by Tom Condardo
The wandering Pioneers head out on the road again this week for their fourth away game of the season and their sixth in a row stretching back to the Watertown game last season. They've now played seven of their last 10 games on the road and have actually done fine out there going 6-1 in those contests. In fact, the Pioneers have done quite well on the road during head coach Neal Weidman's tenure posting a 21-13 record away from Lynnfield.
Looking at the numbers, I started to wonder if it even mattered where the Pioneers played. Since there isn't a Seattle or Kansas City in the CAL Baker, the crowd noise isn't really a factor on the road. The other perks of home field is not having to bus to the games and being able to practice on your home field, neither of which is the case with the Pioneers. Sure they get to stuff the opposing team into the woods at the Middle School at halftime, but the little cement shed they crowded themselves into can hardly be classified as much of an advantage.
Taking that all into consideration, I began to doubt that the Pioneers really had any kind of a home field advantage. But since I'm only an ink-stained wretch, I decided to actually get feedback from folks who would actually know. So I reached out to some former Pioneer captains to get their take on the subject.
The responses were mixed. Here are the comments from those who've been there.
Matt Kramich (Captain 2013): "I'd say yes I felt a big difference between playing at home and away. At our home games there were always students along the end zone to cheer us on. Also, we had been playing on the same field since third grade, so by the time we were in high school, it really felt like our home field."
Zac Talis (Captain 2006): "I wouldn't say there is a big difference in high school football as far as home field advantage. However, playing at home for me, you play with a little extra chip on your shoulder. There is nothing better than playing home in front of all your friends, family, and especially the town."
Pat Lamusta (Captain 2007, current Assistant Coach): "History would say that I/we liked playing at home better as most players do. For me, I loved away games because you are forced to have somewhat of an "underdog" mentality, even if you and your team are at the top of your league. I elevated my game when I felt the other team had an advantage--in this case---home field advantage. Newburyport and Amesbury are great places to play because of the atmosphere. They draw a large crowd, and you definitely feel like "your back is against the wall," and you must perform or else."
Jason Kimball (Captain 1994) & Luke Kimball (Captain 2001): I agree with what you're saying because we played at the Middle School versus the high school as well. The pluses were as follows: Playing at home meant girlfriends and friends could watch you, but you still had to take the bus from the high school to the Middle School. I just asked Luke and he said while on offense facing the Perry Ave side of the field, he said it felt like he was going up a slight hill."
Kevin Condardo (Captain 2000): "I think absolutely it was an advantage to play at home. You're comfortable playing there and you get a boost of "we must protect this house!" and "they're not going to come to our town and push us around!" Also, while there's a chance you might have some friends come to a game in town, almost no teenager is going to travel - so you might actually have some people from school there that you want to look good in front of. You also know exactly what the rhythm is going to be since you've done it so many times before, and not having to think about variables allows you to think about the game at hand.
Kevin Condardo (Captain 2000): "I think absolutely it was an advantage to play at home. You're comfortable playing there and you get a boost of "we must protect this house!" and "they're not going to come to our town and push us around!" Also, while there's a chance you might have some friends come to a game in town, almost no teenager is going to travel - so you might actually have some people from school there that you want to look good in front of. You also know exactly what the rhythm is going to be since you've done it so many times before, and not having to think about variables allows you to think about the game at hand.
"And just because we didn't practice at the Middle School didn't mean we thought less of it...in fact, I held it in higher regard because it WASN'T the practice field - it was the GAME field. There was no mistaking it was game time when you took that long walk from the parking lot into the woods.
"When you travel, you have to deal with whatever garbage other schools are going to throw at you (they may have bigger crowds, annoying announcers, etc.), and you also have to spend up to 45 minutes in full pads sitting quietly on a school bus to get there...kind of takes the wind out of your sails."
Okay, so what do I know. In any event this will all change once the new stadium is up and running. The Pioneers will be able to roll out of the high school and play on a brand new turf field. That should definitely give them a home field advantage.
Hornets Await
But not for another week. The Pioneers must board the buses for another trip, this time to Manchester to face the Hornets. Technically, we're not going to Manchester. Hyland Field is officially located in Manchester-by-the-Sea. For those who may think that a bit pretentious, here's a blog post defending the name change that occured 25 years ago.
The Hornets have struggled thus far this season having lost their first three games to Northeast (30-0), Greater Lawrence (22-6) and last week's stunning last second loss to Georgetown 14-13. Leading 14-6, M/E failed to punch in what would have been a game-clinching touchdown then allowed the Royals to march the length of the field to score with nine seconds left. Georgetown's new coach Justin Spurr rolled the dice and went for the win and was able to convert the two pointer.
M/E looked to have a solid offense coming into the year with an experienced quarterback in Craig Carter and returning running backs Chris Carr and Jack Hennigan. That hasn't been the case in large part do to a spate of injuries that have taken a toll on the already thin Hornets. Carter and Henigan were out against Georgetown as were receiver Nick DiPietro and defensive end Teddy Economo. M/E coach Mike Athans had to plug the holes with freshmen, never a good solution. It's not clear who will be available to face the Pioneers.
The Pioneers have won the last two against the Hornets including last year's 42-0 whitewash at the Middle School field. Lynnfield has never lost at Hyland Field since helping to christen the new facility in 2010.
Game time in Manchester-by-the-Sea is 7 pm.
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