by Tom Condardo
I suppose Pioneer head coach Neal Weidman could have come up with a tougher start to the season than with back to back battles against last year's top two teams in the CAL Kinney (i.e. Large) in Pentucket and Newburport.
In fact, he tried.
When Saugus abruptly withdrew from the Cape Ann League and cancelled its game with Lynnfield, Weidman had a scheduling hole to fill.
"I called Belmont and Concord-Carlisle to try and set up a game," Weidman told me. "I didn't even get a call back from Belmont and Concord Carlisle said no."
That would be the same Concord Carlisle who finished 8-3 last year, topped the Division 3 Northwest Playoff Standings and made it to the division semi-finals before falling to Woburn 17-14.
"They said it just wouldn't benefit them," said Weidman. "They're a division above us and if they lose they get no points for it. And if they beat us and we lose games they lose a ton of points. They said 'no thanks.'"
So much for easing into the 2014 season.
Pentucket preview video from the Lawrence Eagle Tribune
Renewed acquaintances
It's not like the Pioneers and Sachems are strangers. The teams met 31 straight times from 1973, when both joined the CAL, until 2003. The Pioneers dominated the early years of the rivalry when Lynnfield was an annual contender and Pentucket was a new regional school. The Pioneers went 12-2-1 for the first half of the series.
However in the late 80's as LHS began to shrink and PRHS continued to grow, the series turned. From 1988 to 2003, the Sachems took 12 of 16 meetings between the schools - the final six in a row by a combined score of 172-53. The matchup was discontinued in 2004 when the smaller CAL teams were allowed to pass on playing the larger schools.
Pentucket took two more games in 2006 and 2007 followed by another break. The teams met in 2011 and 2012 and the Pioneers won both of those contests. In all, the series stands at 18-16-1.
Confident Group
When you watch the video above from the Lawrence Eagle Tribune you can tell that the Sachems are a confident bunch and they should be. Pentucket is always in the hunt and the players that go through there know what is expected of them and they expect it of themselves. That's why they are a dangerous opponent for the Pioneers.
The Sachems were hit hard by graduation and will feature a young team. Their offensive and defensive lines will be as green as their uniforms with three sophomores starting in the trenches. They're strong and experienced in the back two layers with all leaguer John Wesolowski and sophomore Pat Freiermuth at linebacker and four year starter/all leaguer Jeff Porter and Andrew Noyes at defensive back.
They suffered a serious blow even before practices began. With quarterback Ryan Kuchar graduating, head coach Steve Hayden had groomed senior Pat Beaton to run his Wing T offense. Unfortunately, Beaton tore up his knee in a charity basketball tournament before the season so it's expected that Freiermuth, who has never played quarterback before, will be at the controls. A converted tight end, Freiermuth is 6'4 205 and played a significant role in the Sachems' championship run last year.
Mano a Mano a Mano a Mano
The game within the game features an interesting sidelight between the Pioneers' receivers and Pentucket's defensive backs where four seniors will battle it out. Lynnfield wideout captains Jon Knee and Cam Rondeau will face off against Porter and Noyes in what should be a knock down, drag out fight. That's a tough matchup for the Pioneer passing game right out of the gate and they may try to avoid that confrontation and try their running game to take advantage of what could be mismatch in the trenches.
Dean of the CAL Coaches
The game Saturday will feature a meeting between last seaon's two CAL coaches of the year. Weidman took the Baker League honors and Hayden, who took over in 1982, won the Kinney Coach of the Year award. He comes into the game with 191-148-2 mark with an outside shot at topping the 200 win mark this year.
This will also be a matchup between two teams expected to make noise in the Division 4 North playoffs. Boston Herald High School guru Danny Ventura has pegged the Pioneers as the top team in the division to start the season and he has Pentucket ranked seventh.
The Pioneers are starting a week earlier than they did last season, and the short prep time is a blessing and a curse. They have one less week to prepare but so do Hayden and the Sachems.
"They're in the same boat," says Weidman. "They have the same number of practices. We have a few things to clean up but they're in the same situation."
You can be sure Pentucket will be a much different team in week six or seven then they will be Saturday so it's best to get them early. There's no doubt Hayden will have his team ready to roll and the Pioneers will have to ready.
"We expect the Wing T and we expect them to run it well," summed up Weidman. "Whatever they do they'll run it well."
Game time in West Newbury is 1 pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment