Knights have huge day

WAKEFIELD – No matter the pouring rain, the chilling winds or the giant mud pit that spread over a large chunk of its home field – it seemed nothing would slow down the Northeast Regional football team yesterday morning. Behind an up-and-down rushing attack that saw running back Zach Sanderson finish with 175 yards and three touchdowns, the No. 3 Knights overcame tough weather conditions to oust No. 6 Ipswich, 30-8, in a Div. 6 North quarterfinal. The Tigers couldn’t quite handle the muddy conditions as well with three fumbles and just four plays over 10 yards, and Northeast took advantage with a score following two of those turnovers. The Knights move on to face No. 2 Hamilton-Wenham on the road Saturday at 2 p.m. Head coach Donald Heres was proud of his boys to help Northeast move on, but admitted this was the kind of football his team thrives in. “Our offense, the type of offense we run, it gets better in this type of weather,” he said. “This is what we’re made of. (Playing on tough field conditions) is what we do. We embrace this. … That team has never played on a grass field, let alone a mud field. That definitely plays into our advantage.” The team certainly enjoyed it, with the majority of them using the field as a slip-and-slide after the game. “This was probably the best game of my life, it was so fun,” Sanderson said. “I’m excited. I’m excited because last year we didn’t even make the playoffs, now we’re moving on to the second round.” Around the start of the game, it looked as if Ipswich had an upper hand. Following a Tigers drive that saw a few good rushes before fizzling out with a punt, Ipswich forced Northeast to a turnover on downs on four plays. The Tigers picked up 12 quick yards to get into Northeast territory thereafter, but then a fumble on a muffed snap eventually led to a 39-yard touchdown run from Sanderson for an 8-0 lead. That tone seemed to carry throughout the game, aside from an 83-yard touchdown run in the first quarter from Cole Terry for Ipswich. Sanderson, Connor Joseph and Sean O’Brien would pick up between one and four yards on several consecutive carries, but an Ipswich miscue or a big block would set up a long run and a score. Sanderson benefitted the most with four runs of 20-plus yards. Joseph picked up the only touchdown that didn’t belong to Sanderson, as he gave the Knights a 14-6 lead in the second quarter on a 5-yard run up the middle. Sanderson added the insurance scores in the second half with a 22-yard touchdown in the third quarter and an 11-yard touchdown in the fourth. “Once (the offensive line) started pushing, I saw it and hit the hole,” Sanderson said. The defense played a large role, clogging up the middle to shut down any Ipswich offense between the tackles. And two of the three fumbles it recovered led to Northeast’s first two touchdowns of the game. Aside from Terry’s 108 rushing yards, no Tiger had much of a big game. “Last three weeks, we’ve given up one touchdown,” Heres said. “(Ipswich) is a good football team … For us to shut it down, we’re doing the right things.”