Coffey, Generals take charge
W-H shutout Pugh’s 200th career win
HAMILTON — There is a long tradition of hard-nosed football at Hamilton-Wenham. No one would know that better than coach Jim Pugh. The longtime skipper earned his 200th career victory yesterday when the Generals shut out Austin Prep 21-0 in the first round of the Division 6 North tournament at Hamilton-Wenham High School. “It means you’ve been around a long time,” Pugh said. “It feels good, but more importantly, it was a playoff win . . . . It was a tough playoff football, we have a long tradition here of playing hard-nosed Generals football and that showed again today.” Second-seeded HamiltonWenham (6-2) allowed just 109 yards of total offense to No. 7 Austin Prep (4-4). The Generals forced two turnovers in the first half, including a fumble recovered by Peter Schibli, setting up H-W in AP territory. From the Austin Prep 44, the Generals ran five plays, capped by a 5-yard touchdown run up the gut of the Cougars defense by Ian Coffey, to give Hamilton-Wenham a 7-0 lead. “The defense caused a couple of key turnovers early in the game,” Coffey said. “The offense was able to capitalize but the defense was huge giving us good field position and also putting a zero up on the board.” In the third quarter, Hamilton-Wenham generated a nine-play drive covering 52 yards, and Coffey (11 carries, 60 yards) raced 9 yards to the end zone to make it 13-0. Coffey, who also hauled in three catches for 50 yards, added insurance in the final frame, rushing to the outside for a 14-yard score, before a two-point play made it 21-0. Said Pugh of his junior running back: “The kid is just an unbelievable athlete.” Hamilton-Wenham, which advances to the Div. 6 North semifinal for the second consecutive season, will play the Northeast Regional vs. Ipswich winner. “It’s a good way to gather some momentum and we need to make sure it carries over through the whole tournament,” Coffey said. “It feels great especially because it’s coach’s 200th win.”