Photo and story by Michael James LeClair

The Lunenburg Bengals 5th grade squad has had a season to remember in 2011.
    The team, a member of the American Youth Football Organization, entered Sunday’s final regular season game against visiting Groton-Dunstable riding high. The Bengals took the field with an impressive 7-1 record, including four consecutive shutouts.
    Unfortunately for Bengals fans the team dropped a 20-14 decision to the Crusaders on the FieldTurf at Lunenburg High School.
    Despite the loss, the Bengals are 7-2 and will host Littleton on Saturday evening in the first round of the postseason.
    “It’s a little disappointing for us to lose our last regular season game, but I think maybe the kids were looking past this one and towards the playoffs,” said Bengals head coach Scott Mackenzie after Sunday’s defeat. “We’re a better team than how we played today. Groton played us tough so give them credit.”
    According to Mackenzie, who is in his first year as the Bengals 5th grade head coach and third year with the Bengals football program, the team has had come a long way since losing the season opener on the road against Tyngsboro 25-0 back on August 27.
    “It’s been a great year for us, no matter what happens in the playoffs. Many of the kids have stepped up their games,” said McKenzie, who has 23 kids on his roster. “After we got blown out in our first game of the season we changed things up, moved some kids around and then put it all back together and things really improved.”
    There are several members of this year’s edition who have helped get the Bengals to where they are today, including: Dustin Powell, Mike Nowd, Max Bigelow, Nick Hall, Andrew Downey, Cam Mackenzie, Liam Asselin, Jason Reynolds and Nick Huntington.
    “Mike and Jason are both going to be All-Stars this year. The team will find out this week. They are absolute beasts and did a great job for us,” said Mackenzie. “Andrew O’Leary has been kicking for us this year and he’s been phenomenal. He’s given us great field position and is a big part of all these wins.”
    On the offensive side the Bengals have scored a combined 151 points in nine games. Leading the unit is quarterback Chris Costich. Powell, Nowd and Bigelow all see carries out of the backfield and the offensive line does its best to block and open up holes for its running backs.
    The defense has had many stars as well. Players like Reynolds, who according to Mackenzie, started as an offensive lineman before being moved to nose tackle. It’s a defensive unit that had surrendered just 19 points during the team’s seven game winning streak entering Sunday.
    “We had 10 kids come out this year who have never played organized football before and I turned to my other coaches and said that if we kept five of these 10 kids I’d be happy,” said Mackenzie. “All 10 kids stayed with us and all 10 have improved and gotten better as the season progressed.”
    The four captains on this year’s team are Powell, Costich, Bigelow and JR Nelson.
    As for Sunday’s game, the Crusaders struck first with a late first quarter touchdown before the Bengals answered. Nowd found the house with a 45-yard run inside the final three minutes of the first quarter. Groton-Dunstable struck again just before the halftime whistle with 17 seconds remaining and took a 14-7 lead into intermission.
    The visitors expanded the lead to 20-7 midway through the third quarter following a Lunenburg turnover before Nowd answered on the Bengals ensuing possession with a 54-yard touchdown run to make it 20-14.
    Neither team could find paydirt in the final 10-minute quarter
    However the Bengals had an opportunity with just under a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter, Huntington stepped up and made a big interception at the Bengals 21-yard line. Lunenburg managed to get off four plays in the final 1:24 but couldn’t push the ball beyond its own 30-yard line.
    Along with head coach Scott Mackenzie the Bengals were assisted by coaches Dave Nelson, Chris Nowd, Joe Hall and Dave Bremer. The squad has two team moms including Debra Hall and Colleen Costich.