Lunenburg's football season does a 180 after stunning overtime win over West Boylston
Last year, the Lunenburg High football team snapped a seven-game losing streak against Littleton High.
So, when the Blue Knights traveled to West Boylston on Friday night, they found themselves in a similar situation in need of picking up a win over the Lions for the first time since 2014.
What made the task even more daunting for Lunenburg (4-3), was that the Blue Knights were playing an undefeated team that was atop the Division 7 power rankings. However that didn't matter to Lunenburg.
When Zahir Chavez booted a 27-yard field goal in overtime after senior Cooper Shaw picked off a West Boylston pass the Lions' opening possession of extra time, the Blue Knights faithful went into a frenzy as Lunenburg earned a thrilling 25-22 overtime win over the Lions.
“Obviously as a staff, we were worried about stopping them for 10 yards because of their success on the ground this year,” said Lunenburg head coach Anthony Nalen. “We knew once they threw the interception that we had a chance as long as we held onto the ball. Zahir (Chavez) is a good kicker with a good leg, so we had faith in him in that moment.”
With the win, not only did the Blue Knights knock off an undefeated team and snap a long losing streak against them but Lunenburg also set itself up for a share of the league title with a win against visiting Tyngsborough at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“I think at times during the season we have been inconsistent, but we are better than our record,” Nalen said. “Friday night we were able to play a complete game against a very good football team to get a win.”
In the win, Lunenburg got three players into the end zone. Dylan Adamson hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Alex Figueroa to start the scoring for the Blue Knights. Figueroa also added 13-yard and 27-yard scoring strikes to Jaden Jenkins and Ben Bartow, respectively.
“This game was a total swing in our season,” Nalen said. “We were looking at not being in the playoffs at all and now we are not only in good position to be in the playoffs, but we have set ourselves up for a share of the league title.”
The Blue Knights, West Boylston and Clinton all could finish 3-1 in the Mid-Wach D. Lunenburg has lost to Clinton, but beat the Lions, while West Boylston owns a win over the Gaels.
In his third year as head coach, Nalen is pleased to see his team improving each season. Last year, the Blue Knights went 7-4 and suffered a first-round loss to top-seeded Wahconah in the Division 7 playoffs.
“Each year, we are trying to get a little better," Nalen said. "The goal is to try to make the playoffs, get a win and try to move the needle a little more.”
Nalen lauded senior captains Sean Delaney (WR/S), Brady Barnes (RB/LB) and Chase Petricca (LB/T), who have been instrumental in this year’s success.
Contact Chris Klingenberg at sports@telegram.com.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Lunenburg's football season does a 180 after stunning overtime win over West Boylston
