Amesbury Game Preview: Another Opening

by Tom Condardo

Well apparently, the Pioneers don't have to play the rest of the regular season. They can just take a long rest and wait for the playoffs.

Oh wait. You didn't hear the news? You obviously haven't been paying attention to the buzz surrounding the Lynnfield eleven. Just to bring you up to speed, here's what's being said around the league about the Pioneers.

Let's start with Danny Ventura, the high school sports guru at the Boston Herald. In his Monday Night Chat last week, someone called "Tom the Announcer" - hmmm, wonder who THAT could be - asked "Does any team have a chance against Lynnfield?"

Danny Vee's response? "I think Lynnfield goes into the playoffs with a 7-0 record."

He backed that up by ranking the Pioneers first in his Elite Eight Division Four North ratings.

It doesn't end there.

Following the Lynnfield-Newburyport game, Clipper head coach Ed Gaudiano was quoted in the Newburyport Daily News as saying "I think we would've had to have been perfect to beat that team. I don't see that team losing for a while to be honest with you."

Daily News reporter Mac Cerullo jumped on the Pioneer bandwagon last week in his Pentucket/Amesbury preview by saying "Like Newburyport, Pentucket got taken to the cleaners by a Lynnfield team that probably isn't going to lose for a while, so the Sachems are probably a much better team than their first game (against Lynnfield) would suggest."

So that's it I guess. The Pioneers can just toss their helmets and jerseys on the field for the next five weeks and wait to see who they'll be facing in the post season.

There's just a few problems with that scenario.

First, we're talking about high school football played by…high schoolers. Second, football is played with an oval shaped, leathery ball that has been know to take some funny - and unfortunate - bounces. And third, there's the small matter of some charged up opponents who would like nothing better than to knock off the highly touted Pioneers.

To use the common vernacular: Let's pump the brakes a little here.

Yes the Pioneers are off to the perfect start 2-0. And they very well may end up with a memorable season. But if they hope to reach the heights everyone seems to be predicting for them, they need to focus every week and be ready to take every team's best shot. You can bet head coach Neal Weidman and his coaches have been pounding that into them over the past two weeks.

Amesbury Awaits
Which brings us to Friday night's Baker League opener at Landry Stadium.

As you read in my Villager preview this week, the Indians struggled in their first two games, but they played two teams that made the playoffs last year in Triton and Pentucket.

The Indians (4-7 last year) are playing under new coach Glen Gearin, who is the AD in Amesbury and is filling in as interim head coach following the retirement of former head coach Thom Connors who left after 12 seasons. There was apparently some snafu in the hiring process so Gearin stepped in to take over this season while they continue the search for a permanent head coach. Gearin previously compiled a 3-37 mark with Methuen from 2003 to 2006.

Losing to the loaded Vikings 43-6 and a Pentucket 36-7 isn't necessarily an embarrassment. In fact the Indians played the Sachems evenly for a while last week, holding them to a scoreless first half and only 42 yards rushing. The roof fell in on Amesbury in the third quarter when Jeff Porter scored a pair of TD's and the Sachems added two more scores on a pick six and blocked punt.

Sheehan's view
Triton head coach Pat Sheehan had an up close and personal look at the Indians when his Vikings opened the season against them three weeks ago. I asked him for his take on the Indians.

"They have some work to do, but there are definitely some pieces in place that can make them a contender in the CAL Baker," Sheehan said. "Pat Scanlon is one of the best receivers in the league. He's tall, rangy and has great hands."

The Vikes' coach also likes what he saw of Indian running back Ryan Foley. Gearin must also see something in Foley as the junior began to get the majority of the workload against Pentucket.

Sheehan is also impressed with sophomore quarterback Jared Dupere. "He can play. He's still learning the position and the offense, but he can run and throw the ball. He will be better every time out."

"They run a 3-4 defense now and are back to the old Wing T," Sheehan went on. "If they can stay together and keep positive through some lumps in the early going, they will be much better in games later in the year."

Linebackers Travis Motsis and Spencer Fournier lead a defense that has shown flashes.

The Pioneers and Indians played some great games in recent years with both teams staging comebacks for dramatics wins. Lynnfield has had the better of it recently, winning six straight from the Indians including a 41-7 victory last year.

As Weidman pointed out in my Villager article, the only guaranteed way to get into the playoffs is to win the league. For the Pioneers, that starts Friday night. Every game from here on out is crucial if the Pioneers want to be playing meaningful games in November.

Let the Baker games begin.

Game time at Landry Field is 7 pm.