NORTH READING — North Reading's first game on its new $2 million FieldTurf field got off to a dubious start after two bad snaps forced punter Nick Rosano to be tackled in the end zone for safeties.
It only got worse.
A third consecutive errant snap on a North Reading punt sent Rosano backpedaling to catch the football. He did catch it but had to rush his kick, which was blocked.
That final special teams miscue allowed Cape Ann League Small champion Lynnfield to kick a field goal with time expiring in the first half to enter the locker room with a 28-0 lead.
"Two safeties — that will kill you," Rosano said. "There's some games where we don't have any (bad snaps) and there's some games we have a lot."
Lynnfield routed North Reading 35-14 yesterday in front of a packed Thanksgiving Day crowd at North Reading as fans filled the stands and also lined around both end zones.
"We were more concerned with getting rid of the ball and looking up because they were flying around," coach Jeff Wall said about the bad snaps. They're a big, physical team."
The Hornets were without Nick Rosano's brother, Bobby Rosano, who had 132 carries for 949 yards this fall.
"He ran into a little difficulty," Wall said about Bobby Rosano. "He had to be disciplined by the school. Not by us. It was school related. ... It was during the first block (of school Wednesday)."
Wall said that Rosano also would be not allowed to play in a few basketball games.
"It definitely hurts when you don't have your most athletic player," Wall said.
Freshman running back Carl Lipani started for Rosano.
"We've given him some reps during the last week," Wall said about Lipani. "But only a handful. Yesterday at around 8:30 in the morning we told him, 'Hey, this is your show now.' ... It's a shame he has to step up against a team going to the playoffs."
North Reading, which ended up running for negative-33 yards, also had two freshmen starting on the left side of its offensive line because of injuries to senior tri-captain Matt Curran and junior Andrew Burns.
"That was the best D-line we've seen all year," Wall said.
The Hornets defense, meanwhile, struggled to stop Lynnfield quarterback Gino Cohee who completed 6 of 8 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
Lynnfield scored on just its second offensive play when Chris Grassi threw a halfback TD pass to 6-foot-4, 200-pound receiver Michael Pescione, who caught two touchdowns in the first quarter.
Hornets quarterback John Brooks said he thinks more people came than previous Thanksgivings to see the new field.
"The turf is real nice," he said. "I felt faster on it and like I could cut better on it. The only thing is that it gets really wet so when the ball hits it, it gets really damp and it wears down your shoes and stuff. But it was crazy playing in front of all these people. I've never played in front of all these people."
Lynnfield 35, North Reading 14
Lynnfield (10-1):14âÇ14âÇ7âÇâÇ0 — 35
North Reading (2-9):âÇ0âÇâÇ0âÇ0âÇ14 — 14
First Quarter
L — Michael Pescione 42 pass from Chris Grassi (Steve Ullian kick), 9:08
L — Pescione 24 pass from Gino Cohee, (Ullian kick), 1:43
Second Quarter
L — Safety (Nick Rosano tackled in end zone), 9:51
L — Joseph Hennessey 2 run (Ullian kick), 7:04
L — Safety (Rosano tackled in end zone), 4:37
L — Ullian 35-yard field goal, 0:00
Third Quarter
L — Grassi 69 pass from Cohee (Ullian kick), 52.1
Fourth Quarter
NR — James Mantho 6 pass from John Brooks (run failed), 7:03
NR — Rosano 20 run (Mantho pass from Brooks), 2:33
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: NR 27-(-33) — Carl Lipani 6-5, John Brooks 13-(-66), Nick Rosano 7-29, Neal Rooney 1-(1); Lynnfield 19-(-10) — George Hennessey 8-18, Tim Shannon 1-(-4), Chris Grassi 3-(-26), Joseph Hennessey 1-2, Tyler Surette 1-2, Jeff Gannon 2-0, Tim Lamusta 1(-3), Tyler Palumbo 1-4, Mike Karavetsos 1-(-3)
PASSING: NR — Brooks 12-21-1, 170, Nick Rosano 1-1-0, 0; Lynnfield — Gino Cohee 6-8-0, 134; Grassi 1-2-0, 42
RECEIVING: NR — Richard Schaffer 3-82, Rosano 4-61, James Mantho 3-15, Rooney 1-10, Lipani 1-2, Brooks 1-0; L — Surette 1-9, Michael Pescione 3-86, Freddy Shove 1-5, George Hennessey 1-6, Grassi 1-69
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