RallyNorth.net

Thu, Apr 22, 2021 05:00 PM @ Dracut

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Lawrence	6	16	6	8	36
Dracut	0	0	0	0	0

Lawrence wins first game, pounds Dracut in finale

Thursday, April, 22 By Bill Burt

DRACUT — Lawrence High football coach Rhandy Audate was speaking to his team immediately after the game. He turned to looked toward the scoreboard for visual proof, that his team won decisively, 36-0.

Dracut timekeepers, though, shut the clock off and got out of Dodge.

“Ahhh well, we know what the score was,” said Audate. “We won big!”

There was a loud applause from the players, all on one knee.

It was big. It was Lawrence football’s most decisive win since Thanksgiving Eve in 2008, a 39-0 win over Greater Lawrence. But that Lawrence team was 7-4, arguably the best in the last two decades.

This was different.

Lawrence had been KOd by everybody in sight this Fall 2 season, scoring only 20 points while giving up 180 points entering Thursday.

COVID-19 sent Lawrence football on a brief hiatus, as if the program hasn’t had to endure enough the last seven months, with coaches not allowed to contract players due to the city’s highest-in-the-state coronavirus numbers.

While Dracut was not Central, Andover or Tewksbury, they were playing their final game with about 10 seniors playing in their last game.

But it was Lawrence that played as if there were a dozen seniors rather than the 10 freshmen, 11 sophomores and nine juniors and only three Lancer seniors.

“This game, this week was everything coming together, finally,” said senior Erek Gomez, a two-way senior lineman. “Everybody was at practice, on time, and this is what happens. We can win. And we dominated.”

Lawrence showed early signs of, well, being Lawrence. The first three plays on offense were an offsides penalty and two snaps over the quarterback’s head.

Lawrence faced a 3rd-and-33 from its own 12-yard line.

Freshman QB Jayden Abreu completed a perfect 27-yarder to sophomore Janiel Herrera and a 50-yard surprise bomb, on 4th-and-6 pass to another sophomore, Adonis Garcia.

Junior Sergio Mendez blazed around the right end for a 12-yard TD run and 6-0 lead.

It was easy sailing from there.

Lawrence got the ball back early in the second quarter on a fumble and Abreu dove in the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

Then the play of the game occurred with Lawrence setting up to punt on 4th-and-5, as Adonis Garcia faked the kick and ran around the right end 67 yards for a score.

On the conversion pass, junior Sergio Mendez made a spectacular grab, going over the defender and snaring what appeared to be an interception.

“Sergio is the spark we’ve needed,” said Audate. “We had to suspend him a few weeks ago for breaking team rules, showing up late. He was all-in this week. He’s got that charisma. The team follows his lead.”

Dracut got only one offensive first down the entire game with LHS senior linemen Dewey Baez and Gomez saving their best games for last.

Lawrence coasted in the second half with scores in the third (Garcia’s 11-yard fumble return) and fourth quarter (Frendy Soler 13-yard catch).

The second half highlight was the conversion rush by Baez, who took the snap and the 255-pounder bull-rushed two defenders in front of him.

“Lawrence can win. It can,” said Baez. “This felt really good. It showed if we can play together, for each other, we can compete against the best. This is a young team. Watch out for Lawrence.”

Lawrence 36, Dracut 0

At Dracut

Lawrence (1-5) 6-16-6-8—36

Dracut (0-5) 0-0-0-0—0

1st quarter

Sergio Mendez 12 run, rush failed, 4:23

2nd quarter

Jayden Abreu 1 run (Frendy Soler pass from Jayden Abreu), 10:49

Adonis Garcia 67 run (Andy Medina pass from Mendez), 1:08

3rd quarter

Garcia 13 fumble return (Rush failed),7:56

4th quarter

Soler 25 yard pass from Abreu (Dewey Baez rush), 11:52

LAWRENCE STATISTICS

Rushing: (17-185): Adonis Garcia 1-67, Sergio Mendez 5-33, Janiel Herrera 6-31, Jayius Perez 2-47, Julian Rosario 2-4, Jayden Abreu 1-3

Passing: Abreu 8-11-1, 147 yards

Receiving: Garcia 3-73, Medina 3-22, Herrera 1-27, Soler 1-25