RallyNorth.net

Clippers nip Georgetown in thriller

Friday, November, 14 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

NEWBURYPORT — Newburyport sophomore Andrew Sokol earned some redemption last night to throw the Cape Ann League Small division up for grabs.
Burned on an 83-yard Georgetown TD pass, from Joe Esposito to Anthony Conte on the first play of the game, Sokol made a marvelous 39-yard scoring catch in traffic with 1:02 to play, and then clinched the victory with an interception in the closing seconds to provide a heart-stopping 27-26 victory.
The win puts Newburyport (5-5, 5-0) in the driver’s seat in the CAL Small. It can clinch the title with a Thanksgiving win at Amesbury. The Indians (8-1, 3-1) can throw the division into a three-way tie with Georgetown (9-1, 4-1) if it beats the Clippers.
“I feel good for Sokol,” said Newburyport coach Ed Gaudiano, a resident of Methuen. “He was kicking himself after falling on that first play, but I told him that he had to keep his head up, that we were going to need him later.”
Kyle LeBlanc kicked three extra points for the Clippers, and that ultimately made the one-point difference. Esposito narrowly missed one extra-point kick and another was foiled when a high snap necessitated a desperation pass that was intercepted.
“This is what high school football is all about,” said Georgetown coach Matt Bouchard. “Our kids played their hearts out, and we had opportunities to win, but I give them credit.”
The Royals held a 26-20 lead and had the ball and a four downs with 3:20 to play, but they failed to gain a first down. Then, after Georgetown buckled down on defense and forced a fouth-and-9, Clancy threw deep into the end zone to Sokol, who snuck between two defenders to make the grab.
“If we had just gotten one first down, it probably would have been the game, but we just couldn’t get it,” said Bouchard.
Until then, both teams moved the ball effectively for more than three quarters in what was an impressive offensive display.
Following the Esposito to Conte bomb to open the game, Newburyport scored on two TD passes from Joe Clancy (14-25-2, 288 yards) to Kyle LeBlanc, but the Royals scored twice more, on a 9-yard pass to Conte and a 39-yard burst by Jaymie Spears to grab a 20-13 halftime lead.
A 61-yard heave from Clancy to LeBlanc on the second play of the second half tied the score, but an 8-yard pass from Esposito to Spears late in the third quarter gave Georgetown the lead until the final minute of the game.
Esposito finished with 85 yards rushing and 139 yards passing to go over 1,000 yards in both rushing (1,082) and passing (1,054) for the second year in a row, while Spears enjoyed a fine overall game with 76 yards rushing on six carries, two receptions for 33  yards and an interception.
For Newburyport, Clancy now has 21 touchdown passes, which leads Eastern Mass. in Division 3A, and LeBlanc has 14 TD receptions and 101 points.
“I can’t remember a game with so many playmakers,” said Gaudiano. “They’re a great offensive team and I was saying during the week that we’d need to score 28 points to win the game.”