Big Blue Football Scores Solid Win in Beverly

Big Blue football moved into a tie for first place in the NEC/CAL Tier 2 league with an exciting 21-13 win in Beverly Saturday afternoon.

Swampscott (8-1 overall, 3-0 league) looked a step slow on the first offensive series by the Panthers. Beverly kept to the ground and motored down the field to take a 7-0 lead on a touchdown run by Brendan Flaherty.

“We knew Beverly was going to pound the ball on the ground, Dan (BHS coach Dan Bauer) and his staff have a good system and they have good athletes, we knew we were going to have to win the war in the trenches,” Big Blue coach Steve Dembowski said.

Swampscott had lost to Beverly, going back to 2008, and Saturday’s game was huge, for the coaches as well as the psyche of the Big Blue players.

“We coughed it up against them in 2008, we didn’t finish it off in 2009 and last year we had the offensive stats, but not the W, this was a very important game for us,” the coach said.

“We prepared as hard as we could all week, the coaches gave us everything we needed to be successful,” senior co-captain Zach Kalapinski said.” “I’m so proud of this team, so proud of the job we did today, this was a huge game for us.”

The key to the win Saturday was four plays, three on defense, and one from an emotional standpoint.

Kalapinski sacked Beverly quarterback Dave Rollins on a big 3rd and nine play, he also helped stuff the Panthers on fourth and goal with his teammates late in the fourth quarter, and the Big Blue defense put pressure on Rollins leading to a Frank Legere interception, and the team rallied after Richard Sullivan was floored by a questionable hit with the score 13-7, Beverly.

Sullivan had a bit of bad luck Saturday afternoon, he had a 73-yard touchdown catch and run called back on the first Blue offensive possession, and the senior co-captain also had a great kick-off return nullified after yellow flags littered the field.

Beverly opened the scoring with a Brendan Flaherty touchdown run, responded with a Mike Walsh keeper to make it 7-7, the senior QB stretching out as far as he could go to get the ball over the line, Beverly came back with a TD pass from Rollins to Flaherty, putting the Panthers up 13-7.

Beverly was up 13-7 with 5:50 left in the second quarter, and the stage was set for the Swampscott defense to set the tone with a huge play, and change the direction of the game.  Beverly QB Dave Rollins scrambled in the backfield and threw one up towards the end zone, Swampscott’s Nick Meninno blanketed Panther receiver Dom Abate and tipped the ball in the air, allowing Frank Legere to sprint in and make a sliding interception in the Swampscott end zone.

Swampscott took over, first and ten at their own twenty with 3:08 left in the first half, behind by six.

Three plays into the drive, Swampscott co-captain Richard Sullivan was drilled in front of the Beverly bench.

“That made me mad, absolutely, and I thought the best way to respond was to score,” Dembowski said.

After Sullivan was laid out, Swampscott used a little bit of the old razzle-dazzle with 1:07 left in the first half. Walsh took the snap, stood up and fired to his right to A. J. Baker behind the line of scrimmage, Baker lunged forward as if he was looking to gain yards on the ground, turned and fired it back across to Walsh, who bobbled the ball for a split second and then flew down the Swampscott sideline into the end zone to make it 13-13. Nick Meninno’s PAT put the visitors up by one.

Beverly took over and threatened to come right down and score after the Walsh TD, but the Swampscott defense held, Beverly missed a 10-yard field goal and the Blue were up by one at halftime.

Big Blue co-captain Zach Kalapinski said the Big Blue was more than ready to play Saturday.

“We were so well prepared for everything Beverly did offensively, that stuff on defense was like second nature to us,” Kalapinski said.  “We were so ready to play this game, it was an intense week, I'm really proud of our team today.”

Walsh had his own take on the little trick play that bamboozled the Panthers for the second Big Blue touchdown.

“That’s happened before, it seems that every time we play Beverly there’s a trick play or two, I got some great blocks from the offensive line after the catch and was able to take it in,” Walsh said.

“The key to the game was the defense, we worked on it all week at practice with the coaches, Michael (Wynne), Patrick (Sheehan), Mark (Lausier), those guys and the rest of the guys on the defensive line pounded Beverly and allowed our linebackers to get pressure on them.”

Up by one point heading into the third quarter, Swampscott turned the ball over on downs to start the second half, but got the ball back right when Beverly was stopped by the Swampscott defense.

Up by one, Swampscott took over with 2:31 left in the third quarter and scored the touchdown that ripped the heart out of the home crowd.

Swampscott used an eight-play drive that ate up time into the fourth quarter, moving up 20-13 on Walsh’s second rushing touchdown of the day.  Meninno’s PAT was dead on and the Big Blue were getting closer to ending four years of frustration, up by eight.

“No one on our team was around the last time we beat these guys (Beverly),” Dembowski said. “There were games we gave away and others they took, but that’s a good football team, and this is a good win for our team.”

Beverly had two chances to score and go for a two-point conversion to tie it, but the Blue defense stood tall.  Swampscott stuffed Brendan Flaherty on a fourth and two run from the eight-yard line with 4:36 to go, and A. J. Baker deflected a pass on fourth and nine from the Big Blue 36 on the Panther’s final possession of the game.

“The play by Legere (interception) epitomizes what this team is about, they do what has to be done to succeed, guys waiting for their chances and then making something happen when their chances come,” Dembowski said.

“This was a good game by us against a good team, we pounded it out to go ahead, it’s very difficult to beat us when we have a lead heading into the second half,” Dembowski said.

Swampscott (3-0) hosts Gloucester (1-2) next Saturday, 12 noon, at Blocksidge Field. Marblehead (3-0) and Beverly (2-1) meet next Friday at Piper Field, the Panthers close with Salem (0-3) while the Magicians and Big Blue get together for their annual tug-of-war Thanksgivng morning in Marblehead.

Editor's Note: Coach Steve Dembowski said he regrets a post-game comment in which he referred to a hit on one of his players as a “dirty play.” He said his emotions got the best of him and his comment was unfair to the Beverly football program. He has apologized to the Beverly coach.