WAKEFIELD – Two of the top tech schools in Massachusetts met on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon as Northeast defeated Bay Path 14-0.
Bay Path (1-2) has won the last three vocational school championships. With that in mind, Northeast head coach Donald Herres said securing this victory was big for his program.
“It was a really grind-it-out type of win,” Herres said. “They (Bay Path) have been at the top for a while, and they graduated a lot, but they have a lot of tradition and pride. We didn’t take them for granted, and good thing we didn’t, because they play a good brand of physical football and we’re lucky to get out of here today.”
The lone score of the first half came when Northeast (2-1) went on a 15-play drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Ryan Beede. He connected with his tight end, junior Jordani Nieves, with just 47 seconds left in the half.
The only other touchdown was when Beede lofted a ball high in the right corner of the end zone, and with several players contesting, the ball found the hands of sophomore receiver Mikey Fronduto Jr., who initially juggled it but secured the throw with just over six minutes left in the game.
“Every time you can get a win, it’s huge for your program,” Herres said. “Last week we beat Winthrop, which is another school with a lot of tradition, so it’s just good to get as many wins as you can. We have things to clean up, we have a lot of penalties, and those are just killers. We have a lot to work on.”
Quarterback Ryan Beede, in his third year as a starter (2nd at QB, previously TE), was a star with 91 yards rushing on 12 attempts, and also completed 10 of 11 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed on defense as an outside linebacker.
“Ryan is a leader,” Herres said. “We’ve kind of switched up our traditional offense to allow him to read defenses. He can run it, pass it, and the team listens to him.”
Junior running back Esto Merida rushed for 68 yards on 13 carries and also caught three passes for 14 yards. The Knights’ other running back, Lucas De Oliveira, picked up 33 yards rushing and had one catch for 20 yards.
The defense also stood out to Herres, earning a shutout one week after allowing just seven points.
“I’m very proud of our D today,” Herres said. “Everyone played well. Our DB’s aren’t letting anyone behind them. They did a very good job in identifying misdirections, traps, and jet sweeps.”
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