Football Sachems fall in rain-soaked defensive battle to Lynn Tech, 3-0

By Dom Nicastro

In a game that felt like a throwback to old-school football, Saugus High School dropped a 3-0 heartbreaker to Lynn Tech on Thursday night, Sept. 26, at home. Despite controlling much of the game, the Sachems couldn’t cash in on scoring opportunities, allowing Lynn Tech to sneak away with a win on a late field goal. The loss brought Saugus to 1-2 on the season.

“Every opportunity we had to, just, you know, shoot ourselves in the foot, we did it,” said Saugus Head Coach Steve Cummings. “We outgained them by a lot of time of possession. Every time we had an opportunity to make a play, we put it on the ground, or we just couldn’t put that last bit together. We let them hang around. The field goal they kicked was the only time they were in our territory all night.”

Despite the rain-soaked conditions, Saugus was able to move the ball at key moments. Late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Jordan Rodriguez hit Ryan Shea on a crucial 27-yard pass, moving the ball into Lynn Tech territory with just under two minutes left. However, Saugus couldn’t convert on the opportunity, sealing its fate.

Turnovers also played a factor in the game. “We just didn’t do ourselves any favors,” Cummings said. “You can’t turn the ball over six times and expect to win a football game.”

The wet conditions were a factor, but Cummings didn’t want to use the weather as an excuse for his team’s struggles. “When it’s raining, the ball gets a little slick, but there were times when we didn’t take care of it,” he said. “We were sloppy with our exchanges. We had some snaps that went awry. We didn’t take care of the ball when we were in the open field. It was just a microcosm of a bunch of stuff. Definitely a frustrating night.”

The game wasn’t without its bright spots. On defense, Saugus was solid, holding Lynn Tech out of the end zone for the entire game. Cummings credited defensive coordinator Greg Bluestein. Cody Munafo, playing middle linebacker, and defensive ends Paxton Ferraro and Jay Arnett led a strong effort at defensive end, with Arnett delivering a key tackle for loss late in the third quarter to force a punt.

“Cody was obviously very big for us playing middle linebacker,” Cummings said. “Paxton Ferraro and Jay Arnett at the ends were tremendous. Ryan Shea at the safety position came down and made some big tackles.”

In the first half, Saugus drove deep into Lynn Tech territory but came up short on a key drive. “We took our first drive down inside the 10,” Cummings said. “But we didn’t cash in.”

While the loss was tough, Cummings noted that close games like these can sometimes help a young team learn valuable lessons. “We’re 1-2 right now, but we’re a couple of snaps away from being 3-0,” he said. “If we were 3-0 right now, would we be having this long, hard look at ourselves, at where we have to improve? Or would we think that we’re better than we really are? You know, as much as you want to win, sometimes you learn a little bit more from a close loss like that. It can have some really good long-term benefits, and that’s what we’re hoping to have from this time.”

Next up for Saugus is a challenging Northeastern Conference matchup against Winthrop on Friday, Oct. 4, at 6:30 p.m. “Coach Cad [Jonathan Cadigan] does a great job over there,” said Cummings. “They’ve had a lot of success with some deep playoff runs. We know what we’re going to get. The NEC doesn’t have any weeks off. Our goal coming into the year was to hang a banner for a league title, so we’ve got four weeks to make that happen.”