The coach assured me there would be no let down for this game, but the loss the week before was so emotional I honestly didn't believe him. I was wrong.
MINUTEMEN ROUT LOWELL; PREPARE FOR ST. JOHN’S
LOWELL, MA. November 4, 2016. Some people were concerned that the Lexington High football team might have trouble overcoming the disappointment of last week’s emotional early exit from the play-offs. Coach George Peterson was not one of them. “I refuse to let these kids feel sorry for themselves,” he said during the week of practice leading up to their meeting with Lowell High last Friday night.
Feelings of sorrow would have been better expressed for the Red Raiders. Peterson’s potent offense, showing no signs of malaise, lit up the scoreboard at Cawley Memorial Stadium in a 61 – 41 rout.
With a lead they built to 34 points early in the second half, the Minutemen cruised to the win piloted by the customarily superb junior quarterback Sal Frelick who was 14 of 20 passing for a whopping 371 yards and his sophomore receiver Anthony Bianchi who grabbed 6 aerials for 209 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Frelick’s performance was all the more remarkable given that he was still hampered by various injuries and not able to run normally
“Can’t say enough about him,” Peterson commented. “He’s thrown now for 28 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions. That’s amazing for a high school quarterback. “
Frelick’s receivers provided highlights as well.
Bianchi got himself open with some precise route running and dazzling YAC (yards after catch). On Lexington’s last score of the first half Frelick pump faked down the middle then turned to hit Bianchi on the left sideline at the Lowell 30. As two defenders converged, Bianchi moved toward the sideline, then quickly cut back to the inside to leave them grasping at air and sprinted untouched for the final 30 yards to give the Minutemen a comfortable 40 -13 lead at the half.
Earlier in the half junior running back Ben Quint turned a perfectly executed inside screen pass from Frelick into a weaving 60-yard touchdown saving the Minutemen from a 3rd and 27 hole.
And junior wide out James Lane made another over the shoulder circus catch with a defender right on him on a 50-yard throw from Frelick that set up Lexington’s second touchdown.
Senior flanker Spencer Kendall got in the act as well with a 40-yard touchdown catch and run plus two interceptions on defense, one of them a leaping, one-handed grab.
The Minuteman defense, despite giving up 41 points, contributed in a big way with senior Henry Potdevin alertly recovering a fumble in mid air and returning it 15 yards for a touchdown and junior corner Clay Stocker scooping up a fumble at the 8 and quickly converting it to another 6 points.
Lexington’s last touchdown, set up by Kendall’s second interception at the Lowell 36, came after an 8-play drive. Sophomore running back Tristan Quander carried four times on the drive and finished it by charging up the middle from 7 yards out.
According to Coach Peterson this win was important to the Lexington football program earning them a meeting with one of the big Massachusetts high school football “brands,” the St. John’s Prep Eagles, Saturday at noon in Danvers.
Anticipating the match-up Peterson exclaimed, “This is just what we wanted. A really good, well coached team. A challenge to measure ourselves by.”
“A lot of people don’t think we’ve beaten anybody,” he continued. “Our guys take that personally. It just adds fuel to our fire. We’re really looking forward to this opportunity.”
St. John’s is only 35 minutes from Lexington and a great place to start, or continue, to build your own football brand.