RallyNorth.net

North Reading falls short

Friday, September, 18 By Dan Guttenplan
Staff writer

NEWBURYPORT — For the second week in a row, the Newburyport football team’s defense carried the squad to a victory at Memorial Stadium.

The Clippers (2-0) forced four second-half turnovers en route to a 17-13 victory over North Reading.

Newburyport junior Andrew Sokol scored one touchdown and set up another, giving the Clippers a 14-13 halftime lead. The Clippers defense made life miserable for North Reading quarterback John Brooks the rest of the way. On the evening, Brooks completed eight of 18 passes for 53 yards and two interceptions, both of which came in the second half.

“We hurt ourselves,” North Reading coach Jeffrey Walls said. “Not to take anything away from Newburyport, but we had too many turnovers. We needed to hold onto the ball a little bit better than we did.”

Newburyport linebacker James Conway sealed the game with the final interception at the Clippers’ own 45-yard-line with 1:35 remaining. Matt Mottola also had a second-half interception.

North Reading punt returner Robert Rosano also fumbled inside the North Reading 15-yard line with 5:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. Newburyport’s Shea Quill recovered, but Newburyport couldn’t convert the turnover into points. Kyle LeBlanc missed a 30-yard field goal attempt three plays later.

North Reading’s fourth second-half turnover came midway through the third quarter when Brooks fumbled a snap and Newburyport’s Nick Welch recovered on the North Reading 30-yard line. The Clippers converted that turnover into their final three points, when LeBlanc kicked a 33-yard field goal.

“We’ll take the win,” Newburyport coach Ed Gaudiano said. “We need to be more consistent on offense, but I’m happy with the way the defense is playing in the second half of these games.”

Sokol set up Newburyport’s first score midway through the first quarter when he was on the receiving end of Mottola’s 58-yard pass, placing the ball on the North Reading 20-yard line. Two plays later, Mottola scrambled in from the 4-yard line.

Immediately following North Reading’s first touchdown — a 32-yard pass from Brooks to Richard Schaffer — Sokol returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Receiving from his own 15, he sprinted into the wedge of blockers and didn’t make a single cut on the way to pay dirt.

North Reading answered with a two-yard touchdown run from Nicholas Rosano, capping an eight-play, 51-yard drive. However, LeBlanc blocked the extra point attempt, giving Newburyport the 14-13 lead going into the half.

Robert Rosano was North Reading’s top rusher with 10 carries for 112 yards.