Sainristil leads way as Everett dominates

TOPSFIELD — The scoreboard at frozen Roberts Field never did thaw out, but the smile on the face of Everett’s Mike Sainristil afterward told all you needed to know about how this one went for Everett. The Michigan commit rushed for a pair of scores and spearheaded a shutout effort on defense as Everett coasted to a 32-0 win over Masconomet in the third Thanksgiving meeting between the two schools. Dressed in “two layers of everything,” Sainristil (14 rushes, 65 yards, 2 TDs) teamed with backfieldmate Isaac Seide (10 rushes, 81 yards, 2 TDs) to control the clock against a very game Masconomet defense. “This is the coldest game I have ever played in,” said Sainristil, who may encounter similar conditions the next four years in Ann Arbor. “The field was really icy and I couldn’t plant so I just tried to run downhill.” The victory helped partially wipe out the bitter taste for the top seed in Div. 1 North, who were upset by Central Catholic in the semis. “After the loss to Central I challenged them,” said firstyear Everett coach Theluxon Pierre. “I told them that we could pack it in now or that we could finish the season the way we started.” On the frozen turf in Topsfield, the Crimson Tide chose the latter. After recovering a fumble on the first play of the game, Sainristil busted 10 yards up the middle on the next play and Adrian Mercado added the PAT (no small feat on this day that saw gusts up to 20 MPH) to give the Tide all the points they needed. A bad Masconomet snap on the next possession left Everett with a very short field, and when Seide found the edge from 18 yards out, Everett was in command, 14-0. A four-yard rush up the middle by Sainristil made it 20-0 at the half. After a scoreless third, Seide broke a pair of tackles on the sideline and rumbled in from 35 yards out. Everett sophomore QB Dillon Doherty (44 yards passing) closed out the scoring from six yards out. Despite being heavy underdogs, Masconomet (4-7) never embraced the part. Senior captain Jay Theriault (34 yards) ran hard all day and fellow seniors Nick Mangino and captain Bryce Wronski were around the ball all morning on defense.