RallyNorth.net

High five for Bunnell; Sachems squash Lawrence

Saturday, October, 06 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

A quick defensive lapse, followed by a third-and-three hook-and-ladder pass gone berserk had Lawrence trailing 13-0 and on the back pedal. Pentucket pounder Nate Bunnell took care of the rest, rolling up 225 yards and five touchdowns on just 20 carries to power the Sachems past the sinking Lancers, 41-12. "Once we got the lead, that was big," said Bunnell, who now has 16 TDs on the year. "After that, I guess I was seeing things pretty well. There was a lot of room to run out there, and I hit the right holes at the right times." Pentucket stuck to its basic plan, running out of the wing-T set with Bunnell battering the Lancers, who simply wore out.

In the end, the Sachems outrushed Lawrence 381-40.

Lawrence quarterback Ramon Heredia feasted at times down the field, clicking on 19 of 30 passes for 246 passing yards, but for every reward, there seemed to be a price paid.

Heredia took a back-breaking 19-yard sack (Matt Fiore) to squelch one drive and then there was the errant lateral on the gimmick attempt that Sachem Justin Bolla scooped up. Finally, there was Heredia's lone interception.

All three Lancer mistakes were followed by Pentucket TD drives, capped by Bunnell banging into the end zone. The senior scored on runs of 72, 15, 2, 1 and 30 yards.

Pentucket's only non-Bunnell touchdown came with 5:20 to play in the game. Starting QB Jordan Silva heaved a 51-yard bomb to Bolla, making it 41-12.

Lawrence sophomore Devin Montanez continued to run hard with limited opportunities, carrying eight times for 55 yards and a score. The Lancer receivers put on an acrobatic show on the deep balls with juniors Alex Andrews (7 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD) and Demetri Brown (4-46) leading the way.

"Physically, we're just not strong enough," said Yameen, whose club fell to 1-4, 0-2 in CAL large play. "We're young, but we can't keep blaming it on that. We're just not getting the play we need up front."

Pentucket, meanwhile, moves to 4-1, 1-0 in the division. "I think we definitely can be there in the (CAL large) race," said Bunnell. "We're getting better every week. I think we should be a threat."