Bernabei and D’Augusta are the pioneers of power after North Reading

NORTH READING – It may have gotten a little too close for comfort in the final stages, but the Lynnfield Pioneers (9-2) had just enough in the tank to survive a furious fourth-quarter rally by North Reading and leave with a Thanksgiving. Rainy road win on Days 43-36 at Arthur J. Kenney Field.

After Spencer D’Augusta climbed up the middle to make it 43-22, Lynnfield appeared to be in control, but the Hornets had other ideas. Gavin Brady exploded on the ensuing kickoff, blasting his way 88 yards into the end zone to make it 43-29 with 4:42 left.

North Reading recovered an onside kick at the Lynnfield 47 and advanced to the 36 on the next play. Jared Bernabei appeared to restore order with an interception, but a Pioneer fumble returned the ball straight to North Reading at the Lynnfield 35. A play later, quarterback Jason Berry executed a chip-flicker to Antonio Ricca to make it a one score match. , 43-36, four minutes from the end.

Lynnfield’s Will Mandile was in the right place at the right time, recovering the onside kick, but it wasn’t sure until Bernabei put the game in the books with a minute left after recovering 5 yards for a first try, allowing the Pioneers who are running out of time.

While Lynnfield is known for its passing game, head coach Pat Lamusta flipped the script in this one – and it worked.

Bernabei (176 yards on 20 carries) was a wrecking crew on the ground, scoring four touchdowns. He threw a defensive interception for good measure. D’Augusta wasn’t too bad either. He ran for 112 yards on nine carries.

Simply put, the Hornets couldn’t stop the Pioneers’ running game.

“Those two and our entire running game were phenomenal today,” Lamusta said. “They were motivated and stuck to the game plan and the offensive line was great. I can’t say enough about how the kids responded and how hard they worked to win this game.

Bernabei said it all depends on the offensive line.

“I give all the credit to these guys,” he said. “They had an incredible game – the best game of the season. We ran an incredible running game and really put on a great show. It was pretty close, but we went back to how we were practicing and sticking to what works. We all believe that when you train hard, you play hard, and that’s what we did today.

It didn’t start well for Lynnfield. North Reading took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Berry to Brady.

Tyler Adamo responded with a 7-yard run to make it a 7-7 game with 4:19 left in the quarter after Massimo LoGrasso (7-for-7 PAT) made the extra point. A 55-yard bubble pass from Berry to Gavin regained North Reading’s lead at 14-7.

But the rest of the half belonged to Lynnfield. Jesse Dorman joined the party with a pick in the end zone. Lynnfield needed just a few minutes to put together an 80-yard drive, capped by Bernabei’s 5-yard touchdown run, with the big plays being a 32-yard run by Bernabei and a 40-yard Adamo-to-Dorman strike. . D’Augusta added the 2-point conversion to send Lynnfield into halftime with a 22-14 lead.

The Pioneers picked up where they left off in the third, driving 63 yards in 12 plays. A big play on the drive was a 15-yard completion from Adamo (9-for-11, 130 yards) to Madux Iovinelli (3 receptions, 58 yards), allowing Iovinelli to set a new mark for receiving yards in a single season (872). ).

Bernabei finished the drive with a 5-yard run to increase the lead to 29-14. Touchdowns from Bernabei (31-yard run) and D’Augusta (50-yard run) completed Lynnfield’s scoring.

Lamusta had a lot to say about his elders.

“The seniors have contributed to the success of this team,” Lamusta said. “On and off the field. Captains like Walter Radulski and Iain McCarthy, who might not have been in the stats column every week, were key leaders on the offensive line and defensive backfield, respectively. It’s young men like Walter and Iain who glue it all together and move this thing forward.

The victory was the third straight Turkey Day victory for Lynnfield, which now boasts a 37-29 advantage dating back to 1959.