We got our answer.
There is no question there were issues along the Clipper line. They were flagged five times for motion or offsides and in the first half, the Pioneers contained Martin. However as the game wore on, the line settled in and allowed the Clipper stars to shine.
You can read my full game account in Wednesday's Villager but let's take a closer look at some of the Clipper standout performances.
Fabulous Fontaine
In particular, the Wile to Fontaine connection burned the Pioneers badly. The two hooked up ten times for 146 yards and a score. Incredibly, nine resulted in Newburyport first downs and the tenth was for the touchdown.
One play in particular tells you how the Clipper coaching staff feels about Fontaine and why that feeling is justified.
Early in the fourth period, as the Clippers got to the line of scrimmage, one of the Newburyport assistant coaches on the sideline became visibly excited.
"Look at number 80! Look at number 80!" he screamed. "Get him the ball Connor. Get it to him."
What the coach had seen was Fontaine lining up wide left with Pioneers' Jon Rogers (number 80) lined up on him in what appeared to be single coverage. The coach was beseeching his quarterback Connor Wile to make sure he threw to Fontaine.
What the coach probably didn't realize was that Rogers, a senior, was playing in his first varsity game for the Pioneers. All he saw was one on one coverage of his star receiver and figured no one could cover Fontaine one on one.
As the play developed though, Rogers did stay stride for stride with Fontaine, maintained perfect inside position and covered him about as well as anyone could. But Wile dutifully did what his coach demanded and threw it 25 yards downfield anyway.
At the last second, Fontaine leaped up over Rogers and snagged the pass just as Rogers did. The two came down both holding on to the football, but the officials ruled it a catch and a first down. Rogers could not have played Fontaine any better on that play but it still resulted in 25 yard reception. Fontaine is just that good.
Getting Martinized
As for the ground side of the Clipper attack, Tyler Martin was as relentless as a bad toothache. Listed at 5'7" 185, the battering ram of a runner clearly plays bigger than that. The game plan was to send him into the teeth of the Pioneer defense and hope for the best.
In the first half, he wasn't getting much as the Pioneers controlled the line of scrimmage. As the game wore on, the Clipper line started to calm down and the relentless pounding began to take effect.
In his first 13 carries, Martin picked up only 36 yards, a 2.8 per carry average. However, his final 13 carries resulted in 76 yards and a touchdown, an average of 5.8 yards per carry. Included were runs of 17 yards, 15 and 15 for the score. His TD run is emblematic of the way he runs. He broke one tackle in the backfield and a final one as he dove into the endzone. He finished with 112 yards.
Weidman Encouraged
Though obviously not happy with the loss, Pioneer head coach Neal Weidman was encouraged with the way his young team played in their opening game.
"I know we had a lot of work to do which is still the case," Weidman told me after the game. "We had a few guys on the field that this was their first varsity game. That being said, they did some good things too.
"Defensively I thought we did really well," said Weidman. "They had two drives toward the end when they got downhill on us a little but up to that point we had played well defensively."
The return of Andrew Kibarian clearly bolstered the defense. After missing the preseason scrimmages, Kibarian returned with a vengence, with a blocked pass, 1 1/2 sacks and generally creating havoc with the Clipper offense.
"Offensively we actually moved the ball real well," the coach said. "We shot our selves in the foot, we missed a read here or missed a block there. And we had the "blown whistle" there."
The "blown whistle" on a second and seven from the Clipper 36 where the officials were faked out by Mike Karavetsos. The quarterback tucked the ball into tri-captain Mike Thomas' gut, pulled it out and headed downfield for what looked to be at least a big gain and possibly a touchdown. The Clippers bit on the fake and took down Thomas. Unfortunately, the officials bit as well and ruled the play dead, which was news to Karavetsos who had the ball in the open down the right sideline with blocker Steve Yobaccio in front of him.
The refs, duly embarrassed, couldn't do much after the fact except give the Pioneers a first down at the 28 which is where Karavetsos was when the whistle blew.
"We got the first down there," said Weidman. "but then we got to fourth and three and didn't pick it up. We turned the ball over on downs. Obviously we'd rather score the touchdown then turn the ball over on downs. Momentum may have swung there."
Weidman commented on the Pioneers inability to convert on three fourth down chances deep in Newburyport territory.
"It's good that we were in fourth and short a few times," he said. "Those are field position things that we have to convert on."
Budding Magician
Speaking of fakes, Karavetsos did a nice job with his sleight of hand on his ball faking against the Clippers.
"He's doing a good job on his fakes as you can tell by the "blown whistle," Weidman said.
He made another nice fake on his 64 yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
On running plays in the Pioneer offense, the quarterback has to read the defense and decide whether to hand off to the running back or pull it back and keep it. On the TD run, Karavetsos read the play perfectly, made the "pull", got a couple of nice blocks, broke a tackle and raced through the Clipper defense to the endzone.
I asked Weidman what the quarterback would be reading on that play and how he would make his decision to "give" or "pull."
"It depends on what the play is," the coach explained. "Sometimes it's the backside defensive end and sometimes it's the backside defensive tackle. The touchdown was a trap so he was reading the backside defensive tackle. So if (the defensive tackle) goes here and we don't block that defensive tackle and he then takes the back, (Karavetsos) pulls it and goes. If (the defensive tackle) comes up field (Karavetsos) gives it to the back and we run underneath him."
And you thought it was simple, right?
It ain't over till it's over
As the game wound down and the Clippers led 27-14 with the ball inside the Pioneer 20, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. That didn't faze Weidman who continued to use all his timeouts, forcing Clipper quarterback Wile to take a knee three times.
Was the coach sending a message to his young team.
"We just wanted the kids to know that we weren't going to give up," Weidman explained. "We should have been able to use (the timeouts) up the drive before, but (Martin) broke those tackles and scored. That's when we wanted to use them.
"I think the kids did a good job," he said summing up. "They went down and scored on us and we came right back and played tough. Like I said, we have a bunch of guys that are new. This is their first go at it. I can't complain with the effort."
- The Clipper Curse continues for the Pioneers who lost to Newburyport Saturday for the 31st time in 39 meetings.
- The loss snapped a 12 game home winning streak for the Pioneers. Their last home loss was on November 15, 2008 when they lost to Manchester Essex 35-21.
- The opening game loss was the first for Lynnfield since they fell to Georgetown 28-20 in 2007. It was the first home opener loss since a 7-6 loss to Georgetown in 2006.
- The 14 points scored by the Pioneers were the fewest at home since the 14-10 comeback win against Amesbury in 2009.
- The 27 points allowed was the most since that loss to M-E in 2008.
- The Pioneers had only one penalty all day, a 15 yard facemask call on the seventh play of the game.
- As has become his custom, Clipper head coach Ed Gaudiano did not coach his team from the sideline Saturday. He was perched up in the pressbox right next to Tom Waisnor, the stellar Voice of the Pioneers.
At the Car Wash
Fred Roberto told me to remind everyone about the Friends of Lynnfield Football Car Wash to be held next Sunday, September 18 behind the South Lynnfield Fire Station.
In Memoriam
And speaking of the Voice, prior to the game, Waisnor read a list of people associated with the Pioneer football program who passed away in the past year. They were:
- Lynn Fin, wife of Chris Finn, a coach in the youth program both football and cheering
- Thomas Terranova Sr., volunteer of youth program and father of Tom Terranova, head of the youth program
- Brian McGah, father of sophomore Kyle McGah, coach in the youth football program
- Sydney Vinci, four year old daughter of Tricia and Steven Vinci who have been involved in the youth program
- Stacy Monkiewicz, mother of children in the youth program. Matt Monkiewicz donates the Kayem hotdogs for the concessions stand at the games.
That's it for now. Check back tomorrow when I take a look at the weekend action around the league.
No comments:
Post a Comment