LYNN — Despite a slow start Friday night, the No. 1 Tech football team stuck to its plan and grinded out a 34-0 win over No. 8 Matignon in the Division 8 North quarterfinal at Manning Field. The score was 0-0 until midway through the second quarter, but the Tigers turned on the offense as the game wore on.
“I want to give a lot of credit to Matignon for coming out and playing a great game and showing why they belong in the playoffs,” said Tech coach James Runner. “It was anyone’s game after the first quarter and we were struggling to execute. But as the game went on, we were able to make some simple adjustments to get going in the right direction. I’m proud of how the guys continued to fight.”
Quarterback Luis Pineiro led Tech’s offense, completing 10-of-17 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for one touchdown. Haidar Bdaiwi (104 rushing yards, one touchdown) and Gabino Melendez (30 rushing yards, one touchdown) controlled the game on the ground, while Miguel Soto (two receptions, 34 yards, two touchdowns) and Carlos Mateo (four receptions for 50 yards) got the job done through the air.
The first points weren’t scored until there were just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. After some sloppy play in the early stages that included a lost fumble, Tech’s defense forced a fumble of its own and got the ball back deep in Matignon territory. Six plays later, Pineiro punched in a 1-yard quarterback sneak to make it a 6-0 Tigers lead.
Tech quickly forced another three-and-out to get the ball right back, and the Tigers took advantage again. After another six-play drive, Bdaiwi broke free for a 37-yard touchdown run to put Tech up 12-0. The Tigers then forced yet another three-and-out, and Pineiro made the most of the opportunity by connecting with Soto for a 20-yard touchdown pass to give Tech a 20-0 lead at halftime.
The Tigers didn’t score again until there were less than three minutes to go in the third quarter, when Pineiro once again found Soto for a touchdown — this time on a 14-yard connection. After Tech earned another two points on a safety to make it 28-0, the Tigers rounded out the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run from Melendez with just over five minutes left.
Next up for Tech (6-2) is a semifinal matchup against either No. 4 Keefe Tech or No. 5 Boston English next weekend (TBA). Keefe Tech and Boston English play their quarterfinal matchup Saturday (11) in Framingham.
The Tigers are familiar with both teams through watching common opponents, so Runner knows it will be a tough test.
“We’ve gotten a look at both teams and know we’ll be in for a fight,” Runner said. “We’ve just got to go out and have another great week of practice and try to continue to execute at a high level.”