Lexington — When the pressure is greatest and his team needs him most, Lexington senior quarterback Sal Frelick produces magic.
Thanks to Frelick’s heroics, Lexington pulled away from Brockton early and held on late for a 42-28 home victory in Saturday’s season opener at Dr. Harold Crumb Field.
Frelick, who is headed to Boston College to play baseball next year, led Lexington on three scoring drives to open a 21-0 lead, pacing the way to a 28-7 halftime advantage.
When Brockton mounted a furious 21-point rally in the fourth quarter, eventually trimming the deficit to 35-28, Frelick sealed the victory by breaking off a 62-yard touchdown run.
“Our offensive line has worked so hard and we have some new guys fitting in perfectly,’’ Frelick said. “Our coaches are putting us in positions to succeed. I hate to do these interviews by myself because my team really came up big. This was huge.’’
It marked Lexington’s first win over the Boxers in program history in the first meeting between the schools since Brockton’s victory in the 1984 Super Bowl.
“It was circled on our schedule since the preseason,’’ Frelick said, “and getting that first win is always a great feeling.’’
The Minutemen dominated the first half. Frelick found junior wide receiver Anthony Bianchi (seven catches, 82 yards) with a 7-yard TD, and senior running back Ben Quint (152 yards) scored on touchdown runs of 49 and 30 yards.
Quint also hauled in a 19-yard TD pass from Frelick in the second quarter.
While he didn’t put up eye-popping numbers early, Frelick’s clutch performance made all the difference.
On third downs, the 5-foot-10-inch, 175-pound signal-caller was 5-of-6 passing for 81 yards. He threw a touchdown on third down and had a 10-yard scamper on a fourth-down conversion, as well.
Frelick sustained drives and ran circles around Brockton’s fatigued defense, finishing with 190 rushing yards, 182 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
“We put a lot of stress on teams in those situations because [Frelick] has the ability to run around,’’ said Lexington coach George Peterson. “And we give him the freedom to do a lot of different things.
“We play to the whistle because we know he’s going to make things happen like he did today.’’
On the other side of the ball, Brockton senior quarterback Jose Monteiro Jr. also showed impressive improvisation and a live arm.
He threw for 187 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 63 yards in the second half to lead the Boxers’ comeback.
After the Minutemen failed to recover a Boxers onside kick, allowing Brockton to make it a one-score game with 90 seconds remaining, Frelick responded with another touchdown run, this one from 62 yards, to secure the victory.
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