No. 1 over 2; Devils outlast Pioneers.

AuthorDoyle, Bill
PositionSports

Byline: Bill Doyle

LEOMINSTER -- It looks like the decision of Leominster High football coach Dave Palazzi to switch Neil O'Connor from wide receiver to quarterback this season was a smart one.

O'Connor ran for three touchdowns and passed for a fourth to lift No. 1 Leominster past No. 2 St. John's, 33-22, Friday night in the season opener for both teams in front of a large crowd at Doyle Field.

O'Connor, a T&G All-Star receiver last season, sealed the victory by running 23 yards for the game's final touchdown with 1:49 left.

Leominster had a fourth-and-1, and the Pioneers crowded the line to try to get a stop and earn a chance to pull out the victory, but O'Connor sprinted to the right, then down the sideline untouched.

O'Connor missed a few plays late in the third quarter with cramps in both legs and wasn't really 100 percent for the rest of the game, but he still had enough to get around the right side of the line and into the end zone to clinch the victory.

"It helped that there was no one there,'' O'Connor said. "So I could just jog into the end zone, but I felt it.''

O'Connor earlier had touchdown runs of 1 and 13 yards, and he connected with Jake Allain on an 18-yard scoring pass. He completed 17 of 22 passes for 173 yards and ran 12 times for 68 yards.

Leominster has beaten St. John's in their last three regular-season meetings and in each of the past two Division 1 Super Bowls.

"It's great,'' O'Connor said. "It's always a battle with them. This is definitely the most fun team to play, them and Fitchburg.''

Quarterback Drew Smiley accounted for all three St. John's touchdowns, running 7 yards for the first one, then passing 7 yards to Michael McGillicuddy and 26 yards to Davon Jones. Smiley completed 20 of 34...

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