By Liam O’Brien
Managing Editor of Sports
The Lions recent offensive surge concluded Friday night as the team finally met its match, falling to top-seeded Billerica (9-0), 35-14, in the Division 2 North semifinal.
For weeks, the offense of the Newton South (7-2) football team looked simply unstoppable, with the team chewing up yards and racking up points with reckless abandon.
Newton South junior quarterback Austin Burton, who entered the highly-anticipated matchup leading the state in both passing yards and touchdowns, threw for 254 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on the night.
The offensive attack was stymied by a formidable Billerica defense, which sacked Burton on six occasions.
“On defense, their three-man rush [was impressive],” senior captain Anthony DeNitto said. “Because it was so strong, they were able to drop eight men into coverage.”
The Indians dominated the battle between the trenches, setting them up for success on the night. Their defense limited the Lions to just 90 yards rushing (53 of which came on South’s final drive) while racking up 344 rushing yards of their own on 37 carries.
In the absence of senior running back Drew Laundry, Billerica juniors Derek Laundry and Herby Pierre piloted a two-headed monster in the backfield, racking up 124 and 114 yards, respectively.
Laundry rushed for a touchdown in the first half while Pierre broke off two long scores in the second half to pace the Indians scoring attack.
“They had some hard runners and some good blocking on the perimeter,” DeNitto said. “Because of how slippery it was out there, once they got into open field, they were hard to bring down.”
After shaking off an early hit from which he was slow to get up, Indians quarterback Justin Beck provided his team with an early 8-0 lead after connecting with wide receiver Jeff Trainor on a 40-yard touchdown to open the scoring with 3:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Beck rushed for 76 yards and a score to add to the Indians’ effective rushing corps, while adding just five total passes. The Billerica offensive gameplan clearly emphasized the running game early and often.
Billerica then extended its advantage on its ensuing possession with a long march down the field concluding in a seven-yard touchdown rush by Laundry, giving the Indians a 15-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Indians picked up where they left off to begin the second half, with Beck coordinating another lengthy drive, capping it off with a rushing score of his own from one yard out to give his team a 22-0 advantage.
Burton was unfazed by the considerable deficit, however, hitting DeNitto on a streak route for a 50-yard touchdown to cut the gap to 22-6 with 5:24 remaining in the third quarter.
Despite the jolt of momentum, South could not overcome Billerica’ strifling running game. Pierre put the game out of reach with a 42-yard touchdown rumble with 1:36 left in the third quarter to widen the gap to 28-6. Following a Burton interception, his 44-yard score in the fourth quarter created an insurmountable 35-6 Indians lead.
The Lions boosted their morale with a drive late in the fourth quarter which concluded in a rushing score by Burton, decreasing the final deficit to 35-14.
With the victory, Billerica will move on to host Reading next weekend in the Division 2 North final. The Lions, despite the defeat, will return to Newton with their spirits high, having garnered the first postseason victory in school history with their 32-27 win over Haverhill on October 31.
“Making history and having great support from all of the fans [have been the most enjoyable parts of the season], said DeNitto. “So many adults have come up to me and said things like, ‘Back in my day, South football would be happy to win a few games. Now look where you are!”
The Lions will travel to Malden Catholic next Friday at 6 P.M. before finishing off their season with the annual Thanksgiving game against Lincoln-Sudbury.
