HAMILTON — Under the circumstances, it really wasn't a tough decision.
Triton first-year head football coach Jim O'Leary didn't think very hard about keeping his kicker on the sideline Saturday afternoon after his team scored a touchdown with 1:22 to play, cutting the Hamilton-Wenham lead to one point.
Hamilton-Wenham coach Andrew Morency, meanwhile, knew the game hinged on one play. It all came down to which team could rise to the occasion.
Generals' defensive linemen Dave Littlefield and Corey Daff made sure it was their team, both getting penetration on Triton's two-point conversion attempt to stuff Brendan O'Neil and lifting H-W to a 14¬-3 victory.
"We just made the play," Morency, his team now 2-0, said. "I'll give coach O'Leary a lot of credit for going for two. I've been in that situation, and it really comes down to what kid is going to rise above and make the play. We were lucky to have that done."
The odds of making the play weren't in the Generals' favor. Triton had momentum on its side after senior quarterback Sam Ferrara delivered a perfect strike to Matt Brimicombe for a 31-yard touchdown pass to trim the lead to one. Adding to the difficulty of the play was the Hamilton-Wenham personal foul penalty that split the distance to the goal line on the Vikings' conversion attempt.
All those factors made the call a no-brainer for O'Leary.
"I thought the play we called was the right play," O'Leary said. "We stick that one in and we win."
Defense was the key for Hamilton-Wenham all afternoon.
Triton's first scoring drive that covered 68 yards in 14 plays was the only sustained drive the Generals allowed. William Tindle's 4-yard run around the end was the answer to Hamilton-Wenham's first touchdown — a 10-yard burst by Casey Colyer immediately after a Generals' fumble recovery.
Hamilton-Wenham took the lead on the first possession of the second half on a nearly-busted play. Junior signal caller Andy Duval dropped back to pass but lost the handle on the football. Fortunately it bounced back up to him, which may have provided just enough of a pause to let Daff (a senior tight end) slip past the Triton defensive backs for a 52-yard touchdown catch.
Daff finished with four catches for 84 yards and was a beast on defense. "He's a formidable target," Morency said.
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