Marblehead 2022 Thanksgiving Football

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4 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL 2022 WEEK 2 Lynnfield and Marblehead help remind us it’s more than a game By Ryan VeRmette maRBlehead Weekly neWs As quarterback Myles O’Neil knelt the ball for the final time, Marblehead players jumped up and down and put their hands in the air, letting out shouts of pure emotion as they ran towards their teammate Jack Scogland. Though not many in the stands at Piper Field knew it, the Magicians played with heavy hearts that evening. Earlier in the day, Scogland’s father passed away unexpectedly. The lineman’s father was a youth baseball and football coach for nearly all of the players on Marblehead’s roster. Lynnfield head coach Pat Lamusta found out just before kickoff and knew that after the game, win or lose, his team needed to be there for Scogland. After hands were shaken and everybody started to empty from the stands, Lamusta told his team to bring it in at midfield as Marblehead head coach Jim Rudloff did the same. Each coach spoke with the other team in the combined huddle before Lynnfield and Marblehead fists were raised #6 Andy Palmer, Marblehead with the ball, #29 Brooks Keefe blocks Lynnfield player #20 Jared Bernabei at the Marblehead vs Lynnfield game at Marblehead High School on September 16, 2022. PHOTO | PAULA MULLER up into the air together for a breakdown. “Family on three… one, two, three, family,” both teams shouted. Though both teams may not have been familiar with each other or even know one another, everybody came together to support Scogland and lift him up because, as Lamusta notes, it’s bigger than football. “That’s tough to fight through; it’s an emotional rollercoaster for a team to go through,” Lamusta said. “They’re a very strong team, they’re going to make it through, but the point of the breakdown was to remind everyone that there’s something bigger here.” Though Lynnfield lost the game by a score of 26-18, Lamusta recognized that the outcome was secondary to everything else going on that night. There will always be more football games to be played, and though football is everything for these kids and coaches, the stats, the scores, and the wins and losses all become an afterthought on an emotional night such as this. Despite learning of his father’s passing hours before the game, Scogland, who is a lineman for Marblehead, told coach Rudloff that he was going to suit up. Not only was he available for the game, he ended up playing on both sides of the field in what was truly an amazing display of courage and determination. His play on both sides of the line of scrimmage was crucial in Marblehead’s victory that evening and he even proceeded to block a point after an attempt by Lynnfield. “Amazing kid, it was amazing that he was able to do that,” said Rudloff. “He’s one of the first guys in for us; oddly enough, the kid that plays in front of him was the first one hurt, so he goes in and plays both ways the whole game.” It was an incredible performance by Scogland, and after the game, Marblehead’s players yelled out in happiness, and in sorrow, and in joy, and in grief as they huddled around Scogland, each taking turns hugging him, and holding his helmet close to theirs. Football is family, not just to Marblehead, but to every team that they see standing on the other sideline, and the Pioneers recognize that. “We’re kind of a larger football family, and we wish them well as they navigate this difficult time,” Lamusta said. “A lot of class on the other side of the field,” Rudloff said in response to the Pioneers showing of support. “The Lynnfield kids were phenomenal, they played a great game but even more so, their behavior and their composure, and the way they just embraced us after the game, I’ll never forget that.” While the Pioneers fell to Marblehead, HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM OUR Y FAMILY TO YOURS! Good luck to the Marblehead Magicians & Swampscott Big Blue! 1 WEEK FREE MEMBERSHIP PASS Stop in and visit the Y! Valid at the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA. Limit one use per individual/family. LYNCH/VAN OTTERLOO YMCA | 40 LEGGS HILL ROAD, MARBLEHEAD | NORTHSHOREYMCA.ORG
THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL 2022 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 5 quarterback Tyler Adamo had a decent showing through the air. Adamo was 15-24 for 130 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Samuel Gazit led the Pioneers in receiving with 62 yards while Robert Marley III led the team in rushing with 86 yards. Lynnfield’s defense got the scoring started early in the first quarter with a pick-six off of Marblehead Quarterback Myles O’Neil. O’Neil got his team back in it quickly on the next drive with a 15-yard quarterback keeper for 15 yards. After he recovered his own fumble on a dropped snap on 2nd and goal, O’Neil rolled out to his right for a five-yard touchdown pass on third down to receiver Andy Palmer to give the Magicians a 7-6 lead. Lynnfield answered with a 53-yard rumble by Marley lll that went for a touchdown. Marley was able to easily penetrate Marblehead’s defensive line thanks to help from Lynnfield’s run blockers and made his way up to the secondary when he bounced the run to the outside and cut up the sideline where no one was going to catch him. A failed two-point conversion gave, the Pioneers a slim 12-7 lead in the second quarter. Adamo capitalized off of a Marblehead turnover on downs with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Gazit. The point after attempt would get blocked, keeping Lynnfield’s lead at 11 points. An interception by Adamo late in the 2nd quarter would prove costly for the Pioneers; however, as Marblehead’s offense was able to get up field for one last shot into the endzone before halftime. O’Neil shrugged off a blitzing defender and sent a bomb downfield that was caught by receiver Connor Cronin to cut the lead down to 18-13. Lynnfield wouldn’t score for the rest of the contest, and special teams was a big problem in the second half as the punting unit fumbled, resulting in a Shane Keough touchdown for Marblehead to take the lead. A blocked punt by Marblehead’s Baxter Jennings gave the Magicians the ball in Lynnfield territory as O’Neil threw for his third touchdown of the game, sealing the victory for Marblehead, 26-18. “I think our guys hung in and battled,” Lamusta said. “We definitely came out and played very intense, I’m very proud of how the defense played, and we had some explosive plays on offense.” It was a valiant effort for Lynnfield as their offensive duo of Adamo and Marley played well and gave Marblehead a run for their money. However, Marblehead’s rally around their teammate was powerful enough to lift them to victory, and both teams can be proud of not only their play on the field but their class in supporting one of their football brothers during the most difficult day in his life.
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