Opportunity Is Knocking

Okay boys and girls, the word for the day is "Opportunity."

Let's start with some thoughts to ponder.

"Be ready when opportunity comes. Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet." - Roy D. Chapin, Jr.

"Opportunity is rare and a wise man will never let it go by him." - Bayard Taylor.

"When opportunity knocks, you still have to get up and open the door." - Chinese proverb.

The sound the 2009 Lynnfield Pioneers are hearing is that of opportunity knocking...banging...pounding  They only need to get up and answer the door.

They will have a chance to do that Saturday morning when they take on Hamilton Wenham in their final home game of the year. A victory over the Generals earns the Pioneers their first CAL football championship in 23 years. That is the golden opportunity that presents itself.

It will be Senior Day, when the graduating players and cheerleaders will be honored before the game. For captains Eric Inglese, Jonathan Leydon and George and Joe Hennessey, and seniorsTim Lamusta, Ty Surette, Dante Padovani, Nick Roberts, Chris Grassi, Doug Ullian, Michael Pescione and the injured Greg Banos, there is no better way to celebrate their final game on Pioneer Field than with a victory that will send them to the post season.

Standing in their way are the Generals, who lost their own opportunity to compete for the crown last week when they fell to Amesbury 15-14 in the waning moments of the game. They come in to town with a 2-2 league mark and a 2-6 record overall. The Pioneers have not lost at home this year and are in the midst of a six game winning streak at the Middle School going back to last Thanksgiving.

The Generals figured to struggle early this season having graduated 17 seniors from the 5-5 team that spanked the Pioneers 40-21 last year. Head Coach Andrew Morency had some hope since he had one of the few experienced quarterbacks in the CAL Small in Andy Duval, a three year starter. He also had an experienced line led by Paul Littlefield.

However, things didn't work out quite as planned for H-W and they struggled out of the gate. They were shut out 19-0 by Newburyport on opening night and also suffered a double hit when both Duval and Littlfield suffered ankle injuries. Playing without their two captains, the Generals were crushed by Triton 39-12. That was followed by lopsided losses to Pentucket 35-0, Bishop Fenwick 30-0 and Wilmington 35-0.  So going into their bye week, H-W was 0-5 and having been outscored 158-12.

The good news for the Generals is that despite all their troubles, the heavy lifting part of their schedule was behind them and they were only 0-1 in the CAL Small. H-W took advantage of their week off to heal and regroup and came out with guns blazing.

It didn't look that way as they fell behind North Reading 16-0  until the healing Duval heated up  late in the third quarter and led the Generals to a stirring come from behind 24-16 win. They topped it off with a goal line stand that halted the Hornets at the 5 yard line.

The following week, the Generals battled Georgetown in a defensive struggle and Tucker White's 36 yard field goal won it with five seconds left.

The two wins left the Generals with a 2-1 league mark and actually in position to come in this week to fight the Pioneers for first place, but those dreams were dashed when they lost the heartbreaker to Amesbury last week.

So what does this all mean? Well don't expect to see the Generals who went 0-5 and were pummeled by the CAL Large iron with their two star players hobbled. Be prepared for the H-W club that is healing at the right time and has won two of their last three games.

"They're peaking at the right time," said Pioneer head coach Neal Weidman. "They're always a good team."

A key factor could be the health of Duval. He apparently reinjured his ankle against Amesbury and his availability and effectiveness is a question mark.

The Pioneers have struggled with H-W recently having lost nine of the last ten games between the schools. The upset 28-20 win in 2007 is Lynnfield's only victory over the Generals since 1998. And some of those losses have been pretty gruesome such as last year as well as 42-14 and 41-14 defeats in 2005 and 2006. You can bet the Pioneers would like to make up for some of those this week.

So to sum it up, the Pioneers might want to have another saying in mind when they take the field on Saturday: Carpe Diem - Sieze the day.

Game time at Pioneer Field is 11 am.