HAMILTON — A quarterback with a golden arm or a speedy, hard-hitting running back can definitely put points on the scoreboard. However, the trick to having a truly elite offense usually lies in a team's ability to diversify.
Simply put, the more things an offense can do, the harder it will be for an opposing team to prepare for.
In Saturday's Cape Ann League battle of the unbeatens, the Hamilton-Wenham offense dominated through the air and on the ground scoring on both long drives and big plays to upend Pentucket 27-14.
The win is the Generals third straight to open the season, and they've already surpassed their win total from a year ago.
"When you are a one-trick pony you have a chance, but I think we have the capability to do both (run and pass)," Hamilton-Wenham coach Andrew Morency said. "If we can continue that, it makes us a tough team to stop."
The two-headed battering ram that is the Hamilton-Wenham rushing attack, Elliot Burr and Trevor Lyons, wracked up a total of 194 yards and two scores on the ground behind the Generals line, which did a great job of protecting quarterback Dylan Keith as the senior completed 12-of-14 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
"They were a physical team and they took the line of scrimmage from us," said Pentucket coach Steve Hayden, whose team had beaten Marblehead and Danvers before falling Saturday afternoon.
"They beat us up physically."
H-W opened the game with a 10-play, 62-yard touchdown drive capped of by a 10-yard scamper by Lyons that lasted almost seven minutes. Lyons later scored again, this time on a 7-yard draw play that was the result of a perfectly executed two-minute drill by Keith. The Generals were able to take a 14-7 lead into the locker room.
"Dylan is so poised and cool. He has supreme confidence in his ability but at the same time understands his role in the game as a game manager," said Morency. "And he is only going to get better. He is just realizing the potential he has as a quarterback."
After the game, Keith spoke about his two-man security blanket.
"It's pretty unreal how Trev (Lyons) just showed up last game (when Tucker went down). He broke tackles all day like he did today and that's what we need," said Keith. " Same with Burr, he goes hard to the hole every time."
Keith's main target in the contest was senior receiver Jimmy Love, who hauled in seven catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Love and Keith connected on four passes for over 10 yards including a 48-yard fade pass.
Love's first touchdown came in the third quarter on a wide-receiver hitch play, where the senior caught the ball at the line of scrimmage and then stiff-armed a Sachem defender as he rumbled into the end zone. His second came in the fourth, when he burned a Pentucket corner, then caught a great 16-yard touch pass from Keith.
Love's most impressive play of the contest didn't even come on the offensive side of the ball, however. When Pentucket took over down 13 points in the fourth, signal caller Mike Doud hit Nolan Dragon on a screen pass and Dragon broke a couple of tackles and appeared to be destined for the end zone as the final seconds ticked off the clock. However Love, who Morency purposely puts into the defense in late game situations, chased Dragon down with a shoe string tackle just yards shy of scoring on what proved to be the final play of the game.
"Jimmy making that play just shows the heart he has, I put him out there on 'D' at the end for that reason," said Morency. "Him hustling (Dragon) down shows his willingess to win. He is a gamer. I am glad he is on our side."
