NEWBURYPORT — The Newburyport football team would prefer to forget the month of September, perhaps because the squad used that very month last season to stake its claim as a Cape Ann League Small front-runner.
But this season's 0-4 start comes as a surprise to those who thought the return of several of last year's top returning skill-position players would translate to immediate success on the field. The problem, in part, has been the relative inexperience surrounding the skill position players. The Clippers have been competitive in all four losses but have lacked the ability to close out close games. Newburyport's average losing margin is 7.25 points.
"We've been in every game," Newburyport coach Ed Gaudiano said. "That's the frustrating part at the present state. We haven't put together a complete game. We were close to doing that last week in a monsoon."
Last week's loss was perhaps the most frustrating of the four as the Clippers took North Andover to overtime before falling 15-13. A failed two-point conversion was the difference. That happened to be a familiar theme as Newburyport fell to Saugus, 35-32, in Week 2 when the Clippers converted one of five extra point attempts. That was one week after the Clippers fell to Triton, 6-0, in their home opener.
"I'm very surprised," Newburyport senior Dennis Ipuken said. "Especially that first loss to Triton because we brought back so many offensive weapons and we got shutout. We have a lot of young guys without varsity experience, so it's taking time for things to click."
The Clippers will look to notch their first victory this evening (7 p.m., World War Memorial Stadium) when they host Pentucket (2-1). Last year's River Rival matchup with Pentucket appeared to be a turning point in the Newburyport season. The Clippers outplayed a Pentucket team that eventually went 7-4 in the CAL Large during the game's first 39 minutes, holding a 17-13 lead with 1:09 remaining. Sachems quarterback Jordan Silva engineered a 68-yard scoring drive, completing 4 of 5 passes, including an eight-yard touchdown toss to Justin Bolla as time expired.
"That's the motivation this week," Newburyport senior Darren Wright said. "We've been getting excited thinking about that loss. We want to win every game for the rest of the year."
Still, the last-second loss appeared to spark Newburyport last season. After the Pentucket loss dropped the Clippers to 2-2, they swept five of their next six leading into Thanksgiving. The bright side for the Clippers is that the CAL Small season does not begin until next Friday when they host Lynnfield. So if the Clippers run the table starting next weekend, they could still capture a league title even if they drop tonight's game.
To that point, Amesbury won the CAL Small last season after starting 0-3 and 2-5. The Indians closed out the season with three CAL Small wins, including the Thanksgiving matchup with Newburyport, and earned a postseason appearance.
"We can actually use Amesbury as motivation even though we weren't happy about it at the time," Ipuken said. "Our coaches want us to focus on each week's game, but we know that it's possible to start slow and still win the league."
Gaudiano, for one, doesn't believe the schedule will get any easier once the Clippers begin CAL Small play. The numbers would appear to validate his point. In eight games in which CAL Large teams have faced CAL Small competitors, CAL Small teams are 4-4.
"I think we're a resilient bunch," Gaudiano said. "We've had good practices, and the kids are still coming out. But it doesn't matter if we're playing a Large or Small school. If you look at the league, there's a lot of talented teams in the Small. I don't think it gets easier. We need to keep the kids focused and find a way to win."
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