TYNGSBORO — After falling on opening day, Pentucket had two weeks to think about the loss and prepare for Greater Lowell.
"The loss really got to us," said Sachems running back C.J. Lataille. "Every single day it got worse. We just wanted to get onto the field and show them what we have."
Show they did. After just three plays on offense, the Sachems led by two touchdowns and went on to hammer the Commonwealth Conference Gryphons 46-0 Saturday afternoon.
"I had never had a loss that hard or had to sit that long," said Pentucket tackle Matt Fiore of the stunner to North Reading. "I was so happy to finally come out and play some football. We were all looking forward to today."
The Sachems were on a mission early. On the game's opening drive, defensive back Jordan Silva picked off a pass and ran it back 45 yards for a touchdown. After forcing the Gryphons into a 3-and-out, Lataille broke off a 27-yard run, and two plays later Dan Johanson scored from 4 yards out to give Pentucket a 14-0 lead midway through the quarter.
"We wanted to come out and hit them early," said Fiore, who was back at tackle after starting the season at tight end. "We didn't start out like that two weeks ago."
The Sachems were paced by running back Chris Modlish. The senior rushed for a career-high 127 yards on 10 carries and touchdowns of 49 and 5 yards. It was the second 100-yard game of his career, with the other 105 yards against Lynnfield last year.
Fullback Dan Johansen notched a career-high 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Austin Perreault rushed for a touchdown and caught another, a 40-yard bomb from Mike Brennan early in the fourth.
The Pentucket defense was just as dominant, holding the Gryphons to 81 yards of total offense, and 23 on the ground. It was the Sachems second shutout in the last three games as they also blanked Triton on Thanksgiving.
The two captains, Silva and Fiore, led the Sachems with five tackles apiece, with Fiore also causing a fumble that was recovered by Dylan Chase. Cam Spoffard added four stops and knocked down a key pass.
