Lavanchy sparks BSU win
Sometimes being consistently good can be consistently under-appreciated. In some ways, that has been the case with Bridgewater State wide receiver Jack Lavanchy, who has been so good for so long that his superb play is often taken for granted and usually falls below the radar.
NEW ENGLAND FOOTBALL
Not so this past Saturday as the 6-foot-2 Lavanchy sparked the host Bears to a convincing 21-7 win over
Mass. Martime to capture the 40th annual Cranberry Bowl at Swenson Field. The victory enabled Bridgewater (7-3, 6-2 MASCAC) to reclaim the coveted “Scoop” Trophy. BSU leads, 29-10-1 in Cranberry match-ups.
Lavanchy hauled in five catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He also booted 3 extra points and was named winner of the Lee Harrington Award as game Most Valuable Player.
“Coming into it, we kind of wanted revenge for last season when they kind of took it to us. We wanted to take back the “Scoop” to where we feel it rightfully belongs,’’ said Lavanchy.
“I try to play with a chip on my shoulder and use that to my advantage, as motivation,’’ said Lavanchy, who starred at Walpole High.
Lavanchy finished his 3-year career with program marks of 216 receptions and 2,851 yards. His 122 yards against MMA helped him eclipse the career yardage mark of 2,765 by Matt Green (2011-2014). He also scored 27 touchdowns (No. 4) in 30 career games. His younger brother, Brett, is a freshman quarterback at Bridgewater. Their dad, Gene, is a popular sports broadcaster.
Jumbos on a roll
Elsewhere, Tufts (7-2) became only the sixth Jumbos edition since 1960 to register at least seven wins with a 35-13 win at Middlebury. Senior Ryan McDonald went 25-of-31 for 262 yards and 5 TDs, tying the all-time mark for single-game TDs. He also reached 33 career touchdown passes to snap Dave Piermarini’s mark by one. McDonald’s 17 TD aerials in 2018 erased Anthony Fucillo of Winthrop’s singleseason mark of 16 (2010). McDonald’s efforts earned him NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week.
The NESCAC weekly top defensive player honor went to Hamilton senior end Alex Ganter of Lynnfield, who posted a career-high nine tackles (7 solo), recovered a fumble, broke up a pass and blocked a PAT attempt in a 38-13 win at Bates. Trinity
(8-1) and Amherst (8-1) tied atop the final NESCAC league standings but the Bantams claim a third straight crown by virtue of a 27-16 win over the Mammoths on Nov. 3.
Fitchburg State senior Sterlin Garvin of Canton had a career day with 296 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a 32-29 upset of
UMass-Dartmouth. Corsairs sophomore Stephen Gacioch tied Jay Furtado’s mark for career passing yards of 2,298 in the loss.
Sophomore Jake Smith came off the bench for Harvard and threw a pair of touchdowns in a 29-7 win over Penn at Franklin Field. Smith replaced a banged-up senior Tom Stewart.
Plans are in the work for paralyzed sophomore Ben Abercrombie to attend this week’s Harvard-Yale game at Fenway Park providing he can travel.