L-S can't contain Connolly in season-opening loss to Tewksbury

Sean Connolly lead his team on both sides of the ball.

At quarterback and safety, the senior was able to lead Tewksbury to a 28-17 road win over Lincoln-Sudbury on Friday night. Connolly had three passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and an interception in the game.

"We scouted him last week and we knew he was pretty good," said L-S head coach Thomas Lopez. "We have good football players, too."

The Redmen were able to control the clock early. On a drive that took up over six minutes, Tewksbury was able to move the ball down the field and score on a pass to senior Ryan Viber.

"It was huge to get an early lead," said Tewksbury head coach Brian Alyward." "Since they have such big lineman, if they get up on you they are very tough. Then they can just grind the clock out."

Despite a strong kick return by senior Marc Pace, the Warriors failed to convert on their first set of downs. With a rushing attack led by senior halfback Anthony Arcari and Connolly, the Redmen were able to move downfield for a second passing touchdown midway through the second quarter.

"The kids executed some great plays," said Alyward. "(Connolly) showed some savvy and poise."

After two unsuccessful drives halted by an interception and penalties, senior quarterback Matt Cahill was able to move the ball to the 16-yard line. A field goal with two seconds left would send the warriors into halftime down 14-3.

"We threw the ball pretty well," said Lopez. "I thought we would be stronger defensively."

The Warriors were able to move the ball in the first half, but could not score at the same consistency as Tewksbury.

A 44-yard drive capped off with a touchdown pass by Cahill would give L-S its first touchdown and cut its deficit to 14-10 with 8:06 left in the third.

"We came out of halftime with a lot of intensity," said Cahill. "The offensive line played great all night. They did a great job of picking up blitzes. The wide receivers ran hard routes."

The Redmen would respond with two touchdowns. Two fourth-down conversions by Connolly late in the fourth quarter were crucial for Tewksbury, as the Redmen were able to score the second touchdown for a 28-10 lead.

"I did not want to kick off again," said Alyward about the fourth-down attempts. "I do not think they had a kickoff where they did not return it to midfield. I also did not want to kick a field goal because we had not tried it from farther out."

Despite a late rushing touchdown by sophomore Brian Carroll and an onside recovery, the Warriors were unable to even the score. Cahill would end the day with one touchdown and two interceptions.

"We've got to step up, play as a team and look towards next week," said Cahill. "We still have a shot at the DCL. We are looking forward to next week and we will definitely put in a better effort next week."

L-S will play Marshfield at home next Thursday.

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