WAKEFIELD – With a roster filled with freshmen and sophomores, Northeast Regional coach Don Heres is aware of he’s lucky to have senior working again Chris Zullo. And on Saturday, Zullo had a season opener for the report books.
Zullo rushed for 311 yards and 5 touchdowns on 24 carries, whereas additionally including a pair of conversion runs, because the Golden Knights piled up 513 yards of offense and 20 first downs en path to a 62-35 win over Lowell Catholic.
The rating is a little bit deceiving. It was solely a two-point recreation (30-28) early within the third quarter earlier than Northeast turned on the jets and pulled away.
“Chris is a three-year starter for us and he is just the heart and soul of our team,” Heres stated. “He’s been an all-star and has all the intangibles you look for. He represents what our team and school want to be.”
Lowell Catholic discovered itself in a two-touchdown gap earlier than even having an opportunity to run an offensive play.
The Golden Knights took the opening kick and drove 65 yards in simply seven performs with Zullo’s first scoring run and Devin Nieves’ conversion rush making it 8-0. Moments later, Nieves’ kickoff was misplayed and Northeast was proper again on offense within the purple zone.
Three performs later, Sam Lacombe (15 carries, 70 yards) plowed in from the one after which added the two-point conversion to make it 16-0 and the observe meet was on.
A brief kick following Lacombe’s rating gave Lowell Catholic good subject place and the Crusaders wasted little time changing. Quarterback Dylan Eld (10-of-18, 236 yards, 4 TD) hit Aidan Virella for 23 yards after which discovered him once more for a leaping seize in the long run zone to chop the lead in half.
Northeast swiftly answered as Zullo raced 35 yards for a rating on the primary play of the second quarte. It didn’t final lengthy, nonetheless, as Eld and Shawn Nherisson related on a superbly executed out-and-up for a 34-yard landing on a 3rd down play to shave the result in 24-14.
Northeast’s floor assault, nonetheless, was practically unstoppable as Nieves capped a seven-play march with a 39-yard sprint off the left aspect to make it 30-14 with 3:44 left within the half.
Suddenly in want of a momentum-stemming rating, Lowell Catholic acquired it in a flash as Eld and Nherisson hit on one other double transfer route, this one accounting for 65 yards to chop the result in 30-20.
A 27-yard strike to Virella (6 catches, 100 yards, 2 TD) was adopted by a 37-yard completion and one other massive acquire to Virella that put the Crusaders on the doorstep of the top zone. Eld capped the environment friendly 80-yard drive with a one-yard sneak that lower the result in 30-28 with tons of time left.
A failed onside kick gave the Golden Knights the ball on the Lowell Catholic 48 and so they proceeded to eat away on the clock, taking up six minutes to succeed in the top zone. Nieves did the honors with a four-yard sweep round left finish to make it 38-28 late within the third.
On the subsequent collection, the Golden Knights protection rose up and put the shackles on Lowell Catholic’s offense to drive a punt. They did so once more on the finish of the third quarter following a turnover.
Zullo added an 87-yard TJ jaunt down the suitable sideline and a 17-yard scoring scamper to place the sport away.
“We are trying to rebuild the culture here after what’s happened the last couple of years,” Heres stated. “But these kids are all hard workers and they show up every day ready to play.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com