BEVERLY — The Beverly High football checklist for 2025 is now complete.
“We had three goals coming into the season: make the playoffs, having a winning season and beat Salem,” tight end and senior captain Cal McCay said after his Panthers downed their archrivals, 34-8, Thursday at Hurd Stadium in the 127th playing of what’s long been known in North Shore sporting circles as ‘The Game’.
“We checked off the final two boxes today,” added McCay, “and it’s everything I dreamed of. This day couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Retaining the Veterans Memorial Bridge Trophy for the second straight year, Beverly got touchdowns from five different players, saw senior captain Danny Pierce throw for 216 yards and a pair of scores, and most importantly finished with a winning record (6-5) for the first since 2017.
“It feels great to see all the hard work that the seniors have put in pay off,” admitted captain Sean Costa, who rambled for a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
“We talked all week about how we were 1-10 on the varsity when these guys were freshmen,” head coach Jeff Hutton added. “But this senior class climbed their way up and got the things they worked so hard to achieve. Hopefully, this is a springboard for even better things to come for us next year and beyond.”
The Orange-and-Black piled up 401 yards of offense, got two fumble recoveries (plus a quarterback sack) from senior defensive lineman Jerome Sutton, and their first team defense didn’t give up a point. By the start of the fourth quarter, the game went to running time.
“It’s kind of crazy that it’s over now,” said Pierce, who threw for 1,443 yards and 18 touchdowns this fall. “I knew coach was taking me out late in the third quarter and I just tried to take it all in, with the fans cheering and all.”
Coming in with some key players battling through injuries and others unable to suit up — and still others who got banged up during the holiday contest — Salem (3-8) did what they could to prevent Beverly from imposing its will. The Witches trailed by only a score after one quarter, and it was 14-0 in the second before the Panthers scored once again on the final play before halftime.
Beverly — which now holds a 66-54-7 all-time edge in the longest Thanksgiving rivalry in North Shore annals — had two more visits to the end zone within a 15-second span in the third quarter, dashing the Witches’ upset hopes.
“We just weren’t competitive enough overall,” veteran head coach Matt Bouchard said. “One of the things we’re trying to do to gain a competitive advantage against a talented team like this is being able to read guys, and we didn’t do that enough on some of their early drives. Things could’ve popped for us if we made the right decisions, but instead we lost some momentum … and in a game as big as this one, you need that momentum.”
Sophomore Stephan Sullivan gave Beverly a 7-0 lead when he converted a double handoff from 14 yards out, and junior Luca Guevara tacked on the first of his four extra points. Pierce then found senior Floyd White for a 44-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, with White graduating with a school record 14 TD grabs this season.
“You’ve got to start fast in games like this when you’re favored to keep the momentum, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Hutton.
A second-effort 7-yard scoring run through the middle of the defense by Pierce made it 21-0 Beverly at half, and Costa’s scoring run extended the lead three minutes into the third quarter. After Anthony Sullivan recovered the ensuing onside kick his team, Pierce immediately went to the air and found McCay for a 40-yard scoring strike.
“Getting one TD here at home as a senior means a lot more than the three I had over there last year,” McCay said with a wide grin.
The Witches averted the shutout with four minutes remaining when Kelvin Jean Louis (game-high 75 yards rushing on 4 carries) broke through the defense and down the right sideline for a 52-yard score. Junior quarterback Jake Lister’s 2-point rush accounted for the contest’s final points.
Bouchard singled out the play of senior captain Elvis Espinal, the running back who gutted it out through an injury to log 50 yards on 15 carries; “face of the program guy” Oscar Fernandez and his fine two-way play at receiver and in the secondary; senior playmaker Cesar Mesa Catillo; junior middle linebacker Fionn Coughlin (who had a QB sack); and particularly sophomore tight end/outside linebacker Jeremiah Barahona.
“Jeremiah came to us from (Lynn) and was ineligible for most of the season but he practiced every day with us, grinding and knowing he had to wait until (first quarter) grades came out,” said Bouchard. “He got his grades in the right situation, worked his tail off and started both ways for us today.”
Seniors Alex Marquez on the defensive line, wideout and defensive back Xavier Auk, Ricky Torres at center, Costa’s all-around defensive excellence and linebacker Lucas Monfette (“his best game in a Beverly uniform,” lauded Hutton) all played key roles in the win for the Panthers. Pierce also singled out his offensive line: juniors Isaiah Zohn, Joao Reis, Teddy Fisher and Tyler Limongello, along with the senior in the middle, Torres.
“I was hyped to get out there, get into the end zone and celebrate with the guys,” said Costa. “It feels like the perfect ending to the season.”
Beverly 34, Salem 8
at Hurd Stadium, Beverly
Salem (3-8) 0 0 0 8 8
Beverly (6-5) 7 14 13 0 34
Scoring summary
B — Stephan Sullivan 14 run (Luca Guevara kick)
B — Floyd White 44 pass from Danny Pierce (Guevara kick)
B — Pierce 7 run (Guevara kick)
B — Sean Costa 7 run (kick failed)
B — Cal McCay 40 pass from Pierce (Guevara kick)
S — Kelvin Jean Louis 52 run (Jake Lister rush)
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Salem — Kelvin Jean Louis 4-75, Elvis Espinal 15-50, Jake Lister 6-8; Beverly — Stephan Sullivan 6-38, Danny Pierce 8-38, Sean Costa 7-34, Xavier Auk 1-20, Sean Okhuozagbon 6-18, Elvis Heredia 3-13, Jerome Sutton 2-6.
PASSING: Salem — Lister 5-9-50-0-0; Beverly — Pierce 10-15-216-2-0; Tommy Collins 1-1-18-0-0.
RECEIVING: Salem — Oscar Fernandez 2-18, Espinal 1-13, Cesar Mesa Catillo 1-11, Jayden Peterson 1-8; Beverly — Floyd White 5-93, Cal McCay 3-91, Auk 2-24, Will Johnson 1-18, Okhuozagbon 1-8.
Contact Phil Stacey
@PhilStacey_SN