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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

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