The Masconomet Chieftains continue their reign with a dominant Northeast Conference (NEC) win over the Danvers Falcons on senior night, 35-7.
Coming off a big win against Peabody, Danvers was Masco’s second NEC matchup. It was a must-win game if Masco wanted to win the division.
Masco’s star junior running Jack Fabiano wasted zero time finding his second home, the endzone. He scored Masco’s first touchdown of the game from 2 yards out in the first quarter and then scored again in the third on a 35-yard burst right up the middle. Fabiano was the game leader in total yards, taking 12 carries for 102 yards on the ground and catching one pass for 19 yards, giving him 121 total yards on the night. This was Fabiano’s fourth straight game cracking 100 yards and 5th this season, as he went into this game leading the Northshore in carries, yards, and points while also ranking 3rd in Massachusetts for points scored.
The Chieftain defense was suffocating tonight, never allowing Danvers to get anything going. Danvers ran a wing T offense with extra linemen and up-the-middle running the entire game. Sophomore quarterback Nate Wise only threw the ball seven times completing two passes for 17 yards and two interceptions.
“Our defense getting ready for that offense did a tremendous job and played fantastic,” said head coach Patrick Sheehan.
On the Falcons’ first possession, they tried to catch Masco off-guard by throwing the ball, but junior outside linebacker Ryan Richardson put himself in a fantastic position to come up with an interception, setting up Fabiano’s touchdown. The second interception came in the second quarter when Richardson batted a pass and junior linebacker Connor Mitchell made a diving catch giving Masco possession.
“We were a team full of gritty players tonight. That’s a tough offense to play against and our defense went out there hitting them over and over again,” said Richardson. “We are going into next week feeling good but not too good about ourselves. We still have to practice super hard and come to work.”
Richardson was outstanding on both sides of the ball Friday night. Defensively, he came up with big hits all night adding on his first interception of the year. He then had 66 total yards on offense with a 12-yard rush and 3 catches for 54 yards while recording his first varsity touchdown from 24 yards out.
“That feeling was great. Awesome crowd to play in front of and a home game, nothing better,” he said.
The quarterback play from junior Drew Gustafson Friday night was sensational to watch. His throws looked very fluid and he was calm and poised in the pocket, while also using his legs to extend plays when needed. Offensive coordinator Neil Weidman did a nice job calling plays catering to Gustafson’s strengths. All season, Gustafson has had excellent decision-making on the read-options with Fabiano, and it was no different on Friday.
“It was a great game overall tonight. Guys like Ryan [Richardson] and Jack [Fabiano] made huge plays and everyone played great, putting it all together and getting the win,” said Gustafson.
Just when a play looked doomed, Gustafon scrambled out of pocket to his left and dove for the pylon for the nine-yard touchdown run in the middle of the second quarter.
“This was our best offensive output; we were dynamic tonight. That starts with our quarterback who had his best game in a Masco uniform. The way he works and his demeanor is awesome and is only going to improve,” said Sheehan.
Possibly the most awesome play of the game came at the end of the third quarter when junior linebacker Alex Cantalupo flew in and blocked the Falcons’ punt. It was then scooped up by junior linebacker Achilleas Koutoulas and returned 40 yards to the house, electrifying the Chieftain crowd. This was Koutoulas’s first career touchdown and he couldn’t have been more grateful as he told Cantalupo, “Breakfast on me tomorrow.”
“It was super electric. This was my first career touchdown and I just ran as hard and fast as I could with my brothers in arms around me,” said Koutoulas.
The only thing that went well for Danvers in this game was extra point and field goal blocking, which is a very valuable and underrated aspect of the game. The Falcons were able to fly in and twice block the kick of junior Nicco Cefalo. After some adjustments at halftime, the Chieftains cleaned up their special teams and Cefalo hit two extra points in the second half.
The Masco seniors played an awesome game and have stepped up in countless ways this season. Senior linebacker Arbri Halilaj and senior defensive linemen Cash Kornusky, Mike McNamee, and Chas Kelly brought the boom defensively. Seniors Kaden Mason and Jackson McGee have opened up holes the entire year on the offensive line and senior Devin O’Brien had two nice catches against Danvers. On the last play from scrimmage, a cool play occurred when senior Robby Connelly scooped up a fumble for Masco.
“Tonight was fun. There is only a one-year shelf life for a football program and the seniors have really put their best foot forward,” said Sheehan.
The unsung heroes of Masco football this season are these offensive linemen protecting their quarterback and helping Fabiano find lanes to run. Juniors Nino Stefanelli, Evan Velardo, and Cam Bucchieree have done exceptionally well alongside Mason and Magee.
The Chieftains have another NEC matchup on October 19 against a struggling Beverly Panthers team on their brand-new field at seven.