Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, October 18, 2019 Sachems run over Salem for first win By Greg Phipps O n a night marred by heavy rain and winds, the Saugus Sachems appeared to adapt to the tough conditions quite nicely as they used a dominant ground attack in a 36-18 road victory over the Salem Witches last Friday evening at Bertram Field. It was Saugus’s first W of the season, as the Sachems improved to 1-4. Meanwhile, it’s been a season of struggles for the Witches, who dropped to 0-5 and have been outscored, 225-42, through their first five contests. Three players carried most of the rushing load for Saugus. Running back Marvens Jean rushed 14 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Christian Correia ran nine times for 53 yards and a score and Sal Franco had 10 attempts for 89 yards and a TD. In all, the trio combined for 231 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The Sachems’ defense also got into the act, forcing five turnovers (three fumbles and two interceptions). One of those was an interception return for a TD by David Guillama. Salem actually scored first and took the early lead in this one, before Saugus proceeded to tally the next 36 points and pull away for good. The Sachems led 14-8 at halftime. Salem managed the last 10 points to account for the final result. “Being so close [to a win] in week one [an overtime loss at Bedford], losing our quarterback Mason Nickolas at Winthrop and then losing to two great teams [Marblehead and Revere], its’ nice to finally just get [a win],” Saugus head coach Steve Cummings told the press afterwards. “We finally knocked that out of the way. Now you start getting a little bit back to normal.” Saugus’s first TD came on a 50-yard Franco run, followed by a successful two-point conversion pass from Correia to Guillama. Jean then went five yards to pay dirt and later scored from 12 yards out. Correia scored on a 27-yard keeper and ran in the two-point try. Guillama’s interception return produced the Sachems’ final points. Saugus faces a stiff challenge this Friday night (7 p.m. kickoff) at Stackpole Field, as it hosts Lynn English, which saw its bid for an undefeated season come to a halt in an overtime loss to Revere last week. Cummings said it was nice to see his team execute well against Salem. “They’re maturing as a team and getting more comfortable,” he said of his squad. “A lot of that has to do with the way we’ve been practicing and the older guys making sure we stay the course.” Saugus QB Christian Correia ran for 53 yards and a touchdown in last Friday’s win at Salem. (Advocate Photo by Greg Phipps)
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