Lee Rolls Over Bartlett in State Tourney Opener
LEE, Mass. – The Lee High football team Friday shut out Bartlett High, 38-0, on their way to the Division 8 State Quarter-Finals.
It was a memorable night on multiple occasions for the seventh-seeded Wildcats (9-0) as they inched closer to a state title. Senior Devin Schwab rushed for more than 160 yards on the night, helping him eclipse 1,000 yards on the season while helping the team stay unbeaten.
“Devin Schwab deserves all the credit, more than he will give himself, honestly. He will credit the line, but that 1,000 yards will have his name on it but it is a testament to all those guys,” Lee coach Tom Salinetti said.
It wasn’t a typical first half from the Lee Wildcats as Bartlett really slowed the game down in the first half. After receiving the opening kickoff Bartlett ran down more than half the first quarter clock, moving the ball on the ground against this stifling Lee defense.
Bartlett converted on its first fourth down of the game and tried for a second but was met with a big sack to give Lee the football.
After a nice long drive from Lee, the Wildcats finally punched one in at the start of the second quarter with a quarterback keeper by Omari Smith from 2 yards out. Lee went back and forth with Bartlett fighting for field position and with less than a minute on the clock the Wildcats defense stepped up big with a pick six from Thomas Lucy to give Lee a 13-0 lead going into the break.
Lee had two takeaways in the second quarter both when Bartlett was driving, showing the bend but don’t break mentality this team has had all season long.
“The pick was huge because we had two punts before it, and they were driving.” Salinetti said. “We had two big plays from sophomores, Jaydee Reber getting the fumble out, and Thomas Lucy with the big pick. It really got us stirring and flipped the game on its head.”
That interception and score really did get the Wildcats going, because on its first drive of the second half Lee went right down the field and punched one in from 13-yards out thanks to Jaydee Reber to give them a commanding 20-0 lead.
With the defense playing the way it has all year long it was always going to be a big mountain climb for Bartlett. After a few costly penalties, Bartlett punted the ball back to Lee once again and this time Devin Schwab took one to the house from 35 yards out, putting this game to bed.
The only life Bartlett High had left was on their best drive of the game, getting it into the red zone only to be denied once again by this Lee defense. This time it was Zack Nicotra who had the interception in the end zone giving the ball to Lee, and Devin Schwab who wasted no time scoring his second of the night with an 80-yard touchdown run capping off his special night.
Lee added one more before the final whistle when Luke Gamberoni picked up a muffed punt attempt and returned it for the final score of the game. Lee finished the game with four takeaways on defense including two for touchdowns.
Lee will look to continue this unbeaten run when it faces off against the No. 2 seeded West Boylston High School in the round of eight next week. West Boylston defeated Berkshire County foe Hoosac Valley, 29-12, on Friday night.