Watertown No Pushover For Lynnfield Football

Give Watertown credit. The Raiders are the only No. 6 seed in the 16 MIAA EMass brackets to make it to the sectional final. With half of the 16 sectional championship games featuring No. 1 against No. 2, upsets were few and far between this playoff season.

Watertown entered the Division 5 North tournament at 3-4. They beat Swampscott, 31-10, in the quarterfinals and Somerville, 21-20, in the semis. Friday the Raiders hit the road again, playing at top-seeded Lynnfield (8-1) for the North title. The winner advances to the state semifinal against the South champion, either Dennis-Yarmouth (9-0) or Scituate (8-1). That game will be at a neutral site.

And since this is a state-wide playoff, Nipmuc (9-0) is playing Auburn (6-3) in the Division 5 Central final while West Springfield (8-1) faces Longmeadow (7-2) in the West final.

Lynnfield fans can look at Watertown's record of 5-4 and feel confident. But remember that the Raiders are 4-0 against teams outside the Middlesex. Plus, two of their losses were to Melrose and Stoneham, both also playing for sectional titles this weekend.

Individually, Watertown's big play combination is quarterback Nick McDermott (12 TD passes) to receiver John Korte (7 TD receptions). Lynnfield counters with quarterback Matt Mortellite (13 TDs) and Nick Kinnon (6 TD receptions).

Here's a look at what's up for area teams this weekend.

Watertown (5-4) at Lynnfield (7-1), Fri., 7 p.m. -- If this one comes down to defense the Pioneers have to feel good. While Watertown gives up a healthy 25.8 ppg, Lynnfield allows just 13.7. But if it's close, Watertown could turn to kicker Conor Kennelly, who has four field goals this fall, second most in the division.

Stoneham (7-2) at Hamilton-Wenham (9-0), Sat., 1 p.m. -- Stop me if you've heard this before. A small school in a conference with big schools drops into the tournament and takes off. That's the case with Watertown and it's also the case with Stoneham, which has enough weapons to knock off the unbeaten Generals. Tre Pignone (19 TDs) continues to power the Stoneham offense. On defense, the Spartans will have to watch out for Cam Peach, Hamilton-Wenham's big-play receiver.

Chelmsford (4-5) at Reading (3-6), Fri., 7 p.m. -- The effort is there for the Rockets, but the key players are still on the sidelines. Reading's injury woes will dog them thru Thanksgiving and this one against the Lions will be a challenge. Chelmsford hammered Newton South, 41-14 last week and the Lions feature the leading scorer in Division 2 in Sal Lupoli (21 TDs and 126 points).

Medford (1-8) at Winchester (2-7), Sat., 1 p.m. -- The Sachems fell to Concord-Carlisle last week, 27-24, a far more competitive game than the week before against unbeaten Lynn English. With Liam Fitzpatrick back under center, Winchester was ahead going into the fourth quarter. Expect another competitive game this week. Medford's lone win came against Winthrop in the second week of the season and the Mustangs have struggled to score all season, averaging just 12.1 ppg.

Essex Tech (1-8) at Austin Prep (1-8), Fri., 6 p.m. -- While AP has struggled to score this fall, averaging just 14.9 ppg, Essex has been even worse, scoring just 8.6 ppg. And on a freezing cold night in Reading, don't expect any offensive explosions. Still, the scheduling committee has matched up two teams that will each enter the game feeling they can win. That's a good thing.

North Reading (6-3) at Wilmington (7-2), Thur., 6:30 p.m. -- The Division 4 North semifinal losers are matched up in what should be a good game. Wilmington's John Kenney (14 TDs) and North Reading's Jake Bedell (15 TDs) are two of the top players in the division. The winner of this one could just be the team that cares more following last week's disappointment.

Winthrop (1-8) vs. Northeast (3-6) at Wakefield High School, Fri., 6 p.m. -- Zach Sanderson and the Golden Knights play under the lights in what could be a competitive game. Winthrop's defense gives up 35 ppg and will be tested by a Northeast offense that averages 34 ppg. Can Northeast score 34 1/2 points? The game's big question is whether Winthrop can score 30-plus points, a total it will need to beat Northeast.

Wayland (5-4) at Wakefield (4-5), Thur., 7 p.m. -- Another of the non-playoff games that on the surface seems like the scheduling committee got right. Wakefield is coming off an impressive road win over Gloucester, proving the Warriors' heads are still in the game. This fall DCL Small champion Wayland has lost to Lynnfield in overtime and lost to North Reading on a last-second field goal.