GRAND OPENING. LEXINGTON TROUNCES BROCKTON 42-28.
Lexington, MA. 9/9/17. Led by senior co-captains running back Ben Quint and quarterback Sal Frelick, the Lexington High football team launched its ’17 season with a powerful display of offense and solid defense in a convincing 42-28 trouncing of perennial division one power Brockton at Harold Crumb Field last Saturday afternoon.
Lexington coach George Peterson dug deep into his varied playbook immediately. The Minutemen’s first play was an improbable flea flicker off a backwards pass in the right flat. It failed, but it sent a message about what was in store for Brockton on this day.
In a portentous opening 13-play drive Lexington never ran the same play twice. Quint ran for 25 yards on just two carries. Frelick ran for 21 and passed four times for 40 yards, the last one a 7-yard look-in connection with junior receiver Tony Bianchi for the touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.
In the early going the Boxer defense seemed to have no idea what was coming and were shocked particularly by Quint. Quint, who had been sidelined for the entire pre-season with a nagging hamstring injury, appeared to have healed. In his first four touches he ran for an astonishing 105 yards and two touchdowns sparking the Minutemen to what would be an insurmountable 28-0 lead with 5:33 left in the first half.
The crafty Peterson said, “We were very purposely mixing it up. We were very vanilla in our two scrimmages. Very vanilla.” (Lexington shared video of those scrimmages with Brockton and Quint was on the shelf for both of them.)
He continued, “We wanted to show up and shock the heck out of them with multiple formations and plays. The strategy worked. It was a good effort from our kids. Real good.”
The trio of Frelick, Bianchi and Quint discouraged Brockton with their production on third and long situations converting on no less than five of them; twice for touchdowns. On the most important of these Lexington was leading 21-0 and looking to put the game away early (6:00 left in the first half) but faced a third down and goal from the Brockton 19.
Peterson called for an inside screen pass-the first time it was used that day-that Frelick, Quint and the offensive line executed perfectly. Frelick appeared to be in trouble as he lured the big Brockton defensive front into his backfield then looped a short screen pass over them to Quint. Quint then submitted a brilliant spinning run breaking multiple tackles on his way to the end zone and the 28-0 lead.
Although mired in a 28-7 hole at the end of three, the Boxers did not go quietly and opened the fourth with a 19 yard touchdown pass from multi-talented senior quarterback Junior Monteiro (244 yards passing and 3 TD’s) to his massive tight end senior Dimitri Dorinvil who bowled over several Minutemen on his way to the end zone bringing Brockton to 28-14.
But Frelick answered quickly on Lexington’s next possession, finishing an 86-yard drive by faking to Quint up the middle, keeping and sweeping around the left side for a 22 yard touchdown to push the lead back to three scores.
To their credit, Brockton still wasn’t done. A pass interference penalty on the Minutemen saved another scoring drive and thanks to a freakish onside kick, the Boxers scored again to close within 7 at 35-28 but with only 1:28 left.
Again, Frelick responded emphatically for the Minutemen. Surely, Lexington would simply run out the clock, but Frelick took a direct snap on Lexington’s first play of their last possession, ran straight up the middle, found himself with a bit of space in the secondary and, in a blink, disappeared on a 57 yard touchdown jaunt that closed the door on the Boxers for good.
A smiling Peterson said, “Sal is an explosion waiting to happen back there. He goes from nothing, to full gear 4.4 speed in an instant.”
Statistically, it was a huge day for several of the Minutemen as they racked up over 500 yards of total offense. Frelick started where he left off last year, running for 200 yards and two touchdowns on fifteen carries and passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 17 completions in 24 attempts.
Quint ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on just ten carries along with two receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Grabbing ten of Frelick’s deliveries for 119 yards and a touchdown, the sure-handed Bianchi was the prime target. His receptions included a great grab of a 40-yard pass from Frelick, fully stretched out between two Boxer defenders to keep Lexington’s third touchdown drive alive.
But this win wasn’t solely about offense. Lexington’s defensive front sparked by senior co-captain Will Thomas and senior Sean Sullivan contained Brockton’s interior running game, and blitzing linebackers senior co-captain Jimmy Lane and junior Max Stevens created havoc in Brockton’s backfield.
Indeed, the game ended fittingly with Stevens sacking the elusive Monteiro on the final two plays.
“I thought we played really well defensively,” Peterson said. “Overall I was really pleased with the defense.”
So, the opening game scheduling strategy has worked for the Minutemen. “Iron sharpens iron so to play the way we did against a really good team builds our confidence. Now we’ve gotta come down to earth on Monday and get ready for Concord-Carlisle,” Peterson concluded.
The Minutemen visit the Patriots next Friday night at 7 in a re-match of last year’s exciting 35-34, Lexington win.