By John Shimer
Staff writer
November 27, 2008 03:59 am Editor's note: On Nov. 30, 1939, Amesbury and Newburyport met for the 18th game. The all-time series was split evenly with six wins going to each team and five ties. News of World War II dominated headlines in The Daily News and most other newspapers. Bowling league updates were a staple point of the sports section. College football with the roaring Notre Dame Fighting Irish was still bigger than professional football. People could bet on high school football, and Newburyport's famous World War Memorial Stadium was only half-finished. According to the paper, the odds-makers had Newburyport, with its powerful running attack, as the favorite. The Friday holiday edition of The Daily News expanded from its usual eight-page edition to a 12-page spread with the Clipper-Indian clash on the front page. The following is an abbreviated recap of the 1939 tie as reported by The Daily News (unfortunately without a byline). A young gentleman named Bill Boutin, playing in only his second game of the season and his final one in high school, gave Newburyport High something to be greatly thankful for yesterday in the 18th game of the series with Amesbury High. He broke loose for a 32-yard gallop to score after Amesbury had made a touchdown and then for good measure ploughed through for the extra point to keep his team from being beaten, and instead taking a 7-all decision. If it weren't for Mr. Boutin, Newburyport players would have feasted on crow instead of turkey. Newburyport, with a potentially powerful backfield, ran up the amazing total of 325 yards from scrimmage, exactly three and one-quarter times the length of the playing fields, but only scored once. Amesbury's total yardage from rush plays was only 168. Amesbury went home very much satisfied with the result, for that club was made the underdog by the boys who have money to wager on such things as schoolboy games. Newburyport was likewise satisfied with the final outcome, being forced as it were to come from behind to tie the score. Five thousand or more fans, a large percentage of them from Amesbury, witnessed the Turkey Day tilt, filling every available spot in the half completed World War Memorial Stadium. Weather conditions could not have been better. The game was played under smiling warm skies, and there was no wind. The frozen field began to thaw out by midmorning, and the surface was converted into a into a greasy plane. In the first period, Newburyport asked for time-out, and the whole 11 players darted for the sidelines, hastily exchanged their leather cleated shoes for a pair of specially made rubber shoes that provide better traction on wet and slippery surfaces. After that exchange of footwear, there wasn't as much slipping. Lariviere Runs for 19 Yards to Score Amesbury got off to a good start in the second period when Snooky Lariviere, a substitute back, bulleted through the left side of his line, cut sharply in masterful fashion to outguess the Newburyport secondary and romped for 19 yards to score standing up. The Amesbury fans screamed their approval of that edifying bit of broken field running, the second time in a row that the lightning-fast Lariviere tried that play. Reverting to a type of scoring that is becoming a lost art — that of drop-kicking — Anthony Papoulias dropped back and neatly arched a kick over the cross-bar to send Amesbury out in front with seven points. Especially acceptable was Lariviere's touchdown at that point, for Amesbury fans regarded it as making up 100 percent for one that was missed in the first period when Pellerin shot a pass to Nick Papoulias in the end zone, the ball skimming off the latter's fingertips and preventing what looked like a sure touchdown. That forward pass came after Newburyport's tiny Gordon "Pop" Erskine fumbled when smashed into by Amesbury tacklers. Mood of Amesbury recovering on Newburyport's six-yard line. Kick is Blocked Desperate with Newburyport presenting a great defense, Amesbury chose to gamble on a field goal instead of trying another pass on last down. Stuart, Amesbury center, pulled out of the line and tried placement from the 16-yard line. That scoring attempt was broken up when the two ends, (Norbert) LeClair and Emery MacFarlane, ripped down the alley and together blocked the kick. 74 yard March Receiving the kickoff, Newburyport didn't give up possession of the ball until it marched 74 yards down the field in a pretty series of running plays that ended in a score. (Jim) Packer ran the kickoff a few strides to his 26-yard line. Erskine streaked around left end and into the crowd on the sideline gaining 18. Knox added seven at left tackle and repeated with eight on the other side to Amesbury's 38. Amesbury was penalized five for offside and Knox picked up a yard on a spinner. Boutin Scores Seven Points Newburyport's game-saving play followed next. Boutin took a reverse from Packer, shot through the line, reversed his field admirably, fought off two Amesbury tacklers who had hold of him and beat it the remaining distance to the goal line. In almost the next breath, without giving Amesbury a chance to do much thinking, Boutin plunged headlong through the line for the seventh point, ending the scoring for the rest of the game. From then on it was a case of give and take, with Newburyport threatening time and again to score, but with Amesbury doggedly hanging on and battling for every inch of ground.
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