RallyNorth.net

WEST NEWBURY — At halftime, Pentucket senior Jeremy Krugh figured that it was up to him to take charge. Not only were the Sachems trailing a fired-up winless Triton squad 14-12, but they were now missing junior star Nolan Dragon, who had broken a bone in his leg in Pentucket’s first series of the game after catching a 15-yard pass. Without Dragon, who plays fullback and is Pentucket’s top defensive player, the Sachems were getting outplayed. “Everyone was down at halftime,” said Krugh, who alternates with Dragon in the backfield. “I knew I had to step up. There was no way we were going to win unless I stepped up.” And that’s exactly what Krugh did, rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns, helping out with a regrouped defense and teaming with quarterback Mike Doud to eventually overwhelm the Vikings, 41-20, to cap off a successful 8-3 season. “I couldn’t have asked for more for my last game,” said Krugh. “It came down to who had more heart and we did. I was running as hard as I could, but I got some great blocking.” The Sachems took the lead on their first possession of the second half when Krugh completed a 57-yard drive with a 10-yard run through the middle and then ran in the extra points to make it 20-14. Triton tied it up right away when Derek Paquette scored his second TD of the game on a four-yard run, completing a 74-yard drive, but then it was all Pentucket. Four plays later, Krugh went through the right side of the line, shook off a tackle and went 53 yards for the eventual game-winner, making it 27-20. A recovered fumble by Stephen Girard on the Triton 23 set up a one-yard plunge by Doud and a Sean Brennan 17-yard scamper completed Pentucket’s scoring. In addition to Krugh’s heroics, the offensive line of Kevin Dunn, Tim Porter, Forest Spieler, Braeden Leach and Kyle Nickerson stood out and Doud was terrific in his final game as a Sachem. Not only did Doud rush for two touchdowns, he threw a 12-yard TD strike to Tim Freiermoth in the first half and ended the day completing 10 of 11 passes for 110 yards. Appropriately, he also halted Triton’s last scoring chance with an interception in the end zone. “We were kind of scared at halftime,” said Freiermoth, “But Krugh stepped up and then everyone started playing well.”

BYFIELD — Being pressured by the Triton defense, North Andover quarterback Brandon Walsh scrambled back about 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage on a first-and-10 play from the Triton 16 yard line on the first play of the second quarter yesterday.