Sachems suffer another crushing late-game defeat

  The Saugus Sachems entered this week’s action still searching for that elusive first victory. They have come excruciatingly close to entering the win column twice, and last Thursday night’s 15-14, heartbreaking football defeat at Greater Lawrence Tech was about as close as a team could come without winning.

  The Sachems held a 14-7 lead into the final minute. But the host Reggies, who accumulated more than 400 yards of total offense, drove for the game-winning touchdown. They scored as time expired. Saugus still held a 14-13 edge that didn’t last long, as Greater Lawrence, which improved to 2-7, bowled in for the two-point conversion and the victory.

  The contest was tied 7-7 at the half before Saugus quarterback Sean O’Rourke found his favorite target Drew Gardiner on a 40-plus yard scoring pass in the third quarter. The extra-point kick gave the Sachems a 14-7 lead. It stayed that way until the final play.

  The Greater Lawrence loss was hauntingly similar to Saugus’s late-game setback at Salem back on Oct. 7. In that contest, the Sachems owned a 6-0 lead until the Witches tallied twice in the final three minutes to steal it. The clinching touchdown came on a 90-yard interception return when the Sachems appeared to be driving for the potential game-winning score.

  Grabbing a win in fall 2021 will now be a major challenge for Saugus. The 0-9 Sachems took on the 7-2 East Boston Jets at Christie Serino Jr. Stadium on Thursday night (after press deadline). Against common opponent Winthrop this season, the Jets emerged victorious 22-14 while Saugus was blanked by a 22-0 margin against the Vikings.

  The Sachems end the season with the annual Thanksgiving Day battle against Peabody on Nov. 25. The Tanners were 5-4 overall entering this week’s action.