BEVERLY ― The Swampscott football team hasn’t been in many close games to this point in the season, but the Big Blue got a dose of that this weekend.
After trailing by two scores midway through the second quarter, Swampscott rallied back to score 13 unanswered points and eventually hold on to take home a 13-12 win over Beverly in a Northeastern Conference bout at Hurd Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The key play was the very last one of the game, when senior Xaviah Bascon broke through the line and blocked what would have been the go-ahead field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter.
“It was great to see that our guys can play a full 48-minute game, because we haven’t been in too many close ones this year,” said Swampscott offensive coordinator Robert Serino. “Everyone did their jobs on both sides of the ball just like we preached all week, and we grinded out a win.”
Bascon was also the offensive leader for the Big Blue, rushing for 146 yards and a touchdown. Senior receiver Cole Hamernick led the team in receiving with seven receptions for 70 yards, while junior receiver Elijah Burns had a 34-yard touchdown reception.
But one of the other key players in Swampscott’s win was junior quarterback Zack Ryan, who filled in for injured starter Cam O’Brien and completed 16-of-21 passes for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first career varsity start.
“This was his first varsity start, and when we put him behind the offensive line that we have, it just gave him all the confidence in the world,” Serino said of Ryan. “He kept his composure the entire game and was an entirely different kid out there. He was great against a very good Beverly defense.”
It was a sluggish start to the game for the Big Blue, who put together solid drives on their first two possessions but suffered from mistakes that stalled each one out.
The first quarter ended in a scoreless tie, but Beverly got on the board quickly in the second when Jordan Irvine punched one in from three yards out to make it 6-0.
A bad miscommunication on a passing route led to a Ryan interception, and Beverly capitalized quickly after quarterback Pierce Heim hit Zach Sparkman on a 51-yard pass to get into the red zone. Three plays later, Andre Sullivan rushed for a five-yard touchdown to put the Panthers up 12-0.
But then things started to click for Swampscott. The ensuing kickoff put the Big Blue in possession of the ball at the 50-yard line, and six plays later Swampscott was in the end zone. The scoring play came when Ryan hit Burns on a quick screen and Burns turned the corner and raced 34 yards to make it 12-7.
The score gave some momentum to the Big Blue defense, which forced and recovered a fumble on the next Beverly drive to get the ball back with 1:12 to go in the half. Ryan looked like a veteran quarterback from there, completing several key passes to set the Big Blue up inside the 10-yard line before Bascon rushed one in from five yards out to give Swampscott a 13-12 lead at the half.
The second half was a true slugfest, but in the end Beverly found itself with a chance to win the game on a fourth-and-one from the five-yard line with three seconds left. Drew Fowler came out to kick the 22-yard field goal, but Bascon broke through the line and blocked the kick to seal the win for the Big Blue.
Swampscott (7-0) will close out the regular season Friday night (7) against Masconomet at Blocksidge Field.
“Having this game was huge for our guys, and we know we’re going to be tested again next week against a tough Masconomet team,” said Serino. “We love these kinds of games, and we’re looking forward to going out there next week.”
