Dillon, L-S start strong
After coming within a few minutes of a state title a season ago, Lincoln-Sudbury got going in the right direction at home against an athletically gifted Springfield Central squad.
Senior captain James Dillon led the L-S charge, running for 141 yards on 24 carries and all five scores in a 35-7 victory for the Warriors at Myers Field in Sudbury last night.
“In our minds, we are the best (team) in the state,” Dillon said. “We knew we were coming up against a really good team. We just tried to make as big of a statement as we could to show them that we are the best team in the state.”
In the first half, the senior captain had 12 carries for 76 yards and three scores. His third came with 14.7 seconds left in the half on a fourth-and-1 play from the 2-yard line to make it 21-0.
Dillon scored his first from 13 yards out to cap a 10-play, 45-yard drive with 3:37 left in the first. After a Dillon sack for a loss of 9 yards that led to a Springfield Central (0-1) punt, the senior captain scored from 7 yards out as L-S (10) took 4:49 off the clock with the drive. He also scored a 1-yard TD in each of the third and fourth quarters.
“We have a senior team,” said Warriors coach Tom Lopez. “We have 31 seniors, including nine seniors starting. Football is all about repetition and we thought our guys had all the repetition they needed in the 11 or 12 games last year. The experience made all the difference.”
Dual-threat senior captain Braden O’Connell finished 5-of-8 passing for 57 yards and 47 yards on the ground for L-S.
The defense also had its dominant game going as it allowed just 26 yards from scrimmage and just one first down which came with 3:17 to go in the fourth quarter. Milind Lele and Andrew Cahill accounted for the two Warriors interceptions.
The Golden Eagles lone score came on a 75-yard kickoff return for Cqari Bacote to made it 21-7 as the halftime buzzer sounded.
In other football action last night:
In his first varsity football game, Herald basketball All-Scholastic Jalen Echeverria scored three touchdowns and ran for 122 yards to lead St. Mary’s to a 30-12 win over Millis. George Freeman had 115 yards and a touchdown as the Spartans ended the Mohawks’ 12-game winning streak.
Mark Barrett ran for one score and threw for another as Brookline defeated Roxbury Charter, 14-0 . . . . Tyler Reid ran for 203 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries as Needham knocked off Natick, 20-16.
Kevin Peete bowled his way through defenders for three touchdowns on the ground, as Melrose (1-0) got its season rolling with a 40-6 rout of Malden . . . . Pete Marino led the attack with 127 yards rushing, and Andrew Sullivan punched in the gamewinning touchdown in the final moments as Wilmington (1-0) edged Shawsheen, 10-7.
Christos Argyropoulos and Seth Russell each scored two touchdowns and Deshawn Chase added a defensive score as Stoneham rolled over Archbishop Williams, 40-13.
Tim Cronin rushed for 178 yards and four touchdowns as Marblehead erupted for a 55-0 win over Triton.
Ryan Kelleher hit Luke D’Aloia for two scores, breaking the school record for career passing touchdowns while finishing 10-of-15 for 183 yards, as Hopkinton (1-0) shut out Wayland, 20-0 . . . . After a slow start, Christian Gemelli threw for one score and ran for another in the second quarter to help Concord-Carlisle pull off a 20-19 comeback win over Oliver Ames.
Matthew Petercuskie threw for three touchdowns, including a pair to Conner Baldasaro, as Barnstable defeated Dennis-Yarmouth, 20-13 . . . . Cameron Rowell scored the gamesealing touchdown with 1:41 left in regulation as Falmouth (1-0) rallied from a 16-point second half deficit to top Bishop Feehan, 2216 . ... Justin Lopes totaled three touchdowns, throwing for one and running for two more, as Bishop Stang defeated Seekonk, 42-22.
Luke Maffeo threw three touchdown passes as O’Bryant defeated Boston Latin, 24-8. Anthony Francis caught a touchdown pass and also returned an interception 33 yards for the final score . ... Richard Scott had two interceptions, eight tackles and five pass deflections as Brighton defeated South Boston, 14-8.
Ian Miller threw a pair of touchdown passes to Xavier Gonsalves and added a short TD run as Mashpee extended its winning streak to 21 with a 36-7 victory over Nantucket. Miller also threw three two-point conversion passes in the victory.
Trevor MacDonald threw a pair of touchdowns as Hull defeated Blue Hills, 21-8 . . . . Aidan Sullivan threw for 230 yards and three scores as Scituate knocked off Norwell, 34-14.
Will Garcia ran for 130 yards and four touchdowns as Old Rochester (1-0) defeated Wareham, 42-0.
John McCormick had eight carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns, helping drive Martha’s Vineyard (1-0) to a 55-0 drubbing of Atlantis Charter.
Mange Camara had a 60yard touchdown run, a 60yard touchdown reception and also returned a kick 88 yards for a third score as Watertown opened the season with a 27-18 win over Arlington Catholic.