Medford High football team battles Lynn Classical to tough 32-12 loss
“All week we’ve been telling them you have to start fighting,” said Medford Coach John Curley. “I think that’s what we did tonight. The end result didn’t go our way, but for the first time in three weeks, this team fought for four quarters playing Mustang football."
LYNN - The Mustangs had a tough time keeping Shane Knowlton Simard on a short leash.
The Lynn English quarterback threw a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for a third TD as the Bulldogs (4-2) blitzed Medford, 32-12, Friday night at Manning Field.
The Mustangs (1-5) were a determined bunch from the opening snap, grabbing a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. They fell prey to a relentless Lynn English squad, however, which tied the game in the closing seconds of the stanza and held a 12-6 edge at halftime. Knowlton Simard and Xavier Beauchamp helped key the English comeback. The two seniors both rolled for over 100 yards, with the latter catching a short screen pass and jetting 52-yards for the third quarter touchdown, putting the game away.
Medford kept battling. Senior quarterback Travers Moodie threw his second touchdown pass with 1:32 to play, accounting for the 32-12 final.
“All week we’ve been telling them you have to start fighting,” said Medford Coach John Curley. “I think that’s what we did tonight. The end result didn’t go our way, but for the first time in three weeks, this team fought for four quarters playing Mustang football. It was awesome to see that they’re showing signs of life and not giving up. Nobody tapped out. Everyone kept on going till the final whistle. I’m really proud of them for that.”
Medford’s defense was on its mark recovering a fumble on the Bulldog’s first possession. Moodie made the most of the turnover. The senior signal-caller connected with Samuel Dieurestil on a huge, 24-yard, TD reception. Dieurestil displayed a deft touch, darting to his right before pulling down Moodie's pass just inside the corner of the end zone to take the early lead.
Lynn English responded, embarking on a highly efficient six-play push. Beauchamp capped the run busting up the middle on a five-yard strike, knotting the game 6-6 at the end of first quarter.
Knowlton Simard aired things out soon after finding Kenneth Gomez Lopez for a six-yard end zone catch with 2:55 left in the half, building the English lead to 12-6.
Down but not out, Medford maintained plenty of defensive pressure. The Mustangs defense stripped Beauchamp of the ball on their next possession at the 18 with about a minute remaining in the half. Unable to move further, sophomore Samuel Silva attempted a 30-yard field goal, but was unsuccessful. English clung to the 12-6 lead at halftime.
Beauchamp provided some breathing room, breaking in on a nine-yard end zone scamper five minutes into the third quarter. Knowlton Simard added the two-point conversion run extending the 20-6 cushion. The Bulldogs QB continued to fuel the attack darting in on a two-yard end zone jaunt holding the decided 26-6 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Medford’s defense recovered its third fumble to open the fourth. They couldn’t covert however, as Moodie's pass was intercepted for his second pick of the game with 8:26 left in regulation.
Knowlton Simard and Beauchamp killed any thoughts of a Medford comeback moments later. The Lynn English QB dished a nifty short screen pass to Beauchamp, who then bolted 52-yards to pay dirt, increasing the Lynn English lead to 32-6 with 7:07 remaining.
Moodie hung tough finding senior Brendan Nobre on a nine-yard touchdown pass cutting the deficit to 32-12 with 1:32 remaining.
The Medford quarterback’s resilience has been admirable.
“I think Travers Moodie is one of the toughest kids in the GBL,” said Curley. “The kid will take his licks and just keeps getting up to take the next play. He’s getting beat up a lot this year, but he’s not complaining. He keeps on fighting and is the true definition of Medford football toughness.”
“It’s hard to fight when things aren’t going your way," said Curley. “We were on top of the mountain a year ago, and they’re trying to bring us back to the promised land. The last two weeks they’ve learned that if you keep on fighting things will go your way. You just keep on going.”
Medford concludes its three-game road trip visiting Chelsea (3-2), Friday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m.
2025 Medford football schedule
Date Opponent Time/score
9/5 @ Everett 34-7 L
9/18 Vs Lynn Classical 20-0 W
9/25 Vs Revere 43-14 L
10/2 Vs Somerville 14-6 L
10/11 @ Northeast Metro 34-0 L
10/17 @ Lynn English 32-6 L
10/24 @ Chelsea 6 pm
10/30 Vs Saugus 6 pm
11/27 Vs Malden 10 am
