Ipswich Leftovers

by Tom Condardo

There's been a lot of discussion (okay by the ink stained wretches) over the past weeks about the slower starts by the Pioneers. It obviously hasn't hurt them since no one has been able to parlay those slow beginnings into anything more than a brief annoyances.

Part of the reason for that has been Lynnfield's play in the middle parts of games. As sluggish as they have been at the start, they've been absolutely combustible in the middle quarters, particularly in the second. 

Overall the Pioneers have outscored their opponents 248-48, but in the first quarter they have managed only a 49-21 edge. However in the second and third quarters, they've outscored their opponents 172-13. The second quarter has been particularly explosive as the Pioneers sport a 109-6 edge. You read that correctly. Lynnfield has allowed only one touchdown each in the second and third quarters. Saugus managed one in the second and Newburyport has one in the third. Other than that, it's been goose eggs for the opposition in those two period.

The Pioneers' slimmest margin has been in the fourth period when they have a 27-14 edge. Again only Saugus (6) and Newburyport (8) have managed fourth period scores. It also should be noted that most of those fourth periods were played by the Pioneer reserves who have done quite well.

So to quote the bard, all's well that ends well, and those uninspiring starts aren't as concerning when they're followed by step-on-your-throat middle periods. 

I should also point out that in the games that featured the toughest opposition - Newburyport, Hamilton Wenham, and Manchester-Essex (who by the way finished 4-3 and is the sixth seed in the Division Five playoffs) - the Pioneers did not suffer first quarter letdowns.

Against Newburyport, the score was 0-0 after one. The Pioneers led H-W and M-E 7-0 after one. Similar focus will be required against Stoneham this weekend since the Spartans should provide the stiffest opposition the Pioneers have yet faced.

Quiet Efficiency

There has justifiably been plenty of coverage surrounding captain Kyle McGah and his climb up the Pioneer scoring chart and the Lynnfield ground game in particular. The Pioneers have done most of their damage on the ground, rushing for 1693 yards to only 913 passing. Twenty-eight of their 33 touchdowns have been on the ground.

What has been lost in the shuffle however, is the quietly spectacular season quarterback Danny Sullivan has been putting together. You've seen some of it the last two weeks as teams are starting to load up on the ground game. In head coach Neal Weidman's offense, when teams do that, you must make them pay in the passing game. In games against Hamilton Wenham and Ipswich, Sullivan has done just that.

In the two games, won by the Pioneers by a combined 69-0 count, Sullivan was 19/25 for 379 yards,  one touchdown and no interceptions. That's an amazing 76% completion rate. He's also carried 19 times for 86 yards, a touchdown and a two point conversion. 

For the season, Sullivan is 50 for 70 - a 71% completion rate - for 710 yards, two touchdowns, three two point conversions, and two interceptions. He's rushed for 163 yards and a 4 yards per carry average. 

Looking at the numbers, I dusted off my NFL quarterback rating calculator to see how Sullivan stacks up against some former Pioneer quarterbacks. The NFL rating is complicated but basically accounts for completions per attempt, yards per attempt, touchdowns per attempt, and penalizes heavily for interceptions. The highest score you can get is 158.3 Don't ask me why. Ask the NFL.

So to start, Sullivan's performance in the past two games was an astounding 141.9. For the season so far, his rating is 101.5. How does that rank next to the best Pioneer QB performances? Only at the top.

Here is the list of the top Pioneer quarterback ratings of all time:

• Gino Cohee, 2010: 99.1
• Michael Karavetsos, 2011: 92.5
• Gino Cohee, 2009: 84.5
• Jason Caggiano, 1996: 69.9

Pretty heady company for the junior who is in his first full year running the offense. For those of us old timers, Sullivan has the look of a Bart Starr or Bob Griese: always under control, always in command and can always be counted on to make the right play at the right time.

The other half of the equation is the bevy of outstanding receivers Sullivan is throwing to. Captains Matt Kramich and Anthony Costa, along with Jon Knee all have double digit receptions. McGah and Adam Buchanan have also make key catches throughout the season.

That kind of quarterbacking and passing attack will be key as the Pioneers start to face tougher competition in the playoffs.

Kickin' Update

Speaking of Dannys, the one with the kicking foot is having himself quite a season as well. Daniel Bronshvayg, following in the cleatsteps of two of the best kickers in Pioneer history in Steve Ullian and Alex Roper, is keeping right up with them.

Bronshvayg had another 5 for 5 night against Ipswich, the third time this season he has kicked for five or more PAT's. Only Ullian and Roper can match that in LHS history. Overall the sophomore placekicker is 19/22. His 19 points already ranks him as 6th best for a single season and slots him 8th best all time. 

That's an impressive start especially considering he had to miss two of the Pioneers' seven games. 

Goose Eggs

The Pioneers have not allowed a point in 11 quarters. The last time the defense was scored on was the first period of the Georgetown game. The two straight shutouts gives Lynnfield three on the year. The most since the 2010 team posted four. The record for shutouts is held by the 1962 team which incredibly had six shutouts in nine games. They allowed only 32 points all year, the fewest by any Pioneer team.

Making Their Points

The Pioneers are averaging 35.4 points per game which places them third all time behind the 1960 team that AVERAGED 45.5 ppg and the 2010 team that averaged 36 points a game.

Flutie Impersonation

Ipswich Tiger quarterback Kyle Blomster was only missing the number 22 to complete his dead-on impression of iconic BC quarterback Doug Flutie. The elusive Blomster ran the spread offense as best he could under tough conditions. Those included almost every snap nearly going over his head - a number of them did - and fleeing from the carnivorous Pioneer linemen. 

He escaped a number of times and made plays when there were none to be made in a valiant losing effort.

"He played great," Weidman told me after the game. "He's got a great arm and he can obviously move around. He's a good athlete."

Ipswich Game Notables

- The Pioneers had the ball for only 17:23 in the 44 minute game. They means they averaged a point for every 30 seconds of possession time. 

- Lynnfield was flagged six times for 70 yards while the Tigers were called for two penalties for 20. One of those was a 15 yarder as part of offsetting penalties late in the game.

- The Tigers went all out with the pass in an effort to move the ball against the Pioneers. They attempted 30 passes (completing 13 for 172 yards). They ran the ball only 20 times for 69 yards, a 3.45 yard average.

- The Pioneers' win was the seventh straight over the Tigers. They still trail the series 19-26.

That's it for now. Check back Monday when I'll take a final look at the CAL Baker and a rundown of the Division Four North playoff pairings.