The kids were split<br />
50-50 on whether or not to play,<br />
so I told them that Ms. Bertram<br />
would want them to play. We<br />
wore black tape over our bulls<br />
to honor her. Honestly I had my<br />
doubts about being able to win<br />
the game, but she was with us.”<br />
<strong>Peabody</strong> took a 6-0 lead on<br />
a 2-yard run by Paulino in the<br />
first quarter.<br />
Haverhill took its first (and<br />
only) lead of the game on a<br />
1-yard plunge by Hillies quarterback<br />
Brady Skafas. But<br />
Haverhill paid a dear price as<br />
Skafas was injured and did not<br />
return.<br />
DeNisco hit Jared Ridley<br />
form 18 yards out (Austin<br />
Leggett kick) to regain the lead<br />
for <strong>Peabody</strong>, 13-7, in the second<br />
quarter. A key play on the drive<br />
was a 14-yard DeNisco to<br />
Declan Russell strike to convert<br />
on third down and keep the<br />
chains moving. Sergio Martinez<br />
nailed 20-yard field goal make<br />
it 13-10 at halftime.<br />
<strong>Peabody</strong> was in prime position<br />
to add to its lead when<br />
Peluso returned the second half<br />
kickoff 78 yards to the Hillies’<br />
6. But the drive was killed when<br />
Haverhill picked off DeNisco in<br />
the end zone.<br />
The pick set the defensive<br />
tone for the rest of the game<br />
with neither team able to get<br />
much going.<br />
“The defenses just fed off<br />
each other,” said Bettencourt.<br />
“We’d get a stop, they’d get a<br />
stop, then we’d get a stop.”<br />
In the fourth quarter, <strong>Peabody</strong><br />
came up empty again in the red<br />
PHOTO | AL PEREZ<br />
zone after driving to the Hillies’<br />
20.<br />
It wasn’t until <strong>Peabody</strong>’s<br />
final drive, sparked by Glass’s<br />
fumble recovery, that either<br />
team would find the end zone.<br />
“Haverhill was starting to<br />
gain momentum and had picked<br />
up a couple of first downs, but<br />
Joe just put his shoulder pad on<br />
the ball and it popped right to<br />
Chris,” said Bettencourt.<br />
Dylan Peluso came up clutch on<br />
the defensive side of the ball with<br />
two interceptions, the second one<br />
coming with under two minutes to<br />
go on the Hillies final drive.<br />
Glass finished with two<br />
sacks, while Aiden Kelleher,<br />
senior captain Abe Kaba and<br />
Luis Guridys had key tackles<br />
for losses.<br />
Center Court Grille<br />
Tanners<br />
luck Good<br />
We deliver!<br />
We deliver!<br />
781 334 9905<br />
781 9905<br />
FAX 781 3349980<br />
4052<br />
FAX 781 334 4052<br />
Happy Thanksgiving To All! - Thank You for a Great Season!<br />
Have a Safe and<br />
Mayor of <strong>Peabody</strong>Happy Thanksgiving<br />
Go... Tanners Pioneers Crusaders Eagles<br />
CITY OF PEABODY • EDWARD A. BETTENCOURT, JR., MAYOR<br />
edward.bettencourt@peabody-ma.gov