by Tom Condardo
You've often heard me moan about the Pioneers' struggles against Newburyport, but a lesser known pain in the tailbone pad for Lynnfield has been Ipswich. The Pioneers have beaten the Tigers eight straight times going back to 2007, but it wasn't always so. In fact, Ipswich is the only other Cape Ann
When legendary Ipswich coach Jack Welch, the namesake of the field on which the Pioneers and Tigers will tangle on Friday night, was in charge, life was much different for the Lynnfield gridders. Welch was on the opposite sideline for all 26 of those Tiger wins and the neither Ted Flaherty or Greg Brotheron, the coaches that followed Welch as Ipswich head man, have been able to notch a win against the Pioneers. New Tiger coach Kevin Fessette will try to snap that string Friday night.
Lynnfield wasn't alone when it came to losing to Welch who compiled a 224-132-6 record in his 47 years as Tiger head coach. Despite almost always leading the school with the smallest enrollment, his teams earned eight league titles and five state championships. He was named coach of the year six times.
Welch's squads enjoyed particular success against Lynnfield from 1965-1977 when they took seven of the nine meetings and from 1988 to 2006 when they won 11 of 12 games between the schools. Winning at Ipswich had also been a chore for the Pioneers prior to this latest streak. They'd won only six times in Ipswich in 19 trips North prior to 2007.
Regardless of where they played, one thing you could be sure of: Welch would trot out his Delware
When Flaherty took over in 2011, he continued to run the Wing T, but in 2013 Brotherton switched the Tigers offense to a spread. Fessette has brought Ipswich back closer to its roots by installing a triple option, flexbone offense that once again focuses on the ground game. The wrinkle is that they're not afraid to throw out of it, so you can't just pack the box and forget about the pass.
Jake Long is at the controls and the quarterback scored both Tiger touchdowns in their 14-12 win over Hamilton-Wenham last week. With his first victory under his belt, Fessette finds his team tied with the Pioneers for first place in the Baker division, and a chance to knock off the three time defending league champs.
One of the Tigers' key weapons, running back Charlie Gillis, left the H-W game after sustaining an injury on defense. His availability for Friday night isn't known. Alex Morris is a favorite target for Long.
The Tigers fell to North Reading 27-14 in the opener with the Hornets gashing the Ipswich defense for nearly 300 yards on the ground. The Tigers hung with Newburyport before falling 21-7 in their second game of the year.
Coach's Take
I spoke with Generals' assistant coach Ed Melanson for his take on the Tigers.
"They've improved each week which is all a coach can ask for," Melanson told me. "They like to run behind (senior lineman Jared Perley). They have some nice backs in (Long) and (Gillis). The rest of their line is very young but good sized and will be very good in time.
"They run some unusual formations like eight men on the line, some unbalanced things so I'm sure Lynnfield will be looking for that," he concluded.
The forecast calls for windy conditions with temps in the 40"s and a 25% chance of rain. Bundle up. Game time in Ipswich is 7 pm.
That't it for now. Check back Sunday night for my Leftovers post.
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