WINTHROP — It took a minute for Jon von Barta and his Swampscott teammates to fire on all cylinders Thursday, but once they did, they were a Big Blue steamroller.
The sophomore quarterback completed 14-of-18 passes for 212 yards, had five carries for 26 yards, and accounted for four total touchdowns as Swampscott erupted in the second half of a 38-15 road victory over Northeastern Conference foe Winthrop.
“We knew that we were the better team,” von Barta said. “We knew that we could get it done, we just had to click. I feel like we’ve been looking for that all year, that amount of points, that (momentum) on offense.”
Bitter cold conditions took full effect by sunset at Miller Field, and both teams struggled to find tempo. After forcing a short punt to midfield, Swampscott (4-2) drew first blood with 7:49 to play in the first half. Senior running back Henry Beuttler plowed through a pile from seven yards out to stake a 6-0 lead.
Winthrop (3-3) was playing without star running back Nick Cappuccio, so the Vikings used a three-headed ground game of Seth Sacco, William Murphy and Sean Dolen.
Winthrop was denied on a controversial play to end the second quarter, as another pileup ensued on the Swampscott goal line. Following an extended delay, referees said that the ball was punched loose and recovered by the Big Blue. As a result, the 6-0 edge stood.
“You get backed up like that, and you kind of stay in the previous moment of giving up a play,” said Swampscott coach Peter Bush. “We moved on. These kids? They’re dangerous when they move on. They play the moment that’s happening in front of them. They don’t think of the past, they think of the future. That’s when this team is playing at their best. I think they did a good job of that tonight.”
Von Barta took over on a march downfield to start the second half. The sophomore beat the rush to the edge off a fake handoff for a five-yard TD to extend it to a 12-0 lead. Then, moments later, he would find Joe Marino on a five-yard touchdown slant, and Swampscott was up 18-0.
Winthrop cut it to 18-7 off a highlight reel 34-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Noonan to Sacco at the end of the third quarter, but the Big Blue answered in rapid succession. With 11:00 left in regulation, von Barta punched in another score with a one-yard rush, and Swampscott coasted from there.
Beuttler finished with 15 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns for Swampscott, while Marino had five receptions for 103 yards and a pair of scores.
“I think the kids just stayed the course,” said Bush. “We just talked at halftime defensively about tackling better, and on offense, we wanted to cut down on the penalties. Our kids were patient…it was a patient thing.”
