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DANVERS, Mass. – They say if you give a man an inch, he’ll take a mile.

If you give John DiBiaso a bye week, well, that doesn’t bode well for the opposing football team.

Following a lackluster 20-8 loss to Xaverian at home two weekends ago, No. 4 Everett got back to basics in its one-week reprieve. The Crimson Tide’s week spent tidying up their messy performance in the former week showed in Saturday’s matinee duel against another Catholic Conference power in No. 3 St. John’s Prep.

First order of business? Shutting down, or at least, slowing down, the state’s most feared rusher in Johnny Thomas.

Second? Getting in a time machine and going back to the future with a refigured offense, shunning the spread, which found success in recent years, in favor of a vintage Everett staple — the flexbone.

It all was there in the Crimson Tide’s emphatic 35-14 win.

So did their head coach spend the week off pouring over old game plans and film, trying to unearth old gems?

“It wouldn’t say it was homework so much as it was a lot of practice,” DiBiaso said. “We practiced very hard.”

DiBiaso was less than amused with his team’s level of execution following the loss to Xaverian, so one can imagine the vigorous tenor of the Crimson Tide’s practices in the week since we saw them last.

Also, Everett (2-1) received an addition shot in the arm in the form of a new addition – senior running back/linebacker Isaiah Davis.

Davis, who previously suited up for Lynn English, was granted a waiver last week allowing the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder to see his first game action of the season with the Crimson Tide. He had an immediate impact, first scoring on a 15-yard run for a 7-0 first-quarter lead. Then, after Everett recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Davis ran for his second score from 2 yards out.

“I can’t be more happy for him, he’s been waiting patiently for his opportunity,” DiBiaso said. “He got it and he came up very big. He played fantastic and I think he put himself on the map among the elite players in the state.”

The Crimson Tide amassed a three-score lead by early in the second quarter, after Joe D’Onofrio’s 2-yard touchdown run.

But Prep (2-2) countered, making it a two-possession again before the half was out.

Running their two-minute drill, the Eagles drove 74 yards in two minutes even to set up Mike Geaslen’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Owen Rockett on the final play of the half. The game clock had nearly expired before Prep got the snap off, with Geaslen lofting a fade over the head of the defense on a schoolyard-ball type play.

The Eagles whittled the lead down to a touchdown in the fourth, with backup running back Cody Harwood running for a 4-yard touchdown with 9:32 to play.

Harwood entered the game after Thomas, a preseason All-Stater and early season Mr. Football favorite, left the game to a right knee injury.

But Everett would not be denied. Following Harwood’s score, the Crimson Tide chewed up 64 yards on three plays with quarterback Raheem Wingard selling the option and zooming up the left sideline 25 yards for a 28-14 lead with less than eight minutes remaining.

The Eagles’ final two drives ended in a Crimson Tide fumble recovery and turnover downs, respectively, before D’Onofrio iced it with his second rushing touchdown of the game.

“We just can’t spot them points, I don’t care how good you are – not against them,” Prep head coach Jim O’Leary said. “It was very similar to the [Bridgewater-Raynham] game. The second half, we made mistakes and the ball didn’t bounce our way.

“There was no magic involved. They played well, they had a bye week and they coached them up.”

Greater cause for concern: Thomas, a Maryland commit, left the game after a late third-quarter carry.

While attempting to cut to the sideline, the senior was met by duo of Everett tacklers and driven to the turf. After being attended to by trainers, Thomas walked off the field under his own power, but with staff members flanking him under each arm. He did not return.

Postgame, O’Leary said Thomas was examined by the doctor on hand, but didn’t want to speculate to the injury’s long-term severity, pending an MRI.

“We’re not going to play with 10 guys,” O’Leary added. “We’re going to play with 11 next week and, hopefully, we get him back.”

The concern over Thomas’ injury wasn’t exclusive to Prep’s sideline.

“He’s a great back,” DiBiaso said. “He got a lot of good yards and our prayers are with him. We hope it’s nothing serious.”

Grounding the Eagles: As was after Thomas’ injury, great attention was paid to the Prep back, who accounted for 86 yards on 17 carries in the first half alone, in the lead up to Saturday’s game.

With two weeks to game plan against the Eagles’ ground game, DiBiaso again mixed things up.

Josh Palmer, a 5-foot-9, 205-pound defensive tackle, was moved back to linebacker, joining an already stout corps. The move allowed the Crimson Tide to play a 3-5 base, at times stacking all 11 players in the box, in hopes of neutralizing the state’s top running talent.

“We recognize [Thomas is] the best player in the state and we were going to try to mold our defense to try to force them into doing other things to beat us,” DiBiaso said. “We put Josh [Palmer] back at linebacker with Angel [Duarte], C.J. [Parvelus] and Lubern [Figaro] and Isaiah [Davis] shadowing [Thomas] the whole game.

Of course, a plan is just that. Without players versatile enough to plug into the system, it falls flat.

“He’s just an athlete, he can play anywhere,” Duarte said of Palmer joining the ranks of the LBs. “He’s got the speed, he’s big. We put him out there anywhere and he did a great job for us.”

The Times They Are A-Changin’: After watching his son, Jonathan, break multiple state passing records during his career with the Crimson Tide, Everett’s offensive groupings have steadily morphed in the last two years.

It’s not anything new, but Saturday might have marked an unofficial return to the good ole days. DiBiaso reflected on his new-look, old-feel offense.

“You’re a stupid coach if you do something that your personnel isn’t equipped to execute. We’ve run the spread successfully for about four years, but our personnel is more fit for this.

“We have three good running backs and an option-style quarterback, so shame on me for not doing it earlier.”

With Davis, D’Onofrio and fullback Marquis Holman holding it down in the backfield, the Crimson Tide has tried to strike balance on offense.

Wingard made two big connections to Lukas Denis (2 passes defended on defense, as well), helping to set up two touchdown drives.

“He made two good catches on play-action passes, and if you’re going to run that offense, you have to hit on play-actions,” DiBiaso said of Denis.

Of course, there’s still room for improvement though: “I think we did a decent job. We’ve only been running it for two weeks, so hopefully we’ll get even better as weeks go on.”

WEST ROXBURY, Mass. -- Following last week's season-opening loss to Milton Academy, St. Sebastian's knew one slipped through its fingers — due, in part, to some costly turnovers which led to their demise.

On Saturday, the Arrows saw things from a different perspective — bearing witness to advantages one can have when they are on the receiving end of turnovers. Roxbury Latin was the gracious gift giver, coughing up the ball on its first three possessions. That led to three touchdowns for the Arrows as they went on to roll, 37-7, in an ISL contest held at Schoolhouse Field.

Still stinging from Milton Academy defeat, St. Sebastian's, who finished 9-0 a year ago and took home the Arthur Valicenti Bowl trophy, set a precedent all week that its season begins now.

Such attitude appeared to work. The Arrows (1-1) proved highly-effective on both sides of the ball against the Foxes. They limited Roxbury Latin's offense to 153 yards, just 49 in the opening half. Offensively, they finished with 290 yards — much of that coming from its strong ground attack consisting of Connor Strachan, Blake Gallagher and Edosa Onaiwu.

"Last week, we made three big mistakes and it costs us," Arrows longtime coach Bob Souza said. "This time, Roxbury Latin made the mistakes. We did a lot of good things against Milton and our kids knew it. I told the kids this league is still up for grabs and we still have our destiny under our control. I think we'll be in the hunt for a title throughout the year."

After shutting out St. Paul's last week, the Foxes (1-1) were feeling good about their chances entering this one. But confidence suddenly turned to panic after a pair of miscues in the opening minutes gave the Arrows a short field to work with.

The first mistake came after punter John Baron couldn't handle the snap, losing control of the ball that was recovered by Miles Hunter, allowing St. Sebastian's to set up shop on the Roxbury Latin 20. Four plays later, Strachan (52 yards on 8 carries) scored from a yard out giving the Arrows a 7-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Foxes returner Parker Kent failed to field the ball cleanly, allowing an alert John McNamara to pounce on it.

Standing the at the Foxes' 15-yard line, St. Sebastian's needed only one play to go up by two scores as Strachan busted through for the score with 4:11 still left in the initial quarter.

"We knew coming off our loss last week that we needed to be firing for this game," said Strachan, a Boston College commit. "We have a bunch of kids on this team playing both ways so we need to go heavy in the first half like we did today and set the pace for ourselves."

The two turnovers left Roxbury Latin deflated, as it could never get anything going thereafter. The Foxes’ run game was held in check throughout and quarterback Peter Cahill (8-of-16, 91 yards, 1 TD) was under constant pressure throughout by the Arrows' massive front line.

Things didn't get much better for Roxbury Latin to start the second quarter. Cahill was picked off by Strachan, which led to a 74-yard, 11-play drive culminated in Matt Daniel hauling in a 27-yard scoring pass from quarterback Geoff Wade and go up by 20.

"We told the kids all week leading up to this game that we needed to start fast," said Souza, who was inducted into the Massachusetts High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2010. "We can't let up and not give Roxbury Latin any kind of an opportunity to gain momentum. Now we just need to build on this win and continue to get better."

With under two minutes remaining before the half, St. Sebastian's offense was back at it. Following a Foxes punt, the Arrows drove 65 yards behind Gallagher (9 carries, 86 yards) and Onaiwu (64 yards on 10 rushes) before Strachan was given the ball from the 1-yard line and dove across for his third touchdown to send St. Sebastian's into the break well in-command at 27-0.

"Anytime the defense can come out and do what they did and put the offense in good positions to score that's huge," said Wade. "We aren't looking to gain 500 yards a game, we just want to put the ball into the end zone."

With this contest in his control, Souza began substituting other players in. But the Arrows never lost a beat. Running back James Fiore scored on a 3-yard run to begin St. Sebastian's first drive of the second half, pushing the margin to 34 points.

The Arrows added three more early in the fourth on Kevin Ginns' 27 yard field goal.

Roxbury Latin avoided the shutout in the closing minutes as Cahill connected with receiver Sean Lowrie in the back corner of the end zone.

"That's a tough team to come back against," Foxes coach Pat Ross said. "I dreaded all week in hoping we wouldn't give up something quick to them but after our first one things began to snowball. But our guys never quit and fought the entire game. We know we aren't as big as St. Sebastian's and we knew we needed to play near-perfect football against them and unfortunately it didn't work out."

TOP 25
No. 4 Everett 35, No. 3 St. John's Prep 14 | Highlights
No. 9 Bridgewater-Raynham 32, New Bedford 0
No. 11 St. John's (Shrewsbury) 20, Fitchburg 15
No. 12 Duxbury 29, Silver Lake 0

Belmont Hill 38, Groton 11
Blue Hills 36, Bishop Connolly 22
Boston Cathedral 26, Pope John Paul II 22
BB&N 35, Thayer Academy 6
Chicopee 20, Chicopee Comp 14 (OT)
Dexter 36, Kents Hill (Maine) 14
Drury 52, St. Joseph Central 22
Governor's Academy 31, Rivers 0
Hamilton-Wenham 28, Ipswich 14
Hanover 8, Middleborough 7
Marblehead 35, Swampscott 7
Matignon 32, St. Joseph Prep 28
Methuen 35, Dracut 20
Milton 28, Norwood 14
Milton Academy 48, St. George's 8
Minuteman 24, Mystic Valley 0
Lawrence Academy 49, St. Mark's 6
Noble & Greenough 32, Brooks 14
Old Colony 30, West Bridgewater 22 (OT)
Oliver Ames 37, Foxborough 6
Pentucket 19, Triton 13
Pingree 52, Tilton (N.H.) 14
Rockland 35, East Bridgewater 34
St. Peter-Marian 34, Shrewsbury 32
St. Sebastian's 37, Roxbury Latin 7
Sharon 32, Canton 12
Somerset-Berkley 38, Coyle-Cassidy 0
Upper Cape 34, Nantucket 28 (OT)
Uxbridge 34, Worcester North 0

Editor Scott Barboza checks in with highlights from No. 2 Mansfield's 35-14 win over Hockomock rival North Attleborough on Friday night in our Game of the Week:

(Highlights produced by Greg Story)

No. 2 Mansfield opened its Hockomock Kelley-Rex play in Friday's Game of the Week action, taking on rival North Attleborough.

The Hornets remained unbeaten with a 35-14 win on the heels of another big game from running back Miguel Villar-Perez. With two first-half touchdowns, Villar-Perez ran for 114 yards on 14 carries.

Editor Scott Barboza caught up with Villar-Perez for this segment, brought to you by Sports Authority and Bay State Games:

(Video produced by Greg Story)

Some quick-hit thoughts from around Massachusetts as we conclude another wild Friday night of the MIAA football season:

1. Scary moment for Taunton this afternoon in its battle with King Philip, when the Tigers’ two-way lineman Cian Doherty lay motionless on the turf and was carted off the field in an ambulance. Doherty took to Twitter tonight to let everyone know he’s OK, which has to be a sigh of relief for anyone who was there to see it live. We wish Cian a healthy (and speedy) recovery.

2a.You don't schedule the Catholic Conference's big three (St. John's Prep, BC High and Xaverian) unless you think you have the horses. It is understated what gumption Red Raiders coach Chris Whidden had by dropping Durfee and Sandwich from the schedule to pick up Xaverian and BC High in back-to-back weeks, especially when you consider what they lost. They graduated 24 seniors from last year's squad, one of the best in school history, which included ESPN Boston Offensive Player of the Year Nick Peabody as well as All-Staters Andrew Ellis and Tedaro France.

When you play the big boys, you've got to take big shots, and Barnstable took two big shots at the end to win it -- first, the corner fade to Derek Estes, then the big 50-yard heave to Colby Blaize that set up Derek Pacheco's winning field goal. If you saw last week's win over BC High, you could have seen these home run calls coming. Whidden is a shrewd play-caller, knows how to exploit holes in a defense, and knows how to keep them honest.

If I'm in Division 2 South, I would hate to be the team that draws Barnstable -- which sits tied for seventh in our latest bracketology -- in the first round. It's one game, sure, but it feels like we could be on the verge of something special again with these guys.

2b. Getting trounced by D-Y 37-9 in the opening weekend of the season was apparently the best thing to happen to Barnstable. The Raiders got gassed repeatedly by D-Y's read option game, and so conditioning has been an emphasis ever since -- a typical Monday, for instance, might involve a combination of 100 up-downs and a half-dozen 100-yard sprints. The conditioning was evident tonight. Watching Estes in man coverage, it felt like he could run with his man all night.

2c. As Twitter follower Kyle Estabrooks (@kestabrooks86) points out, Barnstable is 20-2 at home since 2009. If you want to break that down even further, the Raiders have just one loss at home since Chris Whidden officially took over in 2011. Whidden joked in post-game, "It's a different world once you cross that bridge", but it definitely feels like there's some Voodoo brewing down there on West Main Street.

3. With league play underway, there were a good amount of traditional Thanksgiving rivals squaring off tonight. My first stop tonight was at Plymouth North, which was hosting Thanksgiving rival Plymouth South, and the 4 p.m. start didn't seem to matter. A capacity crowd watched South escape Romano Field with a win, and the place took on a playoff-like environment. The new playoff format is going to test the strength of traditional Thanksgiving rivalries, but if the North-South game is any indication, the good ones will be just fine.

4. That said, Friday football games are meant to be played on Friday nights. Understandably, many of these afternoon starts are related to the EEE precautions that annually envelop Southeastern Massachusetts, but if you must move a game from night to day, Saturday afternoon is a much better fit. There's just something awkward about a Friday afternoon football game.

5. Since its 31-23 loss to Everett in the opening weekend, No. 5 Springfield Central has yet to surrender a point, outscoring the opposition 98-0 over the last eight quarters. Meanwhile No. 15 Westfield hit the 300-yard mark again on the ground behind its vaunted triple option attack, beating Putnam 35-22 to give them an astounding 144 points in their first 12 quarters. The Golden Eagles and Bombers meet on Nov. 1, and it feels like that will be the game of the year in Western Mass.

6. Baton Rouge, La., prospect Dylan Moses made waves nationally earlier this week when he verbally committed to LSU as a freshman, stirring up heated debate again about the pros and cons of early offers. Personally I'm against this type of recruiting behavior, but that's beside the point here. You have to appreciate what University of Michigan men's basketball assistant coach Bacari Alexander tweeted earlier in the week about this subject:

We don't offer early because you have to date a little before marriage right? #itsAnnArbornotVegas

— Bacari Alexander (@bacari34) September 24, 2013

7. Twitter follower and local quarterbacks coach Todd Krueger made an observation tonight comparing Natick quarterback Troy Flutie to Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. It's an interesting observation, because it goes full circle. Troy naturally gets compared to his uncle Doug, a fellow Heisman winner, for his gunslinger style of play. Two weeks ago, as he prepared to take on Texas A&M, Alabama head coach Nick Saban compared Manziel to the elder Flutie.

8. Perhaps lost amidst all the hoopla about the No. 1 team in the state faltering for the fourth straight week was a very big upset in the Middlesex League, as unranked Arlington -- yes, Arlington -- took down No. 10 Reading 17-14 for the Rockets' first league loss in nearly two years. The Rockets were assumed by many to have an easy path through the league, but have been shaky to start 2013 even before tonight's upset. Kudos to John Dubzinksi Jr., who has been steadily building a quality program the last several years alongside his father and defensive coordinator, Hall of Fame former Leominster coach John Dubzinski.

ROXBURY, Mass. -- On a still, chilly New England night, in the shadows of the monumental John Hancock Tower and the Whittier Street Projects, John D. O'Bryant assistant coach Mike Branch was running with the game ball after his team's 32-16 win over rival Jeremiah E. Burke. He wasn't re-enacting a play, but was in search of a Sharpie so that players, coaches and former teammates of the late Odin Lloyd could sign the game ball that they had presented to Lloyd's mom, Ursula Ward, after the game.

"One of the best feelings in the world is to see Odin's mom smile," said Branch, who coached Lloyd at O'Bryant and at the semipro Boston Bandits. "After everything that she has been through, her loss, court appearances, to see that lady smile, that's even more precious than the win for me today."

The 27-year-old Lloyd was found shot to death June 17 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass., near the home of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and weapons charges in Lloyd's death and is being held without bail. Three others are facing charges in the case.

Shortly after Lloyd's death, Coach Branch and Burke head coach Byron Beamon, himself a former assistant at O'Bryant, talked about having a ceremony to honor Lloyd. Friday's event was a culmination of their planning with a noble purpose.

During the preseason, Beamon said the misfortune was a regular topic of talk among his team.

"'Watch the company you keep' was the main message at the end of every discussion," said Beamon. "Everyone is not your friend."

The Tigers won with a huge defensive performance. O'Bryant cheerleaders donned purple ribbons on their heads tonight with the number "82" in white emblazoned onto them in honor of Lloyd.

"Odin was looking down on us tonight," Branch said as he smiled wide. "Three defensive touchdowns, my little brother was looking down on us tonight. He would always say, 'Coach, let's get after it.'"

Rudy Christmas, 31, knew Lloyd from their days in the Tigers program. As a senior, Christmas saw an eighth-grade, junior varsity Lloyd full of youthful confidence. When Christmas came back as an assistant coach, he saw that the young bravado Lloyd had exhibited years before had become the confidence of a team leader.

"I would say that he was the heart and soul of the team," said Christmas. "He was the bronze of the team. Anytime we needed a big hit, I would be screaming his name because I knew that he would be the one to go stick his nose in the play and hit whoever was carrying the ball."

Omar Phillip, Lloyd's cousin, former Burke football player and Boston Bandit teammate, said, "He would be talking trash if he was here," and laughed.

"For real though," Phillip said, turning serious. "He would love to be here just because it was football. He loved the game."

Before the contest, the O'Bryant coaching staff and Beamon, also a former assistant at O'Bryant, presented Ward with a bouquet of flowers. The referees, as a token of their respect and compassion, gave her the coin she flipped to determine possession before the game.

"Being able to make Odin's mom smile and be happy was our main goal for this game," said O'Bryant senior Mekhi Williams. "Win or lose, there is more to life than just football. To make her smile today had a huge impact on all of us players."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- Somewhere off in the distance, as the questions persisted to his star running back and the condition of his ankle, Plymouth South coach Scott Fry couldn't help but yell out in his best attempt at a Belichickian standard.

"He'll be fine, he's 100 percent, he'll be ready for D-Y [Dennis-Yarmouth] next week," Fry chuckled as his star running back, Dylan Oxsen, discussed his on-again, off-again ankle following a 191-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Panthers' 21-14 win over archrival Plymouth North.

"I can vouch for that, I'll be fine for next week," replied the senior tailback.

It sure looked like he was taking a beating out there this afternoon, before a capacity crowd at Romano Field. On one of the game's first drives, Oxsen appeared to roll his ankle badly and disappeared to the sideline, only to re-appear several plays later. As the game went on, he took big shot after big shot from North linebackers, some leaving him sprawled on the turf and slow to get up.

It wasn't until the final minutes, the game in hand, when Oxsen -- down again, the ankle re-aggravated -- finally left the field for good. After the handshake lines had completed, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Oxsen had to be carried by two teammates to the huddle near midfield where Fry was delivering his post-game speech.

Not only did Oxsen shrug it all off, he said he wouldn't have it any other way.

"It’s just an old injury from last season, it’s been nagging. I couldn’t sit out," he said. "It’s the biggest game of the year, our rivalry against North. This is the big game.

"Everyone’s saying ‘Oh, you play North twice’ –- Yeah, we do, but once Thanksgiving comes around, the playoffs have already started. So this is the game for the playoffs. I couldn’t sit on the sideline and risk losing, while sitting and knowing I’m not helping."

Immunity at this point, perhaps?

"It really is," he laughed. "Last year, I played through four or five games of it just bugging the crap out of me. It is, it’s getting good, immunity I guess you could say."

The Panthers (3-0) took the lead early on North (1-2), opening the game with a nine-play, 65-yard, five-minute scoring drive, capped with a nine-yard strike from Rick Barnhardt to Ryan Donovan. The senior tight end released off the line of scrimmage and ran an out route to the back pylon, where he hauled in the easy pass with nobody around him.

Oxsen made it 14-0 with his second interception return in three weeks. Crashing downhill out of a Cover 2 from the safety position, Oxsen came up for help on a receiver running an out to the sideline, tipped the ball up to himself, and took off 90 yards down the sideline for the pick-six.

"I was pretty mad that I dropped the one before that," Oxsen said. "I was looking around and saw the guy in the flat or out or whatever it was, I came up pretty sure there was another guy on him... I didn’t know if I was gonna outrun everyone."

South went up two scores again early in the fourth when Oxsen broke free of a scrum and marched 58 yards to paydirt. But just when it was about to be wrapped up, North made a game of it again. Junior quarterback Cullin Cosgrove hit tight end Jesse Jason on a dime as he fell out of bounds at the one yard line. That set up Christian Carr's one-yard dive two plays later for the 21-14 score.

The Eagles had two tries late in the game, but were thwarted terrifically both times. First, on fourth and four from the Panthers five yard line, Cosgrove's waggle to the left was snuffed out by the defensive line.

"We went to a four front, one of their big plays has been...their quarterback is very good out of the pocket," Fry said. "Him having a choice between running the ball, the tight end on the drag or the fullback in the flat, gives him three different options. That’s a big play they’ve gone to, it’s one of Coach [Kevin] Cobban’s favorite plays. We went to a four front, defensive end did a nice job trying to pull up Cosgrove, did a good job covering fullback."

After a South three-and-out that saw Oxsen leave on a hobbled ankle without return, the Eagles took over at the South 42 but threw four straight incompletions taking deep shots downfield.

Risk pays off: An overlooked decision, but a crucial one nonetheless, came late in the third quarter, with South facing fourth and one from its own 37 yard line. Holding on to a 14-7 lead, with plenty of time left in the game, convention says to punt in this situation. Instead, Fry opted to call a counter play for -- who else? -- Oxsen. The gamble paid off, as Oxsen took off down the left side for a 38-yard game. And while the drive didn't end in a score, a message had been sent and momentum had shifted.

"I just thought the way they were moving the ball on us, we needed to keep the ball and control the ball," Fry said. "We’d move the ball deep down what we’d call away from our strength to the split end side, we had success with that, I thought that we could gain one yard on that play. Going into the third quarter, we were able to run that way, so I thought we could get one yard with Oxsen, who is what I think one of the best backs in the state."

Laughing, Fry added, "If we can’t get him to get one yard, I've got problems -- more problems than this."

Said Oxsen of the play, "It’s great momentum. I’m sitting here playing with an injury, the team knows I’m sitting here fighting for them. I’m coming in here, fighting for them, so our line is fighting for me. They know I’m hurt, they know I’m fighting for them. It’s fourth and one, they had great blocking for me, and there’s no better feeling than getting that."

Wild Panthers: It's not a look the Panthers have shown yet this season, but it's not a total surprise to see Oxsen taking direct snap handoffs out of a pistol or shotgun formation like he did today. If South is to match last year's runaway success, they are going to have to ride Oxsen's shoulders all season long.

When the "Wildcat" had its moment in the NFL a few seasons ago, one of its staples involved a receiver motioning across the formation for an end-around option. The Panthers toyed with that play, but also utilized a "full house" pistol formation, lining up two off-set fullbacks side by side next to Oxsen and making "wham" blocks.

The idea behind this is simple: with a back as dynamic and durable as Oxsen, Fry wanted to match 11 on 11.

"It gives us one more person to spread outl," he said. "I mean, if you direct snap it to the quarterback it’s almost like a single wing version that we’re running with it, it just puts one more person out there that they have to be responsible covering for. Hopefully it opens things up a bit, but I thought we’d have a little bit more success than we had with it. We hadn’t shown it all year, but they did a good job on it defensively."


PLYMOUTH SOUTH 21, PLYMOUTH NORTH 14

PS 7 7 0 7 --- 21
PN 0 7 0 7 --- 14

First Quarter
PS - Ryan Donovan 9 pass from Rick Barnhardt (Gordan Fitzgerald kick) 5:43

Second Quarter
PS - Dylan Oxsen 90 interception return (Fitzgerald kick) 9:11
PN - Pat Danner 6 pass from Cullin Cosgrove (Aaron Chase kick) 4:14

Fourth Quarter
PS - Oxsen 58 run (Fitzgerald kick) 9:18
PN - Christian Carr 1 run (Chase kick) 6:07

After earning the fourth straight win over an ESPN Boston No. 1-ranked squad, Barnstable football and its fans celebrated a "walk-off" win after Dereck Pacheco's last-second field goal against Xaverian Friday night.

As soon as the game ended, the fans stormed the field in celebration and editor Brendan Hall was there to capture the moment.

Here's what the scene looked like in Hyannis:

HYANNIS, Mass. – Trailing 14-12 to No. 1 Xaverian and facing a fourth-and-5 from the Hawks 15-yard line with less than two minutes to go, Chris Whidden had a choice: try to pick up the first down or trot out his place kicker for a 32-yard field goal try.

Barnstable place kicker Dereck Pacheco had already missed an extra point and a 28 yard attempt. And so the Red Raiders head coach called timeout and brought on his field goal unit.

Seconds later, the Red Raider faithful erupted as the 32-yard field goal split the uprights and proved to be the game winner in an emotional 15-14 comeback victory over No. 1 Xaverian, the fourth consecutive week that the top ranked team has been upset.

“Kicking to me, I learned from last year, is all about confidence,” said Pacheco. “You have to have confidence in yourself, just clear your mind.“

Barnstable quarterback Kristian Lucashensky had the team on his back in the fourth quarter, throwing for 90 of his 138 yards in the final period.

“This win has changed the morale of the team completely,” said Whidden. “Going back to BC High, once the opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown our morale was down. We have seen a change in what this team is about and you can see that in the last seven and a half quarters.”

Xaverian (2-1) scored with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter after A.J. King came down with a 33-yard pass from Jake Ferrell (4 of 9, 99 yards), setting up a 5-yard touchdown run from senior Shayne Kaminski, giving the Hawks a 14-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

But it was all Hayden Murphy (13 rushes, 51 yards; 4 catches, 50 yards) and Lucashensky after that.

Barnstable answered with a 10-play 69-yard drive that was capped off with an athletic 15-yard touchdown catch from Derek Estes. Lucashensky fumbled on the two point conversion and the score remained 14-12 with 6:38 remaining.

“With Kristian, he’s so good with putting the ball in a spot where it going to be caught or incomplete,” said Whidden. “Estes went up and made a play.”

The Red Raiders defense rose to the occasion and forced the Hawks to punt, giving Barnstable the ball at their own 39 with 2:21 left to play.

Two plays later, Lucashensky hit senior Colby Blaze down the right sideline for a 39-yard gain down to the Xaverian 15-yard line. Barnstable picked up five yards before calling on Pacheco for the game winning field goal.

Meanwhile, Kaminski was a force all game, rushing for a game-high 135 yards on 20 carries. He drew first blood with 4:16 remaining in the second quarter when he was on the receiving end of a 54-yard screen pass.

The Hawks got a scare midway though the fourth quarter when Kaminski stayed down after a three-yard rush. Kaminski limped off the field under his own power but the following two plays resulted in fumbles and the drive ended with a punt.

The turning point: With 1:28 remaining in the second quarter and already up 7-0, the Hawks A.J. King fair caught a punt at his own 19-yard line. On the next play, Kaminski coughed up the football and the Red Raiders recovered at the 25-yard line.

On the next play, Lucashensky found Colby Blaze on a deep slant across the middle so give the Raiders some life heading into the half.

“It swung momentum going into halftime,” said Whidden. “Our halftime was full of life and the kids were excited.

While Xaverian had the only scoring in the third quarter, the Raiders defense had a jump in their step. On a punt midway through the third quarter, Junior Clyde Perry broke through the line and partially blocked a punt.

The defense forced two fumbles in the fourth quarter and while they didn’t recover, stalled out the Hawks offense. Xaverian only mustered up 26 yard off offense in the final quarter (266 in first three quarters), compared to 114 from the Red Raiders.

The Hawks were uncharacteristically sloppy all game. Xaverian had two turnovers and put the ball on the ground three times. They were also called for six penalties for 50 yards, including a big pass interference call on the opening drive and a huge personal foul on the Raiders first possession of the fourth quarter.

The final drive: With the opportunity to knock off the top team in the state for the second year in a row (Everett, 2012), Lucashensky took the field like it was any other drive.

When he stepped into the huddle trailing 14-12 on his own 39-yard line and 2:21 to play he calmly addressed his teammates.

“On the first play, I came to the huddle and said ‘listen, we got to win this game, got to win this game,” said Lucashensky. “They all looked me in the eye and shook their heads.”

Lucashensky called his own number on the first play, picking up two yards. On second and 8, he found Blaze who had his man beat for a 39 -yard gain, already in field goal range.

“We had run that earlier with Blaze and got him over the top, said Lucashensky. “So we knew if we needed a big play we’d come back to it. And we went over the top of the safety and I rolled out and hit him. He was wide open.”

Barnstable went conservative for the next three plays. Hayden Murphy rushed up the middle for two, an incomplete screen pass and Murphy to the left for three set up fourth and 5.

“We ran the toss because he likes to kick from the left hash,” said Whidden. “We ran the toss and if he (Murphy) broke he broke it if not were on the left hash for him to kick it.”

Pacheco split the uprights on the next play to polish off the perfect drive and improve Barnstable to 2-1 with New Bedford up next.

Perfect time for a bye: When Barnstable’s schedule was released this summer, Chris Whidden was unsure how a Week 2 bye week would effect his. As it turns out, that bye week seems to have saved the Red Raiders season.

The Raiders were dismantled by Dennis-Yarmouth, 37-9, in Week 1 and BC High returned the opening kickoff back for a touchdown in week three. Since then, Barnstable has been a different team.

“The bye week let us get back to square one to really break down what wasn’t working and why it wasn’t working,” said Whidden. “And we had film to prove it. That bye couldn’t have come at a better time.

Coming off two huge victories, teams will be gunning for Barnstable, starting next week at New Bedford. With Friday night’s win, the Raiders will almost certainly jump back into the Top 25 poll.

“It puts a target on our back just like we had one last year,” said Lucashensky. “Now its back, a big fat bull’s-eye.”

Barnstable 15, Xaverian 14

X 0 7 7 0 --14

B 0 6 0 9 --15

Second Quarter

X-Shayne Kaminski 54 pass from Jake Farrell (Matt Rogers kick) 4:16

B-Colby Blaze 25 pass from Lucashensky (kick fail) 1:17

Third Quarter

X-Kaminski 5 run (Rogers Kick) 0:10

Fourth Quarter

B-Derek Estes 15 pass from Lucashensky (run fail) 6:38

B-Dereck Pacheco 32 field goal 1:28

 

ANDOVER, Mass. – “Nice bounce back win,” Central Catholic head coach Chuck Adamopoulos told his team after the game.

After dropping a 40-21 contest to St. John’s Prep last week, No. 14 Central Catholic (3-1) rebounded on Friday night with a 26-7 win over Merrimack Valley Conference rival and traditional Thanksgiving Day foe Andover (1-2).

“Last week we ran into a great running back,” Adamopoulos said after the game. “He did not make us look good but we have played pretty good defense all season.”

St. John’s Prep running back Johnny Thomas ran for 228 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Central. Adamopoulos praised his defense’s effort in focusing all week in practice and holding Andover’s offense in check on Friday.

“We pride ourselves in our defense,” Adamopoulos said. “We have played three very good teams so far this season.”

Central held Andover to just 56 yards of total offense in the first half and shut the Golden Warriors out until the 1:45 mark of the fourth quarter.

Central was led by running back D’Andre Drummond-Mayrie, who gained 57 yards on 13 carries and did the majority of his work in the first half. Drummond-Mayrie also added a rushing touchdown and was a force on defense from his safety position. The Univ. of New Hampshire-bound senior had a fumble recovery and interception to go with a strong game playing against the run.

“He played well,” Adamopulus said. “I liked his run support today. He was coming up well against the run.”

Central also received a strong two-way effort from junior running back Markus Edmunds (8 rushes for 46 yards), who scored the first touchdown of the game on a 4-yard off tackle run, to start the second quarter.

“It was nice to get started early,” Edmunds said. “We worked hard all week and came in ready to play from the start.”

Complementing his work on the ground Edmunds stood tall from his linebacker position, leading a Central unit that did not budge on the line of scrimmage all night.

In a game of field position, Central Catholic took advantage of the short fields to help them mount four successful finishing drives.

“I thought our punt coverage was awesome,” Adamopoulos noted. “We played on their side of the field all game, which is a good thing. Our punter Danny Wilson also came up with big punts for us when we needed them.”

Mike Balsamo also played well for Central as he controlled a big fourth-quarter drive with his work on the ground, capped off with a 21-yard touchdown run.

Senior linebackers Will Eikenberry and John Oteri had strong games leading the Andover defense on the night, while freshman quarterback E.J. Perry hit Christopher Nicholas from three yards out for the only Andover score.

Milano bounces back strong: Junior quarterback Mike Milano dusted off some early-game rust and an early injury as he came back in to settled down and lead the Central offense.

“He is a tough competitor,” Adamopoulos said of his veteran signal-caller.

Milano would hit wide receiver Cam Manning for a 42-yard strike in the second quarter that set up a Drummond-Mayrie 5-yard touchdown run that gave Central a 14-0 lead.

Milano also hooked up with senior Cody Demers on a 35-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, as Demers would catch a sideline route and outrun the Andover defense to the end-zone.

Loss of Sylvester: Andover running back and return-man Jack Sylvester led the Golden Warriors offense on the night, despite being ejected in the third quarter after receiving his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of the game.

The controversial ejection, which occurred after a discussion with the official, took place at a tough time for the Golden Warriors as they were beginning to mount a drive against the stingy Central defense.

Sylvester gained 44 yards from scrimmage for Andover on the night and did a nice job in the return game.

DUDLEY, Mass. -- Facing the spread offense in its first two games, No. 6 Leominster spent this past week delving into the nuisances of some old-school football. The Blue Devils opponent Friday night was Shepherd Hill -- a team with a predominant reputation in running the double wing.

Certainly, one week does not allow enough preparation time to handle this style of offense, and during the first half, it showed. Leominster was having trouble figuring out who to key on in this tightly-bunched set-up.

But as good teams learn to do, the right adjustments were made and the Blue Devils threw a net over the Rams in the second half by allowing zero points en route to a 41-14 victory at Carmignani Memorial Field.

"Shepherd Hill grinded us pretty good in the first half but our defense really stepped up in the second half," said Blue Devils coach Dave Palazzi. "That's just getting the job done when you need to get it done. Credit our defensive coaches Charlie Raff, Kevin Murphy and Mike Vaillette for the adjustments they made at halftime. They did a great job coaching these kids up and the kids were listening. There was a lot of violence going on underneath those piles and a lot of big hitting by both teams. I really don't see that team losing to many ball games the rest of the way. They are well-coached and talented."

Leominster, the defending two-time Division 1 Central Mass. Super Bowl champions, improve to 3-0.

But this one did not come easy. As expected, Shepherd Hill (2-1) proved to be a staunch opponent. A Division 4 program, the Rams proved they are a team to be reckoned as the season moves forward. They gave Leominster all it could handle in the opening half, with solid running from junior quarterback Drew Jean-Guillaume and senior running back Jake Gelb. At the half, Shepherd Hill only trailed 20-14.

But the Ram offense looked much different over the final 22 minutes. Leominster showed more patients, waiting to see who would get the ball out of the double wing first and then strike, instead of anticipating. Having rolled up 169 yards in the first half that finished with Guillaume diving in from a yard out to trail by just six points, it appeared as though the Blue Knights had a legitimate fight on their hands.

Getting the ball to begin the second half, the Rams gave it away after failing to convert on a fourth-and-four play. Leominster's offense (438 yards), which has proven that it can score from anywhere on the field, did just that. A 66-yard touchdown run by junior back James Gurley on the ensuing possession had the Blue Devils in front 26-14.

Following a four-and-out by the Rams, Leominster again drove down field, capped off by senior quarterback Neil O'Connor's 38-yard scoring strike to Mayson Williams (3 receptions, 104 yards, 2 TD) to make it a 34-14 contest with a minute remaining in the quarter.

While Shepherd Hill's struggles on offense continued to mount, the Blue Devil offense was chomping at the bit to get the ball back. Late in the final quarter they put a bow on this one after junior Eddie Rivera scored on a 4-yard run around left end.

Leominster opened this tilt off in fine shape. Taking the opening kickoff, the Blue Devils marched 50 yards before O'Connor (9-of-14 for 188 yards, 3 TD, INT) found receiver Jake Allain (3 catches, 62 yards) 10 yards past the secondary for a 47-yard touchdown. Shepherd Hill shook off that score by mounting a drive of its own moments later. The Rams marched 77 yards before Jean-Guillaume (70 yards on 17 carries) busted up the middle from 12 yards away for the score. Jean-Guillaume also added the conversion run giving Shepherd Hill an 8-6 lead midway through the first quarter.

But the Blue Devils responded with another long drive that ended with Gurley (105 yards on 9 attempts) barreling in from the 3. However the conversion pass failed and Leominster had to settle for a 12-8 lead.

"We knew this was going to be a tough game coming in," said O'Connor. "Shepherd Hill is a very tough team that likes to pound it. They're big up front and their running backs and quarterback run hard.

“Our line also played great and were able to open things up for everyone and we were able to create some space. When everything is working we can be tough. Our coaches had us prepared for this one. Coming off wins over St. John's (Shrewsbury) and Lowell last week we were happy to get out of here with a win tonight."

Midway through the second quarter a solid drive by Shepherd Hill, which lost to Nashoba Regional in last year's Division 2 Central Mass. Super Bowl, ended abruptly after coming up a yard short on fourth down. Handing the ball back over to the Blue Devils, they were able to increase their advantage to 12 points after Williams, on a comeback screen, hauled in O'Connor's pass and bolted 57 yards down field into the end zone.

The Rams, once again, didn't fret as they put fourth a sustained drive following the score. They even tossed in a new wrinkle as Jean-Guillaume rolled outside the pocket and connected with Gelb in stride for a 33-yard reception. That, in turn, set up Guillaume's touchdown run in the final minute before halftime, slicing the deficit to six going into the break. Shepherd Hill finished with 273 yards of offense.

"That was a very good, tough football team we played," said Rams coach Chris Lindstrom, a former Boston University standout defensive end who spent three years in the NFL with the Bengals, Buccaneers and Chiefs. "This is new for us to play this level of competition but I thought we held our own for the most part. I feel we're still going to be a very good football team. We just need to re-group but I think we are very explosive. Overall I thought we did a nice job tonight. I felt the longer we were out there playing a very good team on both sides of the ball the better we're going to be."

TAUNTON, Mass. -- Every game, each team is looking to come out and set the tone early on.

King Philip accomplished that by recovering their own kick off at the Taunton 11-yard line and, two plays later, Joe Johnston ran it in from eight yards out for a quick 7-0 lead 16 seconds into the game.

The No. 19 Warriors continued to roll, beating Taunton, 41-6, in the Hockomock opener for both sides.

"It was huge," Johnston said of the opening kick recovery. "As we were running out there, coach said 'you've got to capitalize on these opportunities.' We had two plays and just punched it in. Right then we weren't going back from there."

Things didn't start much better for the Taunton offense, who looked to be mounting some momentum on their first drive, but after an illegal shift on a third and 2, Jason Wholly intercepted Kyle Medeira to give the ball back to the Warriors (3-0, 1-0). Taunton's defense was able to make a stand but again the offense flustered, this time Andrew Hayward was able to come up with a strip and recovery on Taunton's Domingo Jenkins.

King Philip's ensuring drive went 70 yards on 14 plays, capped off with a J.J. Dillon quarterback keeper from inside the 1-yard line.

"Turnovers are just a huge part of the game," KP head coach Brian Lee said. "You break down the statistics on turnovers and wins. If you can force a turnover, things are going to do your way. You get the ball and it’s uplifting for your team and its disheartening for the other team."

The Tigers (2-1, 0-1) responded with their best play of the game on their next drive. After a run play went for negative yards, Madeira used play action to draw the defense in and then launched a deep ball to a wide open Gerald Cortijo for a 66-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 13-6.

But that would be the lone tally for the Tigers as King Philip went on to score four more touchdowns, including a backbreaker for Taunton right before half. The Tigers defense were able to stop KP three times in a throw from inside the 10, but on fourth and goal, Dillon found Johnston out on a flat for a touchdown. The extra point made it 19-6 with just 30 seconds to go in the half.

"The beginning of the season everything was falling our way," Taunton head coach Chris Greding said. "We had one turnover on offense at the beginning of the season. The wheels came off in the first half. We're not good enough to allow that to happen especially against a great team like King Philip. With the penalties and the turnovers, and the opening kick off, we just couldn't respond."

KP scored three more times in the third quarter: Johnston’s 28-yard run, Christian Flaherty’s 1-yard run, and Mark Glebus’ 39-yard run.

Johnston finished with 157 yards, two rushing touchdowns, and a 6-yard touchdown reception. Both Johnston and Lee credited the KP offensive line for their offensive play.

"We get a lot from those guys," Lee said. "They're not humongous, they're not particularly angry they're very nice boys. But they do what they're told to do and they work hard and they're a good unit."

Johnston took a step further to credit not only his offensive line, but the fullbacks and tightens.

"They were great," Johnston said. "Offensive line, fullbacks, tight ends. We needed them to be great because they're stout up front. Last year we didn't have this much success up front. Once we figured out what they were doing on defense we couldn't be stopped."

JOHNSTON A STUD: By halftime, Johnston had already amassed for over 75 yards, a rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown. On the second play of the second half - a first and 20 for KP - Johnston took a play action pass for 21 yards. He then took the handoff three times in a row, and on the third try, burst through the right side, hurdling over Taunton defenders for a 28-yard touchdown run.

The run had a high degree of difficulty, but Johnston made it seem like it was a walk in the park.

And Johnston's philosophy behind his runs is even more elementary.

"I don't like to be tackled," Johnston laughed. "I try to run angry, I'm generally a really happy kid. Once I get on the football field, something gets into me and I like to run angry."

Even as King Philip seemingly was trying to run out the clock in the second half, Johnston broke off a 45-yard run that brought the ball down to the Taunton 6 yard line.

"Twenty-eight -- that kid's a stud," Greding said referring to Johnston's number. "He's real good."

THINGS DON'T GET EASIER: One game down, four more to go for both KP and Taunton against their Kelley-Rex opponents. But with each week, there will be more challenges.

The Warriors will now host four straight games against their divisional opponents, starting with North Attleborough, who are coming off a loss against Mansfield. Taunton will travel to Franklin, a team that they were able to beat last year for their first ever Hockomock win.

"We're just happy to be moving on to next week and getting out of here healthy," Lee said. "The Kelley-Rex right now is just loaded with some very good, physical teams. Its more about survival than anything else."

SIGH OF RELIEF FOR TAUNTON: Late in the first quarter, KP running back took the carry towards the left sideline and up the field for a gain of 17 yards.

But all eyes quickly shifted back to the line of scrimmage, as Taunton junior defensive lineman Cian Doherty lay face down with little movement. There was a quick decision to call for an ambulance and minutes later paramedics arrived. Doherty was stretchered off the field but there was good news after the game.

“His neck kind of flung back and sent a sensation down his spine,” Greding said. “He has movement. It just more or less was a precautionary thing.”

Even better for the Tigers was that Doherty tweeted later Friday night that he was doing well.

MANSFIELD, Mass. – Mansfield coach Mike Redding is like a kid in a toy store.

But unlike a kid who has an abundance of toys from which to choose, Redding has an abundance of offensive weapons that are designed to dissect the opposition.

That was the case – again – Friday night as the defending Hockomock League champion and No. 2-ranked Hornets began league play by belting North Attleborough, 35-14.

“Miguel (Villar-Perez) is very valuable,” Redding said of one of his weapons. “He’s a good receiver and a really good runner.

“With Mike Hershman and Brendan Hill out there to cover, you have to line up your defense to take away the pass and it opens up things for Miguel, Chris Buchanan and Matt Bukuras. We really have five good skill kids out there. It’s kind of a rare treat for a coach to be able to call plays for five different guys and they all can make plays. We’re developing some nice balance with all five skill guys contributing.”

After opening their Kelley-Rex division slate with a win, Redding talked about the Hornets’ intent to become a more diversified offense.

“That’s what it takes in this league,” Redding said. “If you try to get the ball to one guy too much you’re going to end up getting beat sooner or later. We have the five guys and we’re trying to spread it around.”

Bombs away: The only Hornet not mentioned above was senior quarterback Kyle Wisnieski, who completed 11-of-16 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns (sans interceptions).

Wisnieski and Hershman were never better than on two plays, one near the end of the second quarter and the other midway through the fourth.

Mansfield was leading 14-7 when Wisnieski guided an eight-play, 81-yard drive that culminated with him throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Hershman.

Then, with Mansfield up 21-7 and facing a third-and-nine on the Rocketeers 23, Wisnieski unloaded a pass to Hershman who was so wide-open in the end zone he had time to write a term paper before snaring the ball.

“It was a combination of a lot of things,” Wisnieski said while explaining why Hershman was so wide-open. “They were coming with a lot of heat all night. They were blitzing linebackers. The line did a great job of picking up the blitzes and that’s where it started.

“We got lucky. With Brendan out there, he’s obviously going to draw a lot of attention. On the first touchdown they tried to man-up Mike and that’s going to be a tough match-up for anyone to cover Mike one-on-one. He was able to beat them on the inside. On the second touchdown, they were all over Brendan and Mike just came free.”

“Wis’ does a great job running the show,” Redding said. “He’s smart. He’s poised. He handles pressure and does a lot of great things for us. I thought the big one was when they scored and we were able to answer at the end of the half (i.e. the 28-yard TD pass to Hershman). That was the drive that kind of kept them at arms’ length.”

Moving the pile: One Green Hornet who drove through North Attleborough’s defense all night was Villar-Perez, who gained 114 yards and scored twice on 14 carries.

Villar-Perez, in fact, scored Mansfield’s first touchdown when he capped a six-play, 70-yard drive by taking a pitchout and sprinting 15 yards to the end zone.

Then, late in that first quarter, Mansfield capitalized on a short North Attleborough punt and Villar-Perez wedged into the end zone from the 2 for a 14-0 lead.

The Rocketeers countered with a four-yard touchdown pass from James Kummer to Mike Lambert.

But Wisnieski’s 28-yarder to Hershman gave Mansfield that 21-7 lead at the half.

After Wisnieski and Hershman hooked up for that 23-yard touchdown pass, Mansfield closed out the scoring late in the fourth when Buchanan busted 16 yards off right tackle to make it 35-7.

Despite the impressive victory, Redding echoed a note of caution.

“It’s only a beginning,” he said. “Next week we have to go to an Attleboro team that’s probably going to be 3-0. It’s a battle. We’re getting healthier and we’re getting better. But it’s a long road here in the Kelly-Rex.”

MANSFIELD 35, NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH 14
NA (2-1, 0-1) 0-7-0-7 - 14
MAN (3-0, 1-0)

First quarter
M – Miguel Villar-Perez 15 run (Alex Thompson kick)
M – Villar-Perez 2 run (Thompson kick)

Second quarter
N – Mike Lambert 4 pass from James Kummer (Connor Flynn kick)
M – Mike Hershman 28 pass from Kyle Wisnieski (Thompson kick)

Fourth quarter
M – Hershman 23 pass from Wisnieski (Thompson kick)
M – Chris Buchanan 16 run (Thompson kick)
N – Lambert 12 pass from Justin Gallagher (Flynn kick)

WESTFIELD --- Water’s wet. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. And the Westfield football team won on the strengths of its ground game.

Just another day...

For the Bombers, 35-22 winners over Springfield’s Putnam Vocational, though, it was an important one as they won over their toughest opponent yet and moved to 3-0 on the season --- thanks in large part to that triple-option attack.

“We’re very happy with the start we’ve had,” said Westfield head coach Bill Moore, who announced earlier in the year that this would be his last season at the helm. “That’s a good Putnam football team.”

Westfield used another 100-plus yard performance from senior fullback Ben Geschwind and two touchdowns from Cody Neidig, along with a trio of early mistakes from Putnam, to outpace the Beavers.

Three first-quarter snaps to quarterback Jaleel Kyles went high, leading to negative 39 yards of offense and what would ultimately be premier field position for Westfield.

And the Bombers capitalized, scoring the game’s first three touchdowns to build a 21-0 lead. .

That lead would shrink, though, as Putnam made adjustments and battled back to cut its deficit to 29-22 late in the third quarter on Milton Crawford’s two rushing touchdowns.

“We did a good job staying in the game and working hard,” said Putnam head coach Bill Watson, whose team dropped to 1-2. “But we couldn’t get that first quarter back.”

Westfield stopped the Putnam surge and relied on its rushing attack to wear down the clock and the Beavers’ resolve.

Geschwind finished with a game-high 114 yards and two touchdowns. Neidig had 46 yards and two scores while Rashaun Rivers had 59 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.

Putnam was led by Kyles, who ended with 83 yards on 26 carries and reserve quarterback Josh Ortiz, who finished with 100 yards on 7-of-10 passing.

UNFORCED ERRORS
For Putnam to have matched Westfield’s distinct size advantage, it was going to need to play perfectly. But from the outset, the Beavers couldn’t have played any sloppier.

In the shotgun, Kyles had to deal with a number high snaps, including three that went past him and for major losses early in the first quarter.

“Our junior starting center (Darryl Denson) is out with injury,” Watson said. “And we were asking a freshman to come in and fill a tough role.”

All told, Putnam lost 39 yards on three high snaps in the first half but found a way to make a necessary adjustment.

The Beavers moved the extremely speedy and shifty Kyles into the backfield and put Ortiz --- more of a pocket passer --- under center. While it limited the offensive unit’s playbook, it helped limit mistakes as Putnam mounted a comeback.

“They kept coming at us and kept working,” Moore said. “It became a slugfest.”

CONTRASTING GROUND GAMES
Normally, when a game features two contrasting styles, it’s a team that specializes in the run against a pass-happy opponent. In Westfield’s bout with Putnam, the two new AA Conference opponents featured varying styles on the ground.

Westfield, behind its man-sized offensive line, is known for its triple option.

Putnam, of course, relies on a mix of zone and Wildcat-type sets.

“It is interesting to see,” Watson said. “They’re a power team; they come right at you. But we run misdirections go side to side.”

In the end, it was the Bombers’ straightforward, downhill approach that proved the difference maker.

This year’s stable of backs seem to be very complimentary, leaving the play callers many options on any given down.

Geschwind is the bruising fullback that seems like he’s running downhill on every carry. Neidig is the complimentary back bringing equal parts speed and power into each carry. Rashaun Rivers and Craig Ward have speed to burn and Zach Kuson does a good job filling in with a handful of carries each game.

Quarterback Jake Toomey makes it all happen, though, as master of the now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t triple-option attack, which garnered 296 yards against Putnam.

“Each one of those guys brings something different to the table,” Moore said. “They all have different strengths and they’re all running the ball well.”