WEST ROXBURY – Malcolm Mason returned the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown and the Lawrence Academy football team never looked back.
Mason added a touchdown reception on offense and an interception on defense, helping the Spartans top the Roxbury Latin Foxes, 27-0, on Saturday at O’Keeffe Field.
“First-ever kickoff return touchdown, so it felt great,” Mason said. “I caught it, saw an opening, and hit it.”
The Spartans (3-1) scored on their first three drives, building a lead in the first half that Roxbury Latin (1-3) couldn’t overcome. Mason capped the first Spartans’ possession with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Campbell, with Lucas Spinelli’s kick making it 14-0 with 5:37 left in the first quarter.
Isaiah Green recovered a fumble to end Roxbury Latin’s next possession, and three plays later beat his defender deep. Campbell lofted a pass to Green down the far sideline, which Green caught and ran the rest of the field for a 67-yard field goal.
Campbell finished 13-for-14 for 248 yards and two touchdowns, with Green finishing with 94 receiving yards and Matt Tybor with 85.
“Our quarterback was on,” said Spartans coach Jason Swepson. “He made an audible on third-and-short for a long touchdown, so he’s seeing it. He’s playing at a high, high level, and I feel good going into the meat of our schedule.”
An 8-yard touchdown run by Dillon Dulong (16 carries, 90 yards) made it 27-0 midway through the second quarter, and the defense took over from there. Jacob Strojny led the Foxes down the field several times, but every time the Spartans’ defense came up with a stop.
Strojny tried to find a receiver in the end zone on third-and-13 from the Spartan 41-yard line, but Mason picked off the pass with 12 seconds left until halftime. Strojny then put together an 18-play drive that chewed up most of the second half, getting his team as close as the Spartan 7.
The Foxes tried a trick play on third-and-goal in which Strojny pitched to receiver Nitin Muniappan behind the line of scrimmage. Muniappan was hoping to find a receiver in the end zone, but instead had to take a three-yard loss to set up fourth down.
Green read Strojny’s pass into the end zone, jumped up and batted it away to end the drive. He then picked up a first down on a 12-yard reception late in the fourth, and the Spartans were able to run out the clock from there.
Strojny finished 16-for-35 for 132 yards. Finn Leary led the receiving corps, catching 11 passes for 93 yards.
“Both teams played pretty well, and sometimes that’s just how things go down,” said Roxbury Latin coach Matt Golden. “I’m proud of our guys. In the huddle, our kids all had the right tone and had the right message. We’re looking forward.”
