Swampscott takes control in second half to defeat the Winthrop Vikings

The Winthrop High School football was once again competitive against a playoff-bound opponent, but a lack of offensive punch was the decisive factor in a 34-7 loss to Swampscott High on Senior Night at Miller Filler at Coach Bob DeFelice Stadium.

“In three of our four losses, we’ve shown that we can play well for a half and three quarters, but we can’t get over that hump right now,” said head coach Jon Cadigan, whose team fell to 3-4 with one game remaining (Thursday at Salem) before the MIAA playoffs begin next week.

Cadigan said the Winthrop offense hasn’t been producing enough first downs against quality opponents to control the clock.

“If you pick up one or two first downs during the course of the game, that’s 4-5 minutes that you don’t have to be on the field defensively,” said Cadigan. “That’s what hurting us, especially in the second half when we’re not possessing the ball because we’re not picking up first downs.”

A sensational catch by sophomore Johnny Ferrara

For Winthrop fans, the highlight of the game was sophomore Johnny Ferrara’s superlative catch of a pass from quarterback Charlie Ferrara.

“It was a great throw, and I still don’t know how he caught it,” said Cadigan. “When you watch from our end zone camera, he is looking over his right shoulder, and he had to track the ball from his right shoulder all the way to his left shoulder without looking back. It really was an unbelievable catch because there was a defender on him.”

Cadigan said the catch reminded him of centerfielder Willie Mays’ over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, widely considered one of the greatest baseball plays of all time.

Senior captain Desmond Cassidy scored Winthrop’s lone touchdown in the game, his third of the season.

Spinale, Ferrara claim Black Shirt Award

Dom Spinale and Mike Ferrara were the co-recipients of the Vikings’ Black Shirt Defensive Player of the Game Award.

A playoff tuneup versus Salem

With a playoff berth virtually clinched, the Vikings will be looking to re-establish their offensive firepower in a game against Salem Thursday (6:30 p.m.) at Bertram Field. Coach Cadigan arranged a challenging non-league schedule, and it has paid dividends in the MIAA ratings system.

Winthrop would improve its playoff ranking with a victory over the Witches and wins by such past opponents as Northeast, Swampscott, Gloucester, and Essex Tech.