You can only have one “last football game at Manning Field” if you are a high school player in Lynn.
And Lynn English High School senior Anthony Timmons certainly had one of the greatest last games ever, leading the Bulldogs to a 14-6 victory over Lynn Classical in the annual “Thanksgiving” contest played on May 7 at Manning Field.
Timmons did everything but sell tickets to the game, as they say. The 5-foot-10-inch, 200-pound senior running back and linebacker rushed for 212 yards and scored two touchdowns. He had several tackles and a forced fumble and sealed the victory with an interception late in the game.
Lynn English head coach and former Bulldog great Chris Carroll, who as a quarterback and safety helped English go 4-0 (from 2002 to 2005) in Thanksgiving games against Classical, could only marvel at Timmons’ performance for the ages.
“Anthony had a tremendous game,” said Carroll, who went on to star at Bentley University. “He did it all for us.”
The English coach was proud to see his team put together a solid two-way effort after setbacks to Everett and Revere.
“After a couple of tough weeks with Everett and Revere to start the season, it was nice to bounce back and really play a good football game,” said Carroll. “Our defense was outstanding and the offense moved the ball really well.”
In addition to Timmons’ defensive contributions, Carroll also singled out defensive tackle and captain Ryan Dewan, defensive lineman Nolan Mulcahy, and defensive backs Shea Palmer (interception) and DJ Brathwaite. Quarterback Jesse Maggs did an excellent job running the English offense.
Timmons, who has committed to Bridgewater State University, said he hoped that he would get an opportunity to play his final football season after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the fall season.
“It meant so much to be able to play that last game at Manning,” said Timmons. “Coach Carroll was more happy than anything that we beat Classical but he did let us know that we should have put more points up against them. He was very happy with our defense.”
Timmons was a four-year football player, compiling a 3-1 record against Classical. He said the Bulldogs showed their capabilities and improvement in the win over Classical.
“I fully believe that we would have been a playoff team if we had a full season,” said Timmons.
What does the English-Classical Thanksgiving rivalry mean to him?
“I just know there’s a long line of alumni that come to the game every year,” said Timmons. “My dad (former offensive lineman Tony Timmons) is an alumnus of English himself. He loves the Thanksgiving games. I’ve been going to the games since I was little. Just watching the games, I always knew that I was going to be on that field one day. There’s so much history to English-Classical. I knew this was my last game against our crosstown rivals. It was special, it really was. I couldn’t have written a better script for my last game at Manning.”
Anthony had a large family rooting section in attendance, including his parents, Tony and Rachel, his three younger brothers, Nicholas, 13, Joseph, 10, and Michael, 8, uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends. Two of his cousins, Shea Palmer and Dennis Davison, were his Lynn English teammates this season and both excelled versus Classical.
Anthony, played youth football in the East Lynn Pop Warner Bulldogs and Lynn Chargers organizations, is excited to begin his college football career Bridgewater State University in August. “I’m just going to try just as hard for a starting position as I did at English,” said Timmons. “I want to keep playing football because year-round you build that camaraderie and it’s unmatched. I love my teammates at English.”
Ever a humble athlete, Timmons made it a point to thank his offensive linemen for their efforts in his own memorable 212-yard performance against Classical. “From left to right we had Greg Gomez, Ryan Dewan, Tyler Furlong, Nolan Mulcahy, and Christian Difo – they did a great job and our quarterback Jesse Maggs really led our team well,” said Timmons.
Timmons was excited to learn that Agganis Football All-Star Classic officials may be hosting the game this summer.
“That would be awesome,” said Timmons.