Finally I'll finish up with a few words on the passing of Warren Clayton, the longtime bus driver for the Pioneer sports teams.
First, let's get to part two of the schedule sneak preview.
This season looks to be quite different.
While the Generals will still be formidable, and are still the champs until someone knocks them off, there are several teams in the league that could ultimately capture the crown. In fact, I wouldn't even make the Generals the preseason favorite. That distinction in my opinion goes to the Pioneers' archrivals at the other end of Chestnut Street.
Yes, this could be the year of the Hornet. North Reading is stacked, hungry and ready to take their first championship in over 30 years. More on them later.
There's no question that whoever ultimately takes the league title and heads to the Division 3A playoffs, will have to fight through what appears to be a most competitive CAL/NEC4.
"The league is going to be really good this season," asserted Pioneer Head Coach Neal Weidman.
So let's take a look at the road the Pioneers will have to travel if they hope to earn another championship this season.
Saturday, October 20 vs. Ipswich
The Tigers were 3-7 in 2011 but they finished a strong 2-3 in the league, tied with the Pioneers and Manchester-Essex for third place. They graduated nine including All Leaguers lineman Chris Desmond and defensive back Louis Galanis. But they will return 15 seniors and a talented group of underclassmen led by All League linebacker John Elnagger and All League Honorable Mentions Peter Moutevelis (RB), Derek Chamberlain (RB), Mike Dillon (Line) and Nate Glaster (WR).
Moutevelis (84 points last season) and Chamberlain (6 TD's) will key a potent ground and swerve Delaware Wing T offense. The traditional Tiger attack will again supplemented by good looking sophomore quarterback Nick Andreas who threw a pair of TD passes last year playing as a freshman. He didn't play in last year's hard fought 13-6 Pioneer win in Ipswich, but expect him to blossom this season. Moutevelis torched the Pioneers for 113 yards in that game and Chamberlain picked up 85 and the Tigers' only score.
Lynnfield will have their hands full in the league opener.
"Ipswich has a lot coming back," said Weidman. "They have that good quarterback and they are a young, good team."
Saturday, October 27 @ Hamilton-Wenham
The Pioneers hit the road for week two of the league schedule when they travel north for another shot at the two time defending league champion Generals.
But the Generals, who finished 11-1 last year with their only loss coming in the Division 3A Super Bowl, will not be fully depleted.
They return the league's Player of the Year in quarterback Trevor Lyons, whose loss for the second half likely led to their 16-14 Super Bowl defeat to Bourne. They were leading 14-8 at halftime when Lyons left with an injury early in the second half.
Lyons is a dynamic runner who finished third in Division 3A scoring with 124 points on 20 touchdowns and a pair of 2 point conversions. Playing quarterback for the first time last year, his passing needed work early on, but he improved dramatically and finished the season with six TD passes.
With only five returning seniors, Lyons' supporting cast will be greatly diminished, but he will not be alone in the quest for a title defense. Back are All League defensive back Christian Ecker and All League Honorable Mentions Pete Duval (RB), Matt Vogus (lineman) and Steve Turpin (RB).
"They won the title last year and they have Lyons back," Weidman said. "He is good. It's always tough playing them."
Saturday, November 3 vs. Georgetown
After a tough tussle with the Generals, the Pioneers will return home to face Georgetown. The Royals have struggled since nearly winning the CAL Small in 2008. Over the past three seasons, Georgetown has managed only four wins in 30 games including a tough 1-9 mark last season and they were winless in the CAL/NEC 4.
The good news for Georgetown is that all the young players that were tossed into the fire last year received valuable varsity playing experience. They lose only three to graduation but will still have only five seniors. The bad news is that two of their losses are All League lineman Mike Bjork and standout quarterback Tyler Wade. One of their key returnees is junior receiver Colby Ingraham who caught three passes against Lynnfield including the only Royals' touchdown.
"They have straightened things out up there," said Weidman of the turmoil at Georgetown last year. "They have their heads on straight now. The suspended players are coming back and they have a nice nucleus coming back. These guys gained valuable experience last season."
Friday, November 9 @ Manchester-Essex
In their final game before Thanksgiving Day, the Pioneers travel north to face the Hornets in their fourth night game of the season.
M-E handed the Pioneers a 7-6 loss on Senior Day last year, arguably the most disappointing loss of 2011 other than the H-W defeat.
The Hornets finished the season 5-6, 2-3 in the league, winning their final two games of the year.
They graduate 10 including Paul Penoyer, the league's Lineman of the Year along with All Leaguers Joe Burgess (WR) and Mavrik MacEachern (LB). But they were a young team and will have 13 seniors returning led by All League lineman Julian Flavin and Honorable Mentions Cory Burnham (QB), David Wright (lineman), Jake Fitzgerald (RB), Zack Fleming (lineman), John Beardsley (RB) and Chris Wright (lineman).
They will be big and physical and should be in the hunt.
"They are good defensively," said Weidman. "We'll have our hands full."
Thanksgiving Day, November 22 vs. North Reading
The Pioneers will save the best for last as the powerhouse Hornets will come calling on Turkey Day morning.
First year offensive Coordinator Ed Melanson came over from Peabody to join NR head coach and defensive guru Jeff Wall and installed the single wing offense. The Hornets thrived on it - improving each week. They capped the season off by rushing for 339 yards in the 37-18 win over the Pioneers.
On the season, they rolled for 2,685 yards, 2,560 of it on the ground.
They were led by All League running back Carl Lipani, who rushed for 1,736 yards and 24 touchdowns. His 151 points put him in second place in Division 3A scoring. And the scary part? He's back for another year. With a season of the offense under his belt and with another year of experience with a line that comes back virtually intact, it's mindboggling to think what kind of numbers the classy super back will put up.
And he won't be alone.
The Hornets graduate 10 including All League placekicker Eric Valenti and Honorable Mentions Kyle Boucher (LB) and Jason Vella (line), but they return 11 seniors.
Back for a serious title run will be All Leaguers John Fortes (line) and Mike Moscaritolo (line) along with Honorable Mentions Jason Kellogg (QB), Chris McCarthy (RB) and Evan Wade (DB).
"Right now, they are the team to beat," said Weidman. "They have the most guys returning and the best returning core. But we have a long way to go before we start worrying about them."
So there you have it. It should be a wide open league race and the Pioneers could be in the thick of it.
Summer Schedule
But before we get to the regular season though, we need to get through the summer, and the Pioneers will be prepping with a full schedule of 7 v 7 games and tournments.
The schedule is as follows :
All games at Reading High School. Game 1 starts at 9 am and Game 2 begins at 10 am)
June 17 vs Methuen (Game 1); vs. Boston Latin (Game 2)
June 24 vs Reading (Game 1); vs. Methuen (Game 2)
July 1 vs Boston Latin (Game 1); vs. Reading (Game 2)
July 15 vs Methuen (Game 1); vs. Boston Latin (Game 2)
August 5 vs Boston Latin (Game 1); vs Methuen (Game 2)
Lynnfield will also be playing in the St. Anselm's Tournament on June 24th and in the UnderArmour 7 v 7 Tournament at Bishop Fenwick on July 21st.
Warren the Busdriver
Finally on a sad note, I have to mention Warren Clayton, the busdriver for many of the Pioneer sports teams, who passed away this past Saturday at the age of 89. In particular, "Warren" was the main driver for the Pioneer football team for many years.
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| Warren W. Clayton |
He retired from his career as a molder with Clayton Foundry in 1984 and became a bus driver for the town. He loved interacting with all the young athletes but had a particular soft spot for the football teams he ushered all over the North Shore. And you could tell the players returned that affection for the affable gentleman.
I spent many a pregame on the sideline with Mr. Clayton discussing the team's chances that day.
He was an unsung hero of the Pioneer football program for many years and was just a genuine, classy gentlemen. He will be missed.
Rest in Peace Warren.
That's it for now. Check back on the first Friday of July for my next post.
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