In a Northeast Conference matchup between two gritty teams, Masco came out with a dominant and defining win over the Danvers Falcons last Friday, 43–7.
Despite what records may show and scores may indicate, Masco was far superior to Danvers.
With local papers doubting the Chieftains heading into the game, the players knew beforehand that they wanted to make a statement — and Masco sure left their mark. By halftime, the Chieftains had totaled 353 yards of offense with five touchdowns, while defensively holding Danvers scoreless.
Star senior workhorse Jack Fabiano recorded his fifth hat trick in six games — four of those coming in the first half alone — as he took 20 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns, along with three catches for 53 yards. Fabiano is on pace for a historic season, averaging nearly three touchdowns per game, but the craziest part is that in four out of six games, he hasn’t played more than a drive into the third quarter.
Offensively, every player was clicking, and that started with the chief of this Chieftain offense — senior quarterback Drew Gustafson. Gustafson has been among the very best starting quarterbacks on the North Shore. He had another phenomenal game, hitting 16 of 22 passes for 270 yards and three touchdown passes.
Gustafson found three different receivers for touchdowns, including strikes to senior receivers Cal Weidman and Liam Ginley, and one to Cal’s younger brother, sophomore Trip Weidman, for his first career touchdown.
“Scoring my first touchdown felt amazing. It was a special moment for me,” said T. Weidman. “On the play, I had a hitch, so I wasn’t expecting to score given we were so far out, but when I caught it, there was a lot of open space. I made a few guys miss and ended up scoring.”
Trip has now recorded over 40 receiving yards in back-to-back games, getting himself involved in the passing game thanks to his sticky hands. He has also been a starter at defensive back for the Chieftains and is an excellent tackler.
“It’s been great so far to have these opportunities, and I’ve had so much help and support from my teammates and coaches,” said T. Weidman. “They’ve made it a lot easier for me to handle the responsibilities I’ve been given, and I’m happy I can contribute to the team.”
As good as the skill players were on Friday night, the offensive line deserves just as much credit. After being out since Week 1 with a bruised rib and a collapsed lung, the return of senior captain Nino Stefanelli to the lineup was huge.
“It felt amazing to be back out there with my guys. I’m truly blessed to be able to suit up again and go to war in the trenches with them,” said Stefanelli. “More than anything, I’m just grateful I can be on the field and do whatever the team needs from me to succeed. To be part of that win against a tough Danvers team was special, and it reminded me how much I love being with this group.”
Stefanelli is among the hardest-working players Masco has, and that’s evident through his leadership as a two-year captain.
“It definitely wasn’t a one-man job. Every single lineman stepped up and did their part,” said Stefanelli. “On the defensive side especially, guys sacrificed themselves every snap so our linebackers could fly around and make plays. We worked as one unit, and that’s what made the difference. Everyone contributed in a big way, and that’s what helped us come out on top.”
Everyone talks about the firepower of this Chieftain offense, but sparks flew on the defensive side of the ball as well.
For the second time this season, Masco used a defensive scheme called root-hogging due to Danvers running a peculiar offense — the double wing-T — where there are rarely any passes. The scheme is effective with a good offensive line. Root-hogging is when the defensive linemen dive forward onto the ground, creating massive piles at the line of scrimmage. Chieftain head coach Patrick Sheehan had his guys prepared and ready to go, and the result in this game was much better than against Billerica, which runs the same offense.
“We played a physical brand of Masco football,” said Sheehan. “I mean, of course, we’re talented, but I thought the defense really stepped up tonight. Linebackers played great, like the always-consistent [senior] Connor Mitchell. [Senior] Alexander Canalupo did a great job on the edge. [Senior] Achi Koutoulas played his best game, setting the edge — and those are the kinds of things that don’t show up in the stat sheet. [Juniors] Andrew Kelly and Jack Engel did a great job, and we played 11-man football on defense tonight. We were complementary in all three phases. I thought our special teams did a great job, and I’m really proud of the guys.”
Another interesting strategy implemented by Sheehan and his staff was the use of onside kicks. Masco started the game with multiple onside kicks before eventually mixing in a squib kick, but still refusing to kick it deep. This strategy was due to the fact that, because of the double wing-T, Danvers only runs the ball and abides by the phrase “three yards and a cloud of dust.” This means they use all their downs and try to burn as much clock as possible by running the ball down the defense’s throat. With the onside kicks giving Danvers a short field, they were unable to chew the clock in their usual way and were forced into a shootout with the Chieftain offense.
“Danvers likes to chew up time on offense, and every second that the ball’s not in our offense’s hands is difficult,” said Sheehan. “They’d want to chew up a whole quarter and keep our offense off the field. Danvers is a good team, and that offense has moved the ball on everyone they’ve played so far this year. If we weren’t able to stop them, we didn’t want them chewing up the whole time — and we were willing to get in a shootout.”
The Chieftains now look ahead to their third straight league game against Beverly. For only the second time this season, Masco gets to play on grass at home in front of what should be a roaring crowd, with a 6:30 kickoff.
Masconomet (5-1);13;23;7;0;43
Danvers (4-2);0;0;0;7;7
Scoring summary
M — Jack Fabiano 1 run (Nicco Cefalo kick)
M — Liam Ginley 27 pass from Drew Gustafson (pass failed)
M — Fabiano 3 run (Alex Cantalupo pass from Cal Weidman)
M — Fabiano 3 run (Fabiano rush)
M — Trip Weidman 26 pass from Gustafson (Cefalo kick)
M — Cal Weidman 17 pass from Gustafson (Cefalo kick)
D — Zach Fultz 1 run (Colby Medeiros kick)
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Masconomet — Jack Fabiano 20-123, Alex Cantalupo 4-43, Tyler Durgin 5-21, Drew Gustafson 2-(-4)
Danvers — Zach Fultz 14-69, Jack Houston 16-55, Kaoi Borghardt 4-15, Nate Wise 4-1.
PASSING: Masconomet — Gustafson 16-22-270-3-0;
Danvers — Fultz 1-1-2-0-0, Wise 0-2-0-0-0.
RECEIVING: Masconomet — Cal Weidman 9-112, Trip Weidman 3-63, Fabiano 3-53, Ginley 1-27;
Danvers — Ethan Schweitzer 1-2.