Football: Pentucket Stops Newburyport, 19-0

October 5, 2008

The Newburyport Clippers (0-5) are still searching for their first win of the season as they were shutout by the Pentucket Sachems 19-0, at World War Memorial Stadium in Newburyport on Friday, October 3rd in an evening game under the lights.

Not having two of their key players in the game didn’t bode well for the Clippers as David Freeman and Kyle LeBlanc were on the sidelines with injuries and did not play.

Pentucket scored on the first drive of the game after a great run back on the opening kickoff put the Sachems in excellent field position.

It was a frustrating game for the Clippers and the Clipper fans watching the game as Newburyport could march the ball down the field, but couldn’t find a way to advance or score on key 3rd and 4th play downs throughout the game, including a four play series at the one-yard line when they had a first and goal.

The icing on the cake for Pentucket was the 99-yard scoring drive that followed their goal line stop of the Clippers on the one-yard line. That was a game breaker for Newburyport.

Pentucket stopped the Clippers three different times when the Clippers had advanced the ball within the Pentucket 20 yard line. The Pentucket defense always came up with a big play and a big stop throughout the game when it mattered most. This was the third straight shutout for the Pentucket team. That says a lot about their defense and their mindset.

As John Shimer’s article in the Daily News of Newburyport reports, the score didn’t reflect the actual closeness of the game. Newburyport could move the ball, but their inability to score or advance the ball when they were so close to scoring was the deciding factor in the game.

Next week the Newburyport faces off against Lynnfield (1-4) in a home game at World War Memorial Stadium in Newburyport.