Turnovers haunt Saugus in 28–0 loss to Lynnfield

By Dom Nicastro

The Saugus High football team’s offensive frustrations continued Thursday afternoon in the consolation round opener, as the Sachems fell 28–0 to visiting Lynnfield. It was Saugus’ third straight shutout, dropping the team to 1–8 on the season. Turnovers proved costly from the outset. Each time the Sachems appeared to find a rhythm, mistakes halted progress and handed the ball back to a quick and opportunistic Lynnfield squad.

“This past Thursday was turnovers,” said Saugus Head Coach Steve Cummings. “We ended most possessions with turnovers on the ground. We’re not taking care of it. Against a good team like Lynnfield that’s got good team speed, you’re not going to get away with making mistakes like that. We’ve got to take better care of the ball. It’s really hard to finish drives when the ball’s on the ground.”

The Sachems reached the red zone twice but came away empty both times. Running backs Chris Mazin and Ryan Shea contributed tough yards, and receiver Jordan Rodriguez hauled in two impressive catches, but every promising series seemed to end the same way — with a fumble or penalty that pushed the team backward.

“There were some good things,” Cummings said. “Chris Mazin had some great runs. We got inside the red zone twice, but then as soon as we get in there, we put the ball on the ground, and it’s kind of overshadowing some of the good things that guys are doing. Ryan Shea played really well Thursday. He was able to pick up some tough yards. Jordan Rodriguez had a fantastic game, made two unbelievable catches. But we’re just not doing enough around it to make it translate into points.”

Despite the recent scoring drought — Saugus hasn’t reached the end zone since Oct. 17 — the coaching staff has seen progress from some of its younger players, particularly on defense. “We have some young guys that have been stepping up,” Cummings said. “We got guys like Isaiah Santiago, a freshman who came in and had some solid reps at middle linebacker. He’s working himself into the mix.”

Senior captain Nathan Santos has emerged as a leader in the middle of the defense. “He’s really come into his own this year,” Cummings said. “He’s making great reads, getting downhill, setting the defensive front up for us. We knew losing Cody Munafo last year was going to be tough, and Nate’s done a really good job of picking up the slack on that.”

Saugus will travel to East Boston on Friday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. to face the Jets (1–8), another team searching for momentum after three straight losses. East Boston’s lone win came Oct. 10 against O’Bryant, 30–8.

“They’re a Wing-T team,” Cummings said. “We don’t have a lot of common opponents, so it’s kind of hard to tell. I know we played them a couple of years ago, and they came over here and they were a lot bigger than we thought they were on film. We know we’re going to get tough, hard-nosed football. We just have to match intensity and execute.”

The Sachems came out of the Lynnfield game “relatively healthy,” Cummings said, with no major injuries heading into the final stretch.

Saugus closes the year with the East Boston road trip before taking a week off and finishing the season on Thanksgiving Day at Peabody.