MINUTEMEN MARCH ON
Lexington, MA. 9/22/17. In what had the feeling of a heavyweight title fight the two football monsters of the Middlesex League, 7th ranked Lexington and 9th ranked Reading traded haymakers in Lexington Friday night with the quicker of the two, Lexington, emerging with an impressive 41-21 win.
A delighted Lexington coach George Peterson called his team’s performance, “as complete a game we’ve played since I’ve been here.”
There was a crowd-pleasing symmetry to this game.
“They run plays that we run, and we were seeing why we have success with it. They’re really hard to stop,” said Peterson.
And a trio of players from each team did most of the damage.
Minuteman senior quarterback Sal Frelick and his receiver and cornerback on defense junior Tony Bianchi delivered the early body blows for Lexington. Frelick ran 16 times for 185 yards and seemed a threat to go the distance literally every time. His 85-yard explosion down the left sideline in the second quarter took the Minutemen to their first two-touchdown spread at 21-7.
He was sprung on that run by a crunching block from Bianchi on the left corner. Bianchi also turned the game around early sacking Rocket workhorse running back senior Jack Geiger for a 6 yard loss on a key 4th and 1 at the Lexington 11 yard-line to snuff out a promising Reading drive that would have put the visitors up by a touchdown.
Bianchi finished with 7 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown, none more spectacular than a fully stretched out fingertip grab of a 33-yard Frelick bomb to set up Lexington’s fourth score.
But it was Minuteman running back Ben Quint who delivered the knock-out blows.
The resilient Rockets behind quarterback Matt Panacapolous (117 yards and 3 touchdowns on 16 carries) and Geiger had just closed, again, to one touchdown at 28-21 with plenty of time, 10:22 left.
With the entire Reading defense intent on containing Frelick, Quint took a hand-off at the Reading 38, burst straight up the middle, cut to the left sideline and into the end zone stretching the Lexington lead back to 34-21.
On Reading’s ensuing possession facing third and 8 at the Lexington 45, Panacopolous dropped back, was pressured by Minuteman senior Sean Sullivan (as he was most of the night when attempting to pass) and forced the ball downfield where none other than Quint made a diving interception.
The senior co-captain then finished off the Rockets and his night’s work taking a pitch from Frelick, sprinting around the left side for 61 yards and the game’s final touchdown.
Peterson gushed, “Quint’s a phenomenal talent for us and such a weapon because everybody keys on Sal. His two big touchdown runs…and that interception were huge for us.”
Until Quint’s heroics, each time Lexington ran out to two score leads, Reading came back.
Behind 21-7 with just 2:54 left in the first half Panacopolous and Geiger (dangerous all night with 27 carries for 133 yards), accounted for all the yardage in a quick 7-play, 85 yard march with Panacopolous scoring right up the heart of the Minuteman defense from 15 yards out.
The Rocket duo did it again after falling behind 28-14, this time grinding out an 18 play 70 yard drive capped by another Panacopolous scoring run of 7 yards to close to 28 – 21 early in the 4th quarter, but that’s as close as they would get. The drive was saved twice on desperate 4th down conversions by the resourceful Rocket quarterback, once on a sneak and again with a 9-yard completion to junior receiver John DiMare on 4th and 8 at the Minuteman 41.
Reading coach John Fiori said, “Matt made some nice reads. We’ve got some things we can build on, but congratulations to Lexington. They played great. I wish them luck the rest of the way.”
In addition to his work on the ground Frelick was efficient in the air going 9 of 11 for 134 yards and a touchdown. Quint carried 8 times for 113 yards and 2 scores.
Senior end Noah Monzillo scored Lexington’s opening touchdown when Bianchi had the ball knocked loose at the two-yard line and Monzillo alertly recovered in the end zone.