MELROSE — Leading up to its Middlesex League interdivision showdown against visiting Winchester, Melrose game planned around its tight end, Conor Barrington.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound sophomore executed the plan Friday night, reeling in three catches from senior quarterback Nathan Geer for 70 yards and two touchdowns.
Paired with a stout effort from the Red Hawks’ defense, the duo connected for passing scores of 13 and 35 yards to help Melrose pull away for a 35-21 victory at Fred Green Memorial Field.
“All week in practice, we’ve been scheming around [Barrington],” said Geer, who completed 11 of 15 passes for two TDs and added another 1-yard score on a keeper late in the fourth quarter.
“We saw a ton of stuff throughout the film and at halftime, made some adjustments, and found him open down field.”
Barrington said he was “locked in” throughout the week, while Melrose coach Tim Morris described the performance as a “breakout” for the tandem.
“They found each other a bit,” said Morris. “We’ve been running the ball a lot, so I like getting that part of our game going.”
After taking a 28-21 lead following a 4-yard touchdown run by senior CJ Cinella Jr. with 8:49 remaining, Melrose (3-1) forced a three-and-out on Winchester’s ensuing possession.
The Red Hawks then chewed up 5:20 of clock before Geer plunged in with 2:03 remaining to seal the win.
“We’ve got to be way better in our execution — from quarterback to running back to line to receivers,” said Winchester coach Wally Dembowski after the Red & Black fell to 3-1. “We didn’t block the perimeter. We didn’t do a thing right offensively.”
Winchester senior QB Peter Alexopoulos (6 of 18, 162 yards, 2 TDs, INT) threw touchdown passes to classmates Andrew Haigis (77 yards) and William Bolognese (25 yards) in addition to running for a 9-yard score.
Melrose junior Parker Siebel opened the scoring with a 55-yard punt return in the first quarter.
