Lynn English coaches and players celebrate after its rain-soaked, overtime win over Revere. Item Photo by Katie Morrison
By Katie Morrison
LYNN — It was wet, it was wild, and in the end, the Lynn English football team came away with its first win of the season.
Quarterback Matt Severance hooked up with Jake Miller in the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown pass in the Bulldogs’ first overtime drive. Severance added the two-point conversion on a QB keeper. That’d prove to be the difference, as the Bulldogs squashed the Vikings’ two-point conversion try after a Winthrop touchdown, hanging on for a 27-25 overtime win.
The Bulldogs came up with two huge defensive stops during Winthrop’s final two drives of regulation to keep the Vikings from tying the game on a two-point conversion in overtime.
“Talk about an emotional rollercoaster,” said English coach Chris Carroll, dripping wet after the skies opened up in the fourth quarter, adding another element to the then-tied game. “The kids battled, we turned the ball over, we had penalties, and Winthrop played a great game. It was a hard-fought game. They’re a well-coached team. I’m very proud of my kids.”
Both teams’ offenses were clicking in the first half, and Winthrop jumped out to an early lead. Jon Gonzalez, who was a major playmaker for the Vikings in the first half, ran for 74 yards on Winthrop’s first offensive play of the game. Quarterback Chris Zuffante punched it in from 11 yards out for a touchdown on the next play.
The Bulldogs responded with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Severance to Prince Brown, but the momentum quickly swung back to Winthrop, as Gonzalez returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to put Winthrop back on top, 13-6.
If Gonzalez was the playmaker for Winthrop early on, it was the combination of Severance and Brown for English. The two connected again early in the second quarter on a 64-yard touchdown pass, and a two-point conversion knotted the game at 13.
The Bulldogs had their offense gelling, but squandered chances for more with penalties.
“Reminiscent of the first game against Swampscott, we shot ourselves in the foot with penalties,” Carroll said. “Big plays and then penalties.”
The Vikings marched down the field and Zuffante found the endzone on a two-yard run. English responded with a long drive of its own, ending with Severance rushing four yards for a touchdown, sending the game into the half tied at 19.
The score would stay that way for the entire second half. Neither team could get much offense going, with Winthrop controlling the clock for much of the half.
That would culminate in a lengthy drive just as the downpour began. The Vikings marched all the way to English’s seven yard-line. A huge stop by the English defense pushed the Vikings back to the 14, and after an incomplete pass with .4 seconds left, Winthrop elected to go for the field goal.
Calvin Tufa’s kick clanged off the goalpost, giving English new life.
English had trouble finding the endzone in their first drive of overtime, but were matched by the Vikings, as Zuffante logged a two-yard touchdown run. That set the stage for the Rams’ big defensive stop, as the Vikings tried to run in for the two-point conversion and were denied at the goal line.
The wild victory for English leaves Winthrop still searching for its first win.
“I like the way our team competed today,” Winthrop coach Sean Driscoll said. “We gave up some big plays on defense. It’s disappointing to lose, but we competed better than we did in the last two weeks. I think we’ll spring forward and get some momentum for next week when we start league play against Salem.”