Pioneers Battle But Fall in UnderArmour 7 v 7

by Tom Condardo

I guess if you have to get knocked off, at least let it be by the best. That was the case for the Pioneers in the UnderArmour 7 v 7 East Regional Tournament held July 26th at Bishop Fenwick in Peabody.

Lynnfield was looking to duplicate their championship performance in the St. Anselm's tournament earlier this summer but it wasn't to be as they were nipped in overtime by Chelmsford in the first playoff game. The Lions went on to win the East Regional, moved on to the Northeast Championship on July 30 and made it to the title game where they lost to fellow Merrimack Valley Conference foe Haverhill 14-6.

Pioneer Captain Cam Rondeau hauls in a 

pass from captain Dan Sullivan (l) in the

UnderArmour 7 v 7 (Val Rondeau Photo)

The explosive Pioneers went 2-2 in pool play to advance to the playoffs on the "most points" tiebreaker. Lynnfield scored 18 touchdowns in the five contests, 16 from senior captain Dan Sullivan and a pair from junior Jake McHugh.

Nine receivers hauled in TD catches. Captain Jonny Knee led the way with five followed by captain Cam Rondeau (2), Jake Rourke (2), Kyle Hawes (2), Jake McHugh (2), Dan Bronshvayg (2), Chad Martin (1), Rob DeBonis (1), and Louis Ellis (1).

Bronshvayg, Hawes, and Rourke caught extra points passes. Rondeau, and McHugh also had defensive TD's.

The Pioneers started off strong with a 38-0 white washing of Essex Tech, then lost a tough 26-24 decision to Lawence. They bounced back to beat BB&N 24-19 before falling to Lynn English 22-19. English won the bracket going 4-0 but the Pioneers beat out BB&N to advance to the playoffs.

Lynnfield battled the tough Lions all the way and the game was tied 21-21 at the end of regulation. Chelmsford had first crack in the overtime and scored on their second play. The Pioneers couldn't score on their possession and were eliminated.

Overall the Pioneers have shown some offensive firepower in this summer's 7 on 7 play with Sullivan connecting with a bevy of receivers. As head coach Neal Weidman says though, it's only 7 on 7 and the true test will be when the pads come out.

Thanks to Pat Rondeau, my intrepid reporter on the scene for the providing the details on the tournament.

That's it for now. Next stop, preseason practice beginning on August 18. Stay tuned.