METHUEN — The new spread offense was the talk of the preseason, but it was the Methuen defense that came up big last night.
In front of a large and enthusiastic Methuen crowd, which filled the home bleachers at Nicholson Stadium, the Rangers blanked Bishop Fenwick club, 17-0, for their first season-opening win since 2003.
"Look at the scoreboard, look at the scoreboard," shouted 6-foot-6, 300-pound defensive tackle Tomasz Dziedzic after the Rangers completed the shutout. "It feels awesome to start the year like this."
Dziedzic clogged the middle, but it was linebackers Dom Thompson, John McCarthy, Matt Gordon and Justin Marsan who really stood out.
The foursome stifled Fenwick's power running game, holding the Crusaders to 134 yards on 38 carries. Fenwick also completed just two passes for 25 yards and had one pass intercepted by Ernesto Bencosme.
"The defense gave us a lot of opportunities," said Methuen coach Pat Graham. "I thought John McCarthy had some big plays."
Indeed, McCarthy, a junior who was filling in for co-captain standout Sean Cairns (out with bruised ribs), had two huge quarterback sacks in the first half.
"They were designed plays, but I was just trying to step in and do my part," said McCarthy. "This means a lot."
Gordon, who closed the scoring with a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, had several big stops in the second half.
"I was happy with the field goal, but I was happier with the shutout," said Gordon, who played soccer until his freshman year at Methuen. "After the first defensive series, we knew we could stop them and we kept up the intensity. Last year, we'd get out strong and then let up."
Marsan, meanwhile, did his job by roaming from sideline to sideline to contain anything the Crusaders tried, He also averaged 42 yards on four punts, highlighted by a booming 59-yarder in the first half.
The Rangers got the only points they needed on the opening drive of the game. Pat Phillion took the kickoff and returned it 30 yards and Methuen only needed six plays to drive 53 yards for the score, with Mike Bartlett (15 carries, 78 yards) running the final 13 yards into the end zone.
Methuen made it 14-0 late in the second quarter when, one play after the defense recovered a fumble, Matt Bartlett threw a beautiful 34-yard flare pass into the end zone and right into the arms of Joenrry Acosta.
Gordon's field goal with 4:27 to play merely put the final nail in Fenwick's coffin.
"We were more physical than we've been and we did some good things," said Graham, the second-year coach. "But we have a lot of work to do."
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