Recap: Governor's Academy 20, Lawrence Academy 0
September, 21, 2013
Sep 21
9:04
PM ET
By John McGuirk | ESPNBoston.com
BYFIELD, Mass. -- It is hard to predict when Governor's Academy's winning streak will come to an end. But by all accounts, following their 20-0 dismantling of Lawrence Academy in Saturday's ISL season-opener, the belief is it won't be anytime soon.
The Governors, winners of 19 straight games, flexed their muscle on both sides of the ball, keeping the Spartans at bay throughout to start off the year at 1-0. GA pressured LA quarterback Kyle Howes all afternoon and, for the most part, held the Spartan rushing attack in check. LA finished with 157 yards, just 53 coming in the first half.
"That team has some great weapons and their wide receiver (Chris) Garrison is a Division 1 talent so we had to know where he was on the field at all times," third-year Governors head coach Jim O'Leary said. "We're not there yet and didn't play our best game but we're going to get better. Hats off to our defense today. I'm an offensive guy but our defense really kept us in this game. The way these kids play football, they play so hard all the time."
Garrison finished with seven receptions for 48 yards but was shadowed constantly. LA quarterback Kyle Howes seemed to be under pressure each time the ball was snapped into his hands as he was never allowed to get comfortable in the pocket. The senior threw for 88 yards on 13 of 25 completions. When the Spartans attempted to run the ball, GA's defensive line was just as stingy. They continuously pushed the Spartans front wall backwards and, in the process, took down the running backs several times for negative yardage.
Despite the offensive inadequacies, the Spartans did reach the Governor's red zone three times -- once making it to the one yard line. But all three times the Governors defense held their ground by keeping LA out of the end zone.
While GA's offense sputtered in the opening quarter, it began to find its rhythm late in the frame. A 59 yard pitch and catch from senior quarterback Thomas Vailas to Edward Bettencourt helped set up a Vailas 25-yard scoring pass to tight end Dan Healey to put GA ahead 7-0 with 11:21 remaining before the half.
The Governors saw a golden opportunity to add to their total moments later wasted. Facing a fourth-and-8 on the LA 28, O'Leary, instead of attempting a field goal, decided to keep his offensive unit on the field. The decision backfired after Vailas was picked off by Howes.
"I'm still a gambler," admitted O'Leary. "I took a chance early and it almost killed me but thankfully my defense bailed me out."
The Spartans were unable to convert the turnover into points, and with time ticking down in the half, GA got the ball back and didn't disappoint this time. Standing on the LA 46, Vailas rolled to his right and somehow managed to thread a pass in-between defensive backs Howes and Jake Cassidy and into the hands of receiver Larsen Bidstrup for a touchdown putting the Governors up by two scores heading into the break.
The Spartans (0-1) began the second half with a solid drive which was snuffed out on the GA 16. The Governors, finishing with 312 yards, took the ensuing possession and marched 82 yards capped off by Vailas' 4 yard keeper over the goal line with 15 seconds to go in the third quarter.
"We work hard every day in practice with our base offense and we believe it is going to work," said Vailas (4-of-9, 138 yards). "Our offensive line and our backs are tough. We're just going to continue to pound. Our defense came up huge today. Defense wins championships and I feel we have the toughest kids in the state."
Despite LA's poor showing offensively, head coach Paul Zukauskas can come away knowing he saw a silver lining in the form of running back AJ Dillon. The freshman, taking the brunt of the carries, gained 88 yards on 22 carries and should be a fixture in this program over the next four years.
"A.J. is only a freshman but he's going to be a very good player for us," said Zukauskas, in his third season at the helm. "He's a real-tough kid. Give Governors the credit. They have a true football program going on right now. They have a great coaching staff and you can see it in the way their kids play.
"We had some chances early but just couldn't pop it in. Their running game kept pounding us and we eventually got tired. But we're fine. This is just the first game so we feel as though we have a lot we can improve on. But our best players need to play better."
The Governors, winners of 19 straight games, flexed their muscle on both sides of the ball, keeping the Spartans at bay throughout to start off the year at 1-0. GA pressured LA quarterback Kyle Howes all afternoon and, for the most part, held the Spartan rushing attack in check. LA finished with 157 yards, just 53 coming in the first half.
"That team has some great weapons and their wide receiver (Chris) Garrison is a Division 1 talent so we had to know where he was on the field at all times," third-year Governors head coach Jim O'Leary said. "We're not there yet and didn't play our best game but we're going to get better. Hats off to our defense today. I'm an offensive guy but our defense really kept us in this game. The way these kids play football, they play so hard all the time."
Garrison finished with seven receptions for 48 yards but was shadowed constantly. LA quarterback Kyle Howes seemed to be under pressure each time the ball was snapped into his hands as he was never allowed to get comfortable in the pocket. The senior threw for 88 yards on 13 of 25 completions. When the Spartans attempted to run the ball, GA's defensive line was just as stingy. They continuously pushed the Spartans front wall backwards and, in the process, took down the running backs several times for negative yardage.
Despite the offensive inadequacies, the Spartans did reach the Governor's red zone three times -- once making it to the one yard line. But all three times the Governors defense held their ground by keeping LA out of the end zone.
While GA's offense sputtered in the opening quarter, it began to find its rhythm late in the frame. A 59 yard pitch and catch from senior quarterback Thomas Vailas to Edward Bettencourt helped set up a Vailas 25-yard scoring pass to tight end Dan Healey to put GA ahead 7-0 with 11:21 remaining before the half.
The Governors saw a golden opportunity to add to their total moments later wasted. Facing a fourth-and-8 on the LA 28, O'Leary, instead of attempting a field goal, decided to keep his offensive unit on the field. The decision backfired after Vailas was picked off by Howes.
"I'm still a gambler," admitted O'Leary. "I took a chance early and it almost killed me but thankfully my defense bailed me out."
The Spartans were unable to convert the turnover into points, and with time ticking down in the half, GA got the ball back and didn't disappoint this time. Standing on the LA 46, Vailas rolled to his right and somehow managed to thread a pass in-between defensive backs Howes and Jake Cassidy and into the hands of receiver Larsen Bidstrup for a touchdown putting the Governors up by two scores heading into the break.
The Spartans (0-1) began the second half with a solid drive which was snuffed out on the GA 16. The Governors, finishing with 312 yards, took the ensuing possession and marched 82 yards capped off by Vailas' 4 yard keeper over the goal line with 15 seconds to go in the third quarter.
"We work hard every day in practice with our base offense and we believe it is going to work," said Vailas (4-of-9, 138 yards). "Our offensive line and our backs are tough. We're just going to continue to pound. Our defense came up huge today. Defense wins championships and I feel we have the toughest kids in the state."
Despite LA's poor showing offensively, head coach Paul Zukauskas can come away knowing he saw a silver lining in the form of running back AJ Dillon. The freshman, taking the brunt of the carries, gained 88 yards on 22 carries and should be a fixture in this program over the next four years.
"A.J. is only a freshman but he's going to be a very good player for us," said Zukauskas, in his third season at the helm. "He's a real-tough kid. Give Governors the credit. They have a true football program going on right now. They have a great coaching staff and you can see it in the way their kids play.
"We had some chances early but just couldn't pop it in. Their running game kept pounding us and we eventually got tired. But we're fine. This is just the first game so we feel as though we have a lot we can improve on. But our best players need to play better."
Recap: No. 10 Xaverian 49, No. 1 B-R 13
September, 21, 2013
Sep 21
8:20
PM ET
By
Scott Barboza | ESPNBoston.com
WESTWOOD, Mass. – Let there be no doubt who’s No. 1.
At least for another week, that is.
For the third straight week to begin the MIAA football season, the No. 1 team in ESPN Boston’s Top 25 poll suffered a sound defeat. This time, on Saturday in the grand unveiling of the extensive renovations to Xaverian’s Hawk Bowl, Bridgewater-Raynham became the most recent squad to be dethroned.
No. 10 Xaverian systematically beat the Trojans in each and every facet of the game, administering a 49-13 beat-down of yet another No. 1.
It also marked the second straight week in which the Hawks (2-0) beat the poll No. 1 after a road victory at Everett last week.
“Playing two No. 1 teams, that’s what we aim to do here,” Hawks senior running back/ linebacker Shayne Kaminski said. “There are high expectations at this school. Playing a No. 1, it’s just a whole different situation – that just gets you pumped up for the game.”
Kaminski, who missed Xaverian’s opener due to injury, celebrated his return to game action with a 31-yard touchdown run at 5:02 of the first quarter, providing the Hawks with an early 7-0 lead.
On B-R’s ensuing possession, Kaminski also announced his return, defensively, falling on a fumble created on a strip-sack from defensive end Joe Gaziano. Two plays later, fellow running back Noah Sorrento rumbled in from 13 yards out for a quick two-score lead.
However, the Trojans (2-1) would respond on their next possession with Matt Clement hitting Ryan Martin in tight coverage for a 29-yard touchdown pass.
After the teams exchanged a couple of fruitless drives, the Hawks began pulling away just before the half – thanks to quarterback Jake Farrell and senior wideout A.J. King.
Inside the final two minutes of the first half, Farrell and King linked up for two quick-strike passing plays. First, King came down with a ball, despite bracketed coverage, and raced 62 yards for a score. Then, with two seconds remaining, Hawks head coach Charlie Stevenson eschewed taking the knee and, instead, dialed up a dazzling 47-yard connection with Farrell hitting King in stride along the left-hand sideline on a fly route.
And the Hawks took a 28-6 lead to the locker room.
Xaverian’s special teams had their chance to shine in the third quarter, when the Hawks blocked two punt attempts with one turned for a touchdown and another setting up a first-and-goal situation.
After B-R’s opening drive of the second half sputtered out, Gaziano got his mitts on a punt, allowing freshman Mekhi Henderson to pick up an easy scoop and score from 30 yards out.
Then, following a Trojans’ three-and-out, Xaverian sophomore lineman Elijah Pierre registered a second block. B-R’s recovery set up the Hawks at the Trojans’ 2, setting up Kaminski (10 carries, 138 yards) for his second of three rushing scores.
Kaminski later added a 54-yard run, providing the Hawks with a 49-6 lead.
“I felt like every guy today wanted to get in there and make a contribution,” Kaminski said, “And we did that.”
Run differential: Aside from some padded stats B-R tacked on once the game was out of reach, Xaverian lopsidedly won the battle of the rushing attacks.
While holding Trojans preseason All-State running back Brandon Gallagher under 40 yards rushing for the game, the Hawks consistently dominated the point of attack against a depleted B-R offensive line.
“We really did a good job of stopping their run, I thought,” Stevenson said. “[Gallagher] is tough and I was really worried about us being able to match up with him and stop him.”
Meanwhile, the Hawks’ offensive line continued to create holes. And, with the additional shot in the arm Kaminski injected along with Sorrento, Xaverian’s off and running.
Star in the making: During the preseason, Stevenson highlighted freshman cornerback Mehki Henderson as a player to watch as the year progressed.
But, through two weeks, it appears as though Henderson is coming along just fine.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pounder showed good instincts undercutting a route to the end zone pylon and snatched his first interception at the end of the second quarter. The pick helped set up the Hawks’ last-minute drive at the half.
That was before Henderson also snatched up six points with his second-half punt block return for touchdown.
“He’s a really good athlete,” Stevenson said of Henderson. “He’s young and a little inexperienced, but I think he’s going to be a good player.”
MIAA Top 25
No. 10 Xaverian 49, No. 1 Bridgewater-Raynham 13 - Highlights | Player of the Game
No. 18 Doherty 19, Holy Name 12
No. 21 Cardinal Spellman 14, Sharon 7
Bay Path 35, Nashoba Tech 6
Bishop Connolly 34, West Bridgewater 19
Blackstone Valley Tech 34, Assabet 14
Blue Hills 46, Upper Cape 26
Boston Cathedral 58, Matignon 0
Bristol-Plymouth 22, Coyle-Cassidy 21
Brooks 22, Thayer 7
BB&N 16, Belmont Hill 10 (OT)
Cohasset 34, Rockland 13
Dighton-Rehoboth 23, Somerset-Berkley 16
Diman 34, South Shore Voke 0
Governor's Academy 20, Lawrence Academy 0
Greenfield 28, Belchertown 12
Groton 55, St. George's (R.I.) 32
Lynnfield 35, Saugus 21
Lynn Tech 34, Greater Lowell 7
Manchester-Essex 22, Greater Lawrence 12
Melrose 34, Winchester 7
Methuen 21, Cambridge 18
Middlesex 25, St. Mark's 14
Milton Academy 31, St. Sebastian's 27
Minuteman 46, Cape Cod Tech 7
Monty Tech 35, Keefe Tech 8
New Bedford 20, Franklin 14
Noble & Greenough 22, Rivers 20 (OT)
Philips Andover 40, Loomis Chafee (Conn.) 14
Pingree 35, Portsmouth Abbey 6
Roxbury Latin 27, St. Paul's (N.H.) 0
Scituate 35, Whitman-Hanson 34
Uxbridge 20, Southbridge 7
Wayland 35, Norwood 7
Wellesley 15, Newton North 12
Worcester Tech 42, Quaboag 6
No. 10 Xaverian 49, No. 1 Bridgewater-Raynham 13 - Highlights | Player of the Game
No. 18 Doherty 19, Holy Name 12
No. 21 Cardinal Spellman 14, Sharon 7
Bay Path 35, Nashoba Tech 6
Bishop Connolly 34, West Bridgewater 19
Blackstone Valley Tech 34, Assabet 14
Blue Hills 46, Upper Cape 26
Boston Cathedral 58, Matignon 0
Bristol-Plymouth 22, Coyle-Cassidy 21
Brooks 22, Thayer 7
BB&N 16, Belmont Hill 10 (OT)
Cohasset 34, Rockland 13
Dighton-Rehoboth 23, Somerset-Berkley 16
Diman 34, South Shore Voke 0
Governor's Academy 20, Lawrence Academy 0
Greenfield 28, Belchertown 12
Groton 55, St. George's (R.I.) 32
Lynnfield 35, Saugus 21
Lynn Tech 34, Greater Lowell 7
Manchester-Essex 22, Greater Lawrence 12
Melrose 34, Winchester 7
Methuen 21, Cambridge 18
Middlesex 25, St. Mark's 14
Milton Academy 31, St. Sebastian's 27
Minuteman 46, Cape Cod Tech 7
Monty Tech 35, Keefe Tech 8
New Bedford 20, Franklin 14
Noble & Greenough 22, Rivers 20 (OT)
Philips Andover 40, Loomis Chafee (Conn.) 14
Pingree 35, Portsmouth Abbey 6
Roxbury Latin 27, St. Paul's (N.H.) 0
Scituate 35, Whitman-Hanson 34
Uxbridge 20, Southbridge 7
Wayland 35, Norwood 7
Wellesley 15, Newton North 12
Worcester Tech 42, Quaboag 6
Video: Thomas' 107-yard interception return
September, 21, 2013
Sep 21
11:20
AM ET
By
Brendan Hall | ESPNBoston.com
LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Last night, St. John's Prep running back Johnathan Thomas went off again, putting up 228 yards and two scores in a 40-21 in over rival Central Catholic. Most spectacular of all, though, was his 107-yard interception return for a touchdown, late in the fourth quarter.
Courtesy of St. John's Prep assistant coach Jameson Pelkey, here is the end zone footage of that incredible return:
Courtesy of St. John's Prep assistant coach Jameson Pelkey, here is the end zone footage of that incredible return:
Quick-hit thoughts from Friday night
September, 21, 2013
Sep 21
3:19
AM ET
By
Brendan Hall | ESPNBoston.com
Some quick-hit thoughts from Friday night's high school football action around Massachusetts:
1. If you haven’t seen Johnathan Thomas’ 107-yard interception return from tonight, check out this video from good friend Bruce Lerch at the Boston Herald. Simply a thing of beauty. Say what you want about the return coverage, but I've been covering high school sports in Massachusetts for a decade now, and I may go another before I see a play like that again. That is some vintage Ed Reed stuff right there. Simply awe-inspiring.
2. I feel like I'm picking on Lowell here -- and I don't mean to, because they've got a great program with its best days ahead, they made some great second-half adjustments, and they're obviously a D1 North contender -- but their loss to Leominster tonight exposed yet again one of the myths about the spread offense. It could just be that Leominster coach Dave Palazzi is that good of a game planner -- he's honestly one of the four or five best coaches in the state -- but things came undone pretty quickly on offense tonight for them. For all the exotic attraction of spread schemes, all the talk of its ability to isolate your top athletes in space, at the end of the day many are still delicate.
The zone read is all the buzz right now in high school offenses. Two years ago, the New England Patriots laid out the blueprint for stopping it when they pasted Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the AFC Playoffs. Last fall, Stanford reminded us again of its flaws when they ended Oregon's quest for a perfect season, confusing the Ducks with "scrape exchange" techniques. Oregon's variation of the offense has trickled down to the high school level in more than one place now, which makes me wonder how long before we see the response to this "scrape exchange" technique -- the "arc block" -- come in vogue.
(Somewhere right now, Norwood coach John "Multiple Offense" Sarianides reads this and grins. Congrats John, you're starting to convert me.)
3. At the other end of the spectrum, the triple option evidently still works. Whether it's the Navy-style "flex bone" scheme deployed by Brockton, which blew by Weymouth tonight 33-22; or the more traditional style of No. 19 Westfield, which pounded West Springfield 49-20 tonight with 348 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Perhaps most impressive, 306 of Westfield's rushing yards came in the first half. Fullback Ben Geschwind is a name to remember -- he makes this dominant Bombers attack go.
4. Attleboro seems to be a team few are talking about in Division 1 South, but perhaps the Blue Bombardiers need to be after another convincing win, this one 41-12 over Dartmouth. They've averaged 38 points in their first two games, and with quarterback Tim Walsh back there, as well as tight end Luke Morrison on the edge, they show no signs of slowing down. Their size seems to be understated -- take a look at their roster, and notice the sizes of the linemen.
Keep an eye on the defensive tackles Kyle Murphy and Scott Friedlander. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Murphy, a sophomore, is an athletic tackle with plenty of upside. Friedlander is simply a load to handle on size alone, measuring at 6-foot-10 and 280 pounds. And if you think they're fudging that height and weight, check out the team photo.
5. Not sure what to make of Reading's last-second 22-21 win over Dracut tonight. Did we underestimate the Middies? Part of me likes to think that this is a Reading team that is a bit rusty, if not antsy, after enduring over a month of preseason. There are teams sitting at 3-0 after tonight, while Reading is just opening up its season. That's got to be frustrating.
6. Last season, I watched Billerica's Jordan Balarinho nearly knock off the No. 1 team in the state, totaling 394 yards of offense in a 46-33 loss to Barnstable. And while most of us projected some early growing pains for the Indians under new coach Rich McKenna, I think Balarinho's talent is understated. Billerica fell to 0-3 tonight following a 46-33 loss to Thanksgiving rival Chelmsford, but the senior threw for over 340 yards for the second time in three weeks. Balarinho typically excels in the short to intermediate passing game, and in three games this season he has thrown for a total of 842 yards and seven touchdowns.
1. If you haven’t seen Johnathan Thomas’ 107-yard interception return from tonight, check out this video from good friend Bruce Lerch at the Boston Herald. Simply a thing of beauty. Say what you want about the return coverage, but I've been covering high school sports in Massachusetts for a decade now, and I may go another before I see a play like that again. That is some vintage Ed Reed stuff right there. Simply awe-inspiring.
2. I feel like I'm picking on Lowell here -- and I don't mean to, because they've got a great program with its best days ahead, they made some great second-half adjustments, and they're obviously a D1 North contender -- but their loss to Leominster tonight exposed yet again one of the myths about the spread offense. It could just be that Leominster coach Dave Palazzi is that good of a game planner -- he's honestly one of the four or five best coaches in the state -- but things came undone pretty quickly on offense tonight for them. For all the exotic attraction of spread schemes, all the talk of its ability to isolate your top athletes in space, at the end of the day many are still delicate.
The zone read is all the buzz right now in high school offenses. Two years ago, the New England Patriots laid out the blueprint for stopping it when they pasted Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the AFC Playoffs. Last fall, Stanford reminded us again of its flaws when they ended Oregon's quest for a perfect season, confusing the Ducks with "scrape exchange" techniques. Oregon's variation of the offense has trickled down to the high school level in more than one place now, which makes me wonder how long before we see the response to this "scrape exchange" technique -- the "arc block" -- come in vogue.
(Somewhere right now, Norwood coach John "Multiple Offense" Sarianides reads this and grins. Congrats John, you're starting to convert me.)
3. At the other end of the spectrum, the triple option evidently still works. Whether it's the Navy-style "flex bone" scheme deployed by Brockton, which blew by Weymouth tonight 33-22; or the more traditional style of No. 19 Westfield, which pounded West Springfield 49-20 tonight with 348 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Perhaps most impressive, 306 of Westfield's rushing yards came in the first half. Fullback Ben Geschwind is a name to remember -- he makes this dominant Bombers attack go.
4. Attleboro seems to be a team few are talking about in Division 1 South, but perhaps the Blue Bombardiers need to be after another convincing win, this one 41-12 over Dartmouth. They've averaged 38 points in their first two games, and with quarterback Tim Walsh back there, as well as tight end Luke Morrison on the edge, they show no signs of slowing down. Their size seems to be understated -- take a look at their roster, and notice the sizes of the linemen.
Keep an eye on the defensive tackles Kyle Murphy and Scott Friedlander. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Murphy, a sophomore, is an athletic tackle with plenty of upside. Friedlander is simply a load to handle on size alone, measuring at 6-foot-10 and 280 pounds. And if you think they're fudging that height and weight, check out the team photo.
5. Not sure what to make of Reading's last-second 22-21 win over Dracut tonight. Did we underestimate the Middies? Part of me likes to think that this is a Reading team that is a bit rusty, if not antsy, after enduring over a month of preseason. There are teams sitting at 3-0 after tonight, while Reading is just opening up its season. That's got to be frustrating.
6. Last season, I watched Billerica's Jordan Balarinho nearly knock off the No. 1 team in the state, totaling 394 yards of offense in a 46-33 loss to Barnstable. And while most of us projected some early growing pains for the Indians under new coach Rich McKenna, I think Balarinho's talent is understated. Billerica fell to 0-3 tonight following a 46-33 loss to Thanksgiving rival Chelmsford, but the senior threw for over 340 yards for the second time in three weeks. Balarinho typically excels in the short to intermediate passing game, and in three games this season he has thrown for a total of 842 yards and seven touchdowns.
Recap: No. 4 St. John's Prep 40, No. 13 Central 21
September, 21, 2013
Sep 21
2:24
AM ET
By Chris Bradley | ESPNBoston.com
LAWRENCE, Mass. –- Another week, another incredible game from Johnathan Thomas.
Thomas, St. John’s Prep’s highly-touted running back, exploded for 228 yards on 27 carries on Friday night—lifting the Eagles (2-1) over Central Catholic (2-1), 40-21. He even made his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball too, returning an intercepted Mike Milano pass 107 yards for a touchdown to put a ribbon on the victory late in the fourth quarter.
Central Catholic got off to a quick start on their first drive, flying downfield on a seven play, 80 yard drive that took less than two minutes off the first quarter clock. Central’s star back, University of New Hampshire commit D’Andre Drummond-Mayrie (13 carries, 88 yards, TD) got the ball five times and anchored the first scoring drive.
“The first drive was ridiculous,” Prep coach Jim O’Leary said, “and the last [Central] drive and a half was a little disappointing. But inbetween that we got some points, and then the defense showed a lot in the second half. They’re a good football team, 40 is deceiving.”
Prep answered back later in the first quarter though, as Mike Geaslen (7-of-9, 94 yards, 2 TD) threw a 24-yard pass to Owen Rocket, Rocket fumbled the ball at the five yard line, but it rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Michael Calascibetta for a Prep TD. Geaslen ran in a touchdown in the second quarter, and later threw a touchdown pass up the sideline to Logan Mahoney for a 35-yard touchdown.
“We stretched the field a little bit -- Jake Burt had a catch early, Rocket had an catch early. We did enough to get people out of the box…and then the offensive line could do their thing,” O’Leary said, “I think Michael [Geaslen] is growing considerably. He’s been steady, almost 70% completions in the first games—great touchdowns and yards and we because need him to get those people out of the box, it helps our running game.”
Thomas takes it back: On the following Central drive, Thomas caught an interception in the back of Prep’s endzone, and what happened next will in all likelihood live in folklore.
Instead of kneeling the ball down in the end zone, Thomas took the ball out and shed tacklers all the way to the opposite goal line -- a 107-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“I didn’t even realize it was in the end zone, I thought it was at the one, but then I went out of the end zone and I had to bring it out or it would have been a safety,” Thomas said.
The star back had his coach scratching his head on the sideline, but O’Leary was able to breathe a quick sigh of relief when Thomas flew up the middle of the field and brought back the score.
“I don’t think he knew where was because of all the lines on the field. I was telling him ‘go down, go down, go down,’ and then about half way up Michael Fawehinmi threw a crushing block right in front of it and broke it even more,” O’Leary said.
200 yards, again: This makes back-to-back weeks that Thomas has rushed for over 200 yards, totaling 263 yards last week in a win over Brockton. He didn’t get to 200 in week one, but he managed 161 yards in a losing effort against Bridgewater-Raynham. Thomas thanked his offensive line for his big gains, but also half-jokingly talked about Prep’s new tightly-fitting Under Armour jerseys.
“Over 200 again...the offensive line I have to give all the credit to them. They did a great job of making holes,” Thomas said, “The new jerseys, skin tight, so if they’re trying to arm tackle me they can’t -— can’t grab that. So they have to frame me up.”
O’Leary, while in awe of yet another exceptional performance from Thomas, made sure to point out that the passing game as an integral piece of Prep’s attack.
“We know what [Thomas] is, clearly he’s our star, the star of the game, but we had a lot of guys make some good plays today," O'Leary said. "Brandon Kahari on a couple screens made big plays. Michael Geaslen threw the touchdown pass...that kind of opened it up for us right there."
Thomas agreed, noting that the passing game forced Central’s defense into check.
“It definitely helps because the linebackers have to look for the pass, they can’t just come all the way up and look for me," he said. "They have to drop because we have guys like Jake Burt, Owen Rockett, who can make great plays...Logan Mahoney. It definitely helped me.”
Defensive adjustment: After giving up 21 points at halftime and watching Drummond-Mayrie and Milano (11-of-21, 183 yards, TD) make plays all over the field, O’Leary’s assistants went to him with the idea of playing a Cover 2 in the second half to help stop the bleeding. With Thomas switching from outside linebacker to safety, Prep was able to essentially take Central’s passing game away across half of the field.
“I had a deep path. It worked out, we shut them down pretty good. I personally had deep path, so I had to make sure a guy didn’t get behind me,” Thomas said.
The move was a bit of improvisation by O’Leary and his staff, but Drummond-Mayrie only rushed for 32 yards in the second half, while Central’s offense didn’t score a single touchdown after the half.
“We don’t run Cover 2, but we had to pressure those guys on the outside and put Johnny back there. It takes the wear-and-tear off [Thomas] too,” O’Leary said. “It was a change-up that we didn’t do in the first half.”
Thomas, St. John’s Prep’s highly-touted running back, exploded for 228 yards on 27 carries on Friday night—lifting the Eagles (2-1) over Central Catholic (2-1), 40-21. He even made his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball too, returning an intercepted Mike Milano pass 107 yards for a touchdown to put a ribbon on the victory late in the fourth quarter.
Central Catholic got off to a quick start on their first drive, flying downfield on a seven play, 80 yard drive that took less than two minutes off the first quarter clock. Central’s star back, University of New Hampshire commit D’Andre Drummond-Mayrie (13 carries, 88 yards, TD) got the ball five times and anchored the first scoring drive.
“The first drive was ridiculous,” Prep coach Jim O’Leary said, “and the last [Central] drive and a half was a little disappointing. But inbetween that we got some points, and then the defense showed a lot in the second half. They’re a good football team, 40 is deceiving.”
Prep answered back later in the first quarter though, as Mike Geaslen (7-of-9, 94 yards, 2 TD) threw a 24-yard pass to Owen Rocket, Rocket fumbled the ball at the five yard line, but it rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Michael Calascibetta for a Prep TD. Geaslen ran in a touchdown in the second quarter, and later threw a touchdown pass up the sideline to Logan Mahoney for a 35-yard touchdown.
“We stretched the field a little bit -- Jake Burt had a catch early, Rocket had an catch early. We did enough to get people out of the box…and then the offensive line could do their thing,” O’Leary said, “I think Michael [Geaslen] is growing considerably. He’s been steady, almost 70% completions in the first games—great touchdowns and yards and we because need him to get those people out of the box, it helps our running game.”
Thomas takes it back: On the following Central drive, Thomas caught an interception in the back of Prep’s endzone, and what happened next will in all likelihood live in folklore.
Instead of kneeling the ball down in the end zone, Thomas took the ball out and shed tacklers all the way to the opposite goal line -- a 107-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“I didn’t even realize it was in the end zone, I thought it was at the one, but then I went out of the end zone and I had to bring it out or it would have been a safety,” Thomas said.
The star back had his coach scratching his head on the sideline, but O’Leary was able to breathe a quick sigh of relief when Thomas flew up the middle of the field and brought back the score.
“I don’t think he knew where was because of all the lines on the field. I was telling him ‘go down, go down, go down,’ and then about half way up Michael Fawehinmi threw a crushing block right in front of it and broke it even more,” O’Leary said.
200 yards, again: This makes back-to-back weeks that Thomas has rushed for over 200 yards, totaling 263 yards last week in a win over Brockton. He didn’t get to 200 in week one, but he managed 161 yards in a losing effort against Bridgewater-Raynham. Thomas thanked his offensive line for his big gains, but also half-jokingly talked about Prep’s new tightly-fitting Under Armour jerseys.
“Over 200 again...the offensive line I have to give all the credit to them. They did a great job of making holes,” Thomas said, “The new jerseys, skin tight, so if they’re trying to arm tackle me they can’t -— can’t grab that. So they have to frame me up.”
O’Leary, while in awe of yet another exceptional performance from Thomas, made sure to point out that the passing game as an integral piece of Prep’s attack.
“We know what [Thomas] is, clearly he’s our star, the star of the game, but we had a lot of guys make some good plays today," O'Leary said. "Brandon Kahari on a couple screens made big plays. Michael Geaslen threw the touchdown pass...that kind of opened it up for us right there."
Thomas agreed, noting that the passing game forced Central’s defense into check.
“It definitely helps because the linebackers have to look for the pass, they can’t just come all the way up and look for me," he said. "They have to drop because we have guys like Jake Burt, Owen Rockett, who can make great plays...Logan Mahoney. It definitely helped me.”
Defensive adjustment: After giving up 21 points at halftime and watching Drummond-Mayrie and Milano (11-of-21, 183 yards, TD) make plays all over the field, O’Leary’s assistants went to him with the idea of playing a Cover 2 in the second half to help stop the bleeding. With Thomas switching from outside linebacker to safety, Prep was able to essentially take Central’s passing game away across half of the field.
“I had a deep path. It worked out, we shut them down pretty good. I personally had deep path, so I had to make sure a guy didn’t get behind me,” Thomas said.
The move was a bit of improvisation by O’Leary and his staff, but Drummond-Mayrie only rushed for 32 yards in the second half, while Central’s offense didn’t score a single touchdown after the half.
“We don’t run Cover 2, but we had to pressure those guys on the outside and put Johnny back there. It takes the wear-and-tear off [Thomas] too,” O’Leary said. “It was a change-up that we didn’t do in the first half.”
Recap: No. 8 Leominster 33, No. 9 Lowell 20
September, 21, 2013
Sep 21
2:07
AM ET
By
Brendan Hall | ESPNBoston.com
LOWELL, Mass. -- Since the beginning of the preseason, much has been made about Lowell's funky, frenetic offense, a blur-paced spread scheme sprinkled with enough smattering of screens, draws, crossing routes and zone reads to keep a defense on its heels in no-man's land trying to envelop it all.
It was enough of a concern for Leominster head coach Dave Palazzi that earlier this week, he said he called his players and coaching staff "on the carpet", challenging their toughness and mental discipline. As it turns out, the best defense tonight against the Red Raiders' Oregon-like scheme was to keep them off the field.
[+] Enlarge
Ryan Kilian for ESPNBoston.comQB Neil O'Connor (222 offensive yards, 4 TDs) and the Leominster offense dominated time of possession in their 33-20 win over Lowell.
"We just said, to a man I asked them to step up and be the man at your own position, and respond to their first punch," Palazzi said. "I thought they did that."
The Red Raiders drew first blood, marching 64 yards in nine plays, punching it in from five yards out on an inside zone from Ngaiiva Mason (15 carries, 86 yards) for a 6-0 score less than three minutes into the contest.
Leominster responded with an offensive look trademark of Blue Devils teams past, but not used yet in 2013 -- preseason, or last week's home-opener. Palazzi rolled out a "double wing" formation -- a red zone staple for Blue Devil squads prior to the coach's arrival in 2011 -- on the next series, and took Lowell's 3-5 defensive front by surprise. They marched 77 yards in 14 plays and six minutes, twice converting fourth and one in their own end, punching it in on a 17-yard strike from quarterback Neil O'Connor (156 passing yards, 3 TD; 16 carries, 66 yards, TD) to fullback Matt Banchs (4 catches, 69 yards) for his first of two touchdown catches.
Lowell's next two drives were three-and-out's that lasted a combined 2:09, and Leominster responded each time with scores. First, they capped a 63-yard, 12-play, six-minute drive with a 36-yard strike from O'Connor to Mayson Williams, running a fade route down the left sideline. The next trip down, the Blue Devils went 66 yards in 17 plays, eating up all but 13 seconds of the final 6:08 of the first half. James Gurley (26 carries, 91 yards) punched it in from a yard out on fourth and goal for the 18-6 halftime margin.
Leominster received to start the second half, and opened with another monster drive, this one going 80 yards in 15 plays and seven minutes, capped with a nifty 10-yard option keeper by O'Connor, followed by a rollout pass to Jarell Addo on the two-point conversion for the 26-6 score.
In the fourth quarter, Leominster sandwiched another O'Connor-Banchs touchdown pass, this one for 19 yards, in between two pretty scoring strikes from Brian Dolan to Jack Galvin.
Owning the clock: Between Leominster's six-minute drive to end the first half, a 15-minute halftime break, and the Devils' seven-minute opening drive of the second, it felt like Lowell's offense was off the field for an hour of real time.
Leominster dominated time of possession in the first half, holding on to the ball for 17:33 of the first half to Lowell's paltry 4:27 on four offensive drives. A big part of that was Lowell's combination of uber-fast no-huddle tempo and failure to convert on third downs. In the first half, the Red Raiders averaged 20 seconds, sometimes less, between plays; after their game-opening scoring drive, they failed to convert another third down the rest of the game, finishing 2-of-7 on the night.
Part of Leominster's practice week involves what players call "Intensity Tuesdays", a grueling mixture of sprints and suicides coordinated by assistant coach Charlie Raff. Against this high-powered scheme, O'Connor felt he and his teammates were conditioned well enough to hang around with them.
"He [Raff] definitely pushes us," O'Connor said. "We know why we’re doing it, and it’s for these reasons. They’re not doing it because they hate us, they're doing it to help us. We understand that, and it pays off."
As a result, Leominster out-gained the Raiders 207-68 in first half yardage, running 43 plays to just 14 by Lowell. For the game, they outgained Lowell 386-211 from scrimmage. Superstar receiver Galvin, an ESPN Boston Preseason All-State selection, finished with two catches for 90 yards and two scores; but he was held without catch until the final 8:41 of the game.
Such is the mortal flaw with many of these uptempo, copious "Blur" schemes. When everything is clicking, these offenses look exotic. But, as tonight explicated, they sure can unravel in a hurry.
Asked if he contemplated slowing the pace down at all, Lowell head coach John Florence said simply, "It’s not really our style. We want to go put the defense under duress and go from there."
Fourth and guts: Everett coach John DiBiaso's decision last week to go for it on fourth and two from his own 23 last Friday in a loss to Xaverian, and it has been a topic of discussion this week. DiBiaso's gamble, while not his first rodeo, ended up backfiring. Palazzi's gamble with it tonight, meanwhile, showed how big gambles can pay off.
The Blue Devils were a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth downs tonight, all of them coming within their own end. Twice on their first drive of the night they converted on fourth and one, first from their own 32, then from their own 43. Later in the first half, the Blue Devils converted a fourth down from their own 29.
Asked about how much he weighed the risk of such decisions, Palazzi said there was "no doubt in my mind" he was going to go for it on those fourth downs.
"What I saw the first half, the first drive out of Lowell, I thought this could get out of hand quickly," Palazzi said. "I just thought that was the play of the game, it was intuition. It was an out of control call, I agree, but I just felt it in my gut that we needed to get a first down there.
"The tables could have turned there. We punt there, and they go down and score, we’re down 14 now. It’s a different ball game, we’re [probably] spread out, trying to throw the ball around and that’s really not what we’re trying to do."
Often, such a maneuver is meant to test the skin of his players -- experienced or inexperienced, proven or unproven -- and see what kind of backbone they possess. No question, that factor weighed into the decision making.
"We knew we were coming up here to an Eastern Mass. team, a Division 1 team, we’ve played big games before but we had to match their intensity," Palazzi said. "That was part of the call, we just had to see if we were tough enough because as you see they’re a great team, great players, they were real physical on film."
Double Wing catches Raiders off-guard: The "Double Wing" package was often a staple of Leominster squads under legendary former coach John Dubzinski, particularly in the red zone, and it had been a novelty package seen in spurts the first two seasons under Palazzi. But neither in the preseason, nor last week's home-opener against St. John's of Shrewsbury, did we see any shred of the formation.
Suffice it to say when the Blue Devils opened up in the package early in the first quarter, and stayed in it for the most part throughout the half, it took Lowell by surprise. The Red Raiders deploy a 3-5-3 defensive front, a scheme known for its ability to disguise its blitzes, and one that better suits its speedy personnel. The linemen's one-inch splits in the double wing strip a defense of virtually all of its blitz packages, and Florence admitted this typically isn't a look they've had great success against.
"We see a little bit of it, with Tewksbury, it’s obviously something we haven’t played well [against] the last three years, and tonight was another example of that," he said. "With our style of defense, and the linemen we have, that’s a weakness for us to be in. We have to come ready [for that].
"It was obviously very difficult [defending it]. They chewed the clock the second quarter, and I think we knew it was coming on the sidelines, we just didn’t hit our gaps correctly and just let them push the pile. We were playing with our pad level too high."
Palazzi didn't want to get into a track meet with the Raiders, and felt this was their best method at keeping the game at a comfortable tempo. In basketball terms, Leominster matched Lowell's full-court press with a Princeton offense.
"[They run a] 3-5 with some very good athletes in there," Palazzi said. "We just thought with this league, and the way they run football, and a lot of the teams they play are throwing the ball like it’s backyard football, we just decided we’re going to go a little power football and see where we’d start. It kept on working, so we kept running it, and the kids were fired up about it. But Lowell made a lot of adjustments, they’ve got a great staff, they did a great job adjusting to it at the end."
Banchs moves the chains: Gurley took on a Yeoman's load, and paid for it after the game ("I’m feeling sore, but it’s a great win for the team," he chuckled), but an underrated part of Leominster's success on offense tonight came from the fullback Banchs. In addition to blocking for Gurley, Banchs was a vital part of the passing game.
All four of Banchs catches, including the two TD strikes, came in the flats. Out of the I-formation, Banchs would shoot up through the middle of the line and release to the flat, where a Lowell defender often failed to pick him up. O'Connor, rolling to his left or right, would hit him perfectly in stride for an easy first down and possibly more.
LEOMINSTER 33, LOWELL 20
LEO 6 12 8 7 --- 33
LOW 6 0 0 14 --- 20
First Quarter
Low - Ngaiiva Mason 5 run (kick failed) 8:38
Leo - Matt Banchs 22 pass from Neil O'Connor (kick blocked) 2:31
Second Quarter
Leo - Mayson Williams 36 pass from O'Connor (pass failed) 7:10
Leo - James Gurley 1 run (rush failed) :08
Third Quarter
Leo - O'Connor 10 run (Tim DeCarolis pass from O'Connor) 3:59
Fourth Quarter
Low - Jack Galvin 73 pass from Brian Dolan (Evan McHugh kick) 8:41
Leo - Banchs 19 pass from O'Connor (Christian Lewis kick) 5:52
Low - Galvin 17 pass from Dolan (McHugh kick) 5:02
Recap: Needham 26, No. 12 Walpole 6
September, 21, 2013
Sep 21
1:22
AM ET
By
Scott Barboza | ESPNBoston.com
NEEDHAM, Mass. –- It couldn’t have gotten any worse for Needham’s defense. But after a rough 36-26 loss to Westwood in Week 1, the Rockets (who were a preseason Top 25-ranked team) had last week’s bye to get their house in order before meeting Bay State Conference rival No. 12 Walpole on Friday.
Head coach Dave Duffy and his staff used the off week to its fullest, preparing a perfect game plan for the Rebels.
Of course, a 15-carry, 196-yard performance from senior Mike Panepinto didn’t hurt, but the key to the Rockets’ head-turning 26-6 win over the Rebels was their defense. The unit, which had in its debut struggled, couldn’t have been more different. While Walpole was able to move the ball, evidenced by quarterback Will Bolster’s 249 passing yards, while completing 23 of 40 pass attempts, Needham simply made plays when it mattered most.
Twice the Rebels were presented with promising red zone situations and were held without a single point.
“I wanted them to get a zero,” said Panepinto, who broke off touchdown runs of 88 and 20 yards. “We were giving them [the business] in practice after we gave up 36 points to Westwood. And I think they really took it personally after Westwood, and they were ready for tonight.
“They made a statement tonight.”
The first Rockets (1-1) defensive stand came at the end of the first half. With the Rebels (1-1) driving, Needham stalled Walpole’s attempt to get on the board in the final minute of the second quarter. The Rebels attempted a 27-yard field goal attempt as time ran out before the half – following a botched snap on third and goal from the 5 – but when the kick sailed wide left, the Rockets took a 12-0 lead to the intermission.
Needham rode the momentum into the second half, scoring on the opening drive. With an efficient five-play, 67-yard drive, Panepinto found the end zone for a second time with a 20-yard run, following his electrifying 88-yarder in the second quarter.
Walpole again knocked on the door on the ensuing drive, but again the Rebels failed to score. On fourth and 1 from the Rockets’ 4-yard line, Needham again showed its renewed defensive resolve. Senior linebacker Carter Christenson was first in among a group of Rockets defenders plugging the holes on the fullback dive up the middle.
The Rockets again seized the opportunity, capping an emphatic 96-yard drive on Ryan Charter’s 44-yard pass to Mike Elcock on the post for a 26-0 lead with 2:14 remaining in the third quarter.
Walpole finally got on the board with 9:11 remaining with a 4-yard touchdown connection from Bolster to Steve Cuqua on a bootleg roll-out.
Elcock in on the play: Hardly a play elapsed – on offense or defense – where senior wide receiver/defensive back Mike Elcock didn’t factor.
Elcock, who’s also a standout member of the Rockets lacrosse squad, hauled in two touchdown receptions, but really made his presence felt in the secondary. He recorded a game-high five passes defended, including an interception on Walpole’s Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game.
“He played great,” Duffy said of Elcock. “He’s a senior, he’s a real leader. He’s the real leader of the secondary. He’s a smart kid and he plays tough.”
Elcock wasn’t the only Rockets defensive back making a contribution. Jake Schernecker and Cliff Kurker also contributed pass break-ups in key spots.
While Needham allowed for Bolster and the Rebels offense to operate underneath, Elcock and his teammates sealed off the deep portion of the field.
“I think once [they] got on our side of the field,” Elcock said of Needham’s bend-but-don’t-break defense, “the line would not give up an inch on the run, we stuffed them. And all they could get is five-yard completions, we weren’t letting anything behind us.”
But it was Elcock, himself, who provided the biggest passing play of the evening, out-running the Rebels coverage on a 44-yard score off play-action.
“We’d just been running all over them and we in a double-tight formation, so they were expecting run all the way,” Elcock said. “Then, we just burned them deep with the one high safety.”
A must win?: It’s a little too early in the season to call it a must-win, but Friday’s game was nearly that for Needham.
In a loaded Division 2 South field, the Rockets could ill-afford a loss to the ranked Rebels following their Week 1 letdown against Westwood.
Not that they were about to pay attention.
“I don’t really understand how the whole thing works,” Panepinto said candidly about the MIAA’s new playoff system.
“Coach Duffy and the staff do a good job keeping us from looking too far ahead. On Monday, we’ll be on to [Newton] North, that’s what we’ll be concerned with.”
Cause for concern?: Aside from Friday's loss, the most costly thing to happen to Walpole might be the loss of senior running back Conor Moriarty.
Moriarty, who rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries, left the game after an apparent injury after a 7-yard gain in the third quarter and did not return.
Head coach Dave Duffy and his staff used the off week to its fullest, preparing a perfect game plan for the Rebels.
Of course, a 15-carry, 196-yard performance from senior Mike Panepinto didn’t hurt, but the key to the Rockets’ head-turning 26-6 win over the Rebels was their defense. The unit, which had in its debut struggled, couldn’t have been more different. While Walpole was able to move the ball, evidenced by quarterback Will Bolster’s 249 passing yards, while completing 23 of 40 pass attempts, Needham simply made plays when it mattered most.
Twice the Rebels were presented with promising red zone situations and were held without a single point.
“I wanted them to get a zero,” said Panepinto, who broke off touchdown runs of 88 and 20 yards. “We were giving them [the business] in practice after we gave up 36 points to Westwood. And I think they really took it personally after Westwood, and they were ready for tonight.
“They made a statement tonight.”
The first Rockets (1-1) defensive stand came at the end of the first half. With the Rebels (1-1) driving, Needham stalled Walpole’s attempt to get on the board in the final minute of the second quarter. The Rebels attempted a 27-yard field goal attempt as time ran out before the half – following a botched snap on third and goal from the 5 – but when the kick sailed wide left, the Rockets took a 12-0 lead to the intermission.
Needham rode the momentum into the second half, scoring on the opening drive. With an efficient five-play, 67-yard drive, Panepinto found the end zone for a second time with a 20-yard run, following his electrifying 88-yarder in the second quarter.
Walpole again knocked on the door on the ensuing drive, but again the Rebels failed to score. On fourth and 1 from the Rockets’ 4-yard line, Needham again showed its renewed defensive resolve. Senior linebacker Carter Christenson was first in among a group of Rockets defenders plugging the holes on the fullback dive up the middle.
The Rockets again seized the opportunity, capping an emphatic 96-yard drive on Ryan Charter’s 44-yard pass to Mike Elcock on the post for a 26-0 lead with 2:14 remaining in the third quarter.
Walpole finally got on the board with 9:11 remaining with a 4-yard touchdown connection from Bolster to Steve Cuqua on a bootleg roll-out.
Elcock in on the play: Hardly a play elapsed – on offense or defense – where senior wide receiver/defensive back Mike Elcock didn’t factor.
Elcock, who’s also a standout member of the Rockets lacrosse squad, hauled in two touchdown receptions, but really made his presence felt in the secondary. He recorded a game-high five passes defended, including an interception on Walpole’s Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game.
“He played great,” Duffy said of Elcock. “He’s a senior, he’s a real leader. He’s the real leader of the secondary. He’s a smart kid and he plays tough.”
Elcock wasn’t the only Rockets defensive back making a contribution. Jake Schernecker and Cliff Kurker also contributed pass break-ups in key spots.
While Needham allowed for Bolster and the Rebels offense to operate underneath, Elcock and his teammates sealed off the deep portion of the field.
“I think once [they] got on our side of the field,” Elcock said of Needham’s bend-but-don’t-break defense, “the line would not give up an inch on the run, we stuffed them. And all they could get is five-yard completions, we weren’t letting anything behind us.”
But it was Elcock, himself, who provided the biggest passing play of the evening, out-running the Rebels coverage on a 44-yard score off play-action.
“We’d just been running all over them and we in a double-tight formation, so they were expecting run all the way,” Elcock said. “Then, we just burned them deep with the one high safety.”
A must win?: It’s a little too early in the season to call it a must-win, but Friday’s game was nearly that for Needham.
In a loaded Division 2 South field, the Rockets could ill-afford a loss to the ranked Rebels following their Week 1 letdown against Westwood.
Not that they were about to pay attention.
“I don’t really understand how the whole thing works,” Panepinto said candidly about the MIAA’s new playoff system.
“Coach Duffy and the staff do a good job keeping us from looking too far ahead. On Monday, we’ll be on to [Newton] North, that’s what we’ll be concerned with.”
Cause for concern?: Aside from Friday's loss, the most costly thing to happen to Walpole might be the loss of senior running back Conor Moriarty.
Moriarty, who rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries, left the game after an apparent injury after a 7-yard gain in the third quarter and did not return.
Recap: Barnstable 20, BC High 13
September, 21, 2013
Sep 21
12:11
AM ET
By Jeff Cox | ESPNBoston.com
DORCHESTER, Mass. -- Barnstable senior running back Hayden Murphy ran for more than 100 yards, and quarterback Kristian Lucashensky threw two touchdown passes to lead the Red Raiders to a come-back 20-13 victory over the BC High Eagles on Friday night at James Cotter Field.
Barnstable fell behind by two touchdowns early in the second quarter, but bounced back to score 20 unanswered points for a much-needed victory.
“We showed some tremendous resiliency. I’m so proud of our kids,” Barnstable head coach Chris Whidden said.
BC High senior Ismail Asongwed returned the opening kickoff of the game 97 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead before there was even a single play from the line of scrimmage.
On the first play of the second quarter, BC High (1-2) extended its lead to 13-0 when senior Robert Harnais punched it in from a yard out. That score was set up by a 68-yard run by quarterback Sean Holleran late in the first quarter.
The Eagles were in complete control of the line of scrimmage and seemed to be in total control physically. However, the tides turned and Barnstable took over on the road.
“We had all the momentum. We were playing hard, but then we didn’t tackle. Some of it is on us, some of it is Barnstable,” BC High head coach Joe Gaff said.
Murphy cut the lead to 13-7 when he scored on a 43-yard touchdown run with 7:09 to play in the first half. It was the first offensive touchdown of the season for the Red Raiders.
Barnstable had a chance to score again with under a minute to play in the first half, but couldn’t convert on four attempts inside the Eagles 10-yard line.
BC High looked to add to its lead in the third quarter, but a holding penalty nullified a long Holleran run on what appeared to be a promising drive.
“It was the third straight game where a mistake cost us. We went from down on their 15 up six to deep in our own end and they got the ball back and went up,” said Gaff.
Barnstable got the ball back and didn’t waste much time in taking its first lead of the game, when Lucashensky threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Derek Estes.
Lucashensky and Estes connected on another score in the fourth quarter to give the Red Raiders a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
BC High had a chance to practice its two-minute drill, but after driving to the Barnstable 20, the Eagles could not finish the deal.
After a season opening loss to Dennis-Yarmouth, Barnstable bounced back to even its record at 1-1.
“For us, at this point in the season, getting a win was so important after how down we were two weeks ago,” said Whidden. “Now the kids believe we can beat anyone.”
Whidden credited the improvement from one game to the next by emphasizing the team’s belief in each other. Another big reason was the play of Murphy and Lucashensky. Both players drew praise from the opposition’s coach.
“Murphy had a great game,” Gaff said. “He’s a good running back, and of course their quarterback didn’t play in their first game.”
The road won’t get any easier for the Eagles as they next face Brockton after a bye week.
Notes: The Eagles recovered two Barnstable turnovers -- one interception and one fumble.
Barnstable fell behind by two touchdowns early in the second quarter, but bounced back to score 20 unanswered points for a much-needed victory.
“We showed some tremendous resiliency. I’m so proud of our kids,” Barnstable head coach Chris Whidden said.
BC High senior Ismail Asongwed returned the opening kickoff of the game 97 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead before there was even a single play from the line of scrimmage.
On the first play of the second quarter, BC High (1-2) extended its lead to 13-0 when senior Robert Harnais punched it in from a yard out. That score was set up by a 68-yard run by quarterback Sean Holleran late in the first quarter.
The Eagles were in complete control of the line of scrimmage and seemed to be in total control physically. However, the tides turned and Barnstable took over on the road.
“We had all the momentum. We were playing hard, but then we didn’t tackle. Some of it is on us, some of it is Barnstable,” BC High head coach Joe Gaff said.
Murphy cut the lead to 13-7 when he scored on a 43-yard touchdown run with 7:09 to play in the first half. It was the first offensive touchdown of the season for the Red Raiders.
Barnstable had a chance to score again with under a minute to play in the first half, but couldn’t convert on four attempts inside the Eagles 10-yard line.
BC High looked to add to its lead in the third quarter, but a holding penalty nullified a long Holleran run on what appeared to be a promising drive.
“It was the third straight game where a mistake cost us. We went from down on their 15 up six to deep in our own end and they got the ball back and went up,” said Gaff.
Barnstable got the ball back and didn’t waste much time in taking its first lead of the game, when Lucashensky threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Derek Estes.
Lucashensky and Estes connected on another score in the fourth quarter to give the Red Raiders a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
BC High had a chance to practice its two-minute drill, but after driving to the Barnstable 20, the Eagles could not finish the deal.
After a season opening loss to Dennis-Yarmouth, Barnstable bounced back to even its record at 1-1.
“For us, at this point in the season, getting a win was so important after how down we were two weeks ago,” said Whidden. “Now the kids believe we can beat anyone.”
Whidden credited the improvement from one game to the next by emphasizing the team’s belief in each other. Another big reason was the play of Murphy and Lucashensky. Both players drew praise from the opposition’s coach.
“Murphy had a great game,” Gaff said. “He’s a good running back, and of course their quarterback didn’t play in their first game.”
The road won’t get any easier for the Eagles as they next face Brockton after a bye week.
Notes: The Eagles recovered two Barnstable turnovers -- one interception and one fumble.
Recap: No. 6 Central 49, E. Longmeadow 0
September, 20, 2013
Sep 20
11:33
PM ET
By John McGuirk | ESPNBoston.com
EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. -- With all due respect to South Hadley and Amherst, they are not Springfield Central. East Longmeadow learn that lesson rather harshly as the Golden Eagles stormed over and through the Spartans for a 49-0 victory Friday night in a AA Divisional tilt at Spartan Field.
Coming off a bye week, Central (1-1) bounced back nicely from its season-opening loss to Everett two weeks ago. The Golden Eagles amazingly scored 21 points in the first minute of this one and never looked back.
Quarterback Cody Williams (7 of 8, 149 yards, 3 TDs), on his first touch from scrimmage, hit Ju’an Williams for a 26 yard scoring pass in the right corner of the end zone. The score was set up by the first of three turnovers committed by East Longmeadow (2-1) in the opening minute.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans lost the ball putting the Golden Eagles on the 14. Cody Williams connected with Ju’an Williams again, this time on an out pattern, and the senior sprinted past the defense into the end zone to make it 14-0.
It was déjà vu all over again on the proceeding kickoff after the Spartans lost control of it and giving Central the ball on the 2. Needing just one play, running back Marcal Davis’ dive over the goal line extended the cushion to 21 points before many fans had even reached their seats.
“We know special teams is a big part of the game,” said Ju’an Williams. “We work on it all the time during practice because we want everything to be nice and crisp.”
What was expected to be a close game after East Longmeadow came into this tilt following back-to-back victories over South Hadley and Amherst, was anything but.
“We had the bye week so the kids were really excited to play tonight,” said Central coach Valdamar Brower. “This game comes after a loss so there was a lot of aggression building up. We have a lot of competitive teams in our conference it just so happens we had the bye week and we were able to get the best of East Longmeadow tonight.”
To the Spartans’ credit, they did manage to hold on to the ball on their next possession and drove to the Central nine before turning it over on downs. With 6:45 left before the half, the Spartans again entered the red zone but Devon Kennedy’s pass was picked off by Ju’an Williams and returned 98 yards for the score. Kennedy completed 10 of 22 passes for 64 yards.
Central added to the Spartans’ misery in the waning minutes of the half. Behind running back Da'Quan Clemons (5 carries, 38 yards) and a couple drive-sustaining catches by Troy Morrow, Cody Williams finished it off with a nimble 15-yard jaunt sending the Golden Eagles into the break well-in command, 35-0.
Central continued its onslaught in the third. A six-yard scoring run by Davis finished off a 50-yard, six-play drive to push the lead to 42-0. On their next possession, Cody Williams hooked up with Morrow on a 71-yard screen pass, pushing the advantage to 49 points.
“One of the things we work on is to not let up and keep going,” Ju’an Williams said. “We get tackled we just get up and get back on the ball. We try to get the defense off-balanced.”
The Golden Eagles finished with 358 yards while East Longmeadow finished with 221. Sophomore running back Mike Maggipinto led the Spartans with 71 yards on 10 attempts.
Coming off a bye week, Central (1-1) bounced back nicely from its season-opening loss to Everett two weeks ago. The Golden Eagles amazingly scored 21 points in the first minute of this one and never looked back.
Quarterback Cody Williams (7 of 8, 149 yards, 3 TDs), on his first touch from scrimmage, hit Ju’an Williams for a 26 yard scoring pass in the right corner of the end zone. The score was set up by the first of three turnovers committed by East Longmeadow (2-1) in the opening minute.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans lost the ball putting the Golden Eagles on the 14. Cody Williams connected with Ju’an Williams again, this time on an out pattern, and the senior sprinted past the defense into the end zone to make it 14-0.
It was déjà vu all over again on the proceeding kickoff after the Spartans lost control of it and giving Central the ball on the 2. Needing just one play, running back Marcal Davis’ dive over the goal line extended the cushion to 21 points before many fans had even reached their seats.
“We know special teams is a big part of the game,” said Ju’an Williams. “We work on it all the time during practice because we want everything to be nice and crisp.”
What was expected to be a close game after East Longmeadow came into this tilt following back-to-back victories over South Hadley and Amherst, was anything but.
“We had the bye week so the kids were really excited to play tonight,” said Central coach Valdamar Brower. “This game comes after a loss so there was a lot of aggression building up. We have a lot of competitive teams in our conference it just so happens we had the bye week and we were able to get the best of East Longmeadow tonight.”
To the Spartans’ credit, they did manage to hold on to the ball on their next possession and drove to the Central nine before turning it over on downs. With 6:45 left before the half, the Spartans again entered the red zone but Devon Kennedy’s pass was picked off by Ju’an Williams and returned 98 yards for the score. Kennedy completed 10 of 22 passes for 64 yards.
Central added to the Spartans’ misery in the waning minutes of the half. Behind running back Da'Quan Clemons (5 carries, 38 yards) and a couple drive-sustaining catches by Troy Morrow, Cody Williams finished it off with a nimble 15-yard jaunt sending the Golden Eagles into the break well-in command, 35-0.
Central continued its onslaught in the third. A six-yard scoring run by Davis finished off a 50-yard, six-play drive to push the lead to 42-0. On their next possession, Cody Williams hooked up with Morrow on a 71-yard screen pass, pushing the advantage to 49 points.
“One of the things we work on is to not let up and keep going,” Ju’an Williams said. “We get tackled we just get up and get back on the ball. We try to get the defense off-balanced.”
The Golden Eagles finished with 358 yards while East Longmeadow finished with 221. Sophomore running back Mike Maggipinto led the Spartans with 71 yards on 10 attempts.
Top 25
No. 3 Reading 22, Dracut 21
No. 4 St. John’s Prep 40, No. 13 Central Catholic 21
No. 6 Springfield Central 49, East Longmeadow 0
No. 7 Natick 41, Acton-Boxborough 6
No. 8 Leominster 33, No. 9 Lowell 20
No. 11 Brockton 33, Weymouth 22
Needham 26, No. 12 Walpole 6
No. 15 St. John’s (Shrewsbury) 42, Catholic Memorial 24
No. 16 Plymouth South 21, Sandwich 7
No. 19 Westfield 49, West Springfield 20
No. 23 Nashoba 21, Shrewsbury 7
No. 24 Attleboro 41, Dartmouth 12
Minnechaug 20, No. 25 Springfield Putnam 8
Agawam 20, Chicopee 14
Ashland 42, Blackstone-Millville 6
Arlington 42, Medford 12
Auburn 35, Oakmont 21
Barnstable 20, BC High 13
Bartlett 46, Millbury 28
Bedford 34, Belmont 13
Beverly 48, North Andover 28
Bishop Fenwick 41, North Shore 0
Boston English 38, Burke 36
Chelmsford 46, Billerica 33
Concord-Carlisle 35, Lexington 18
Dover-Sherborn 33, Hull 20
East Bridgewater 34, Hanover 20
Easthampton 52, Mahar 12
Fitchburg 21, Wachusett 7
Franklin Tech 40, Palmer 0
Greater New Bedford 34, Fairhaven 8
Hingham 27, Braintree 14
Holliston 43, Milford 7
Hopkington 28, Nipmuc 7
Hudson 41, Groton-Dunstable 7
Latin Academy 24, Dorchester 10
Leicester 40, Oxford 7
Longmeadow 36, Holyoke 26
Lowell Catholic 30, Whittier Tech 0
Marlboro 35, Algonquin 20
Malden 29, Revere 0
Marian 14, Mystic Valley 8
Marshfield 15, Plymouth North 12
Martha’s Vineyard 18, Randolph 6
Masconomet 27, Gloucester 0
Medfield 38, Bellingham 0
Medway 31, Stoneham 24
Millis/Hopedale 29, Archbishop Williams 15
Mohawk 56, Dean Tech 12
Monomoy 28, St. Joseph’s 6
Nauset 34, Falmouth 8
Newton South 42, Boston Latin 12
North Attleboro 42, Bishop Feehan 3
North Middlesex 26, Westborough 19
North Reading 16, Hamilton-Wenham 0
Norton 22, Middleboro 20
Oliver Ames 28, Pembroke 21
Old Rochester 35, Bourne 0
Pathfinder 64, Smith Voc. 0
Peabody 34, Somerville 27
Pittsfield 32, Chicopee Comp 23
Quincy 22, Canton 14
Seekonk 48, Wareham 20
Shepherd Hill 28, Gardner 13
Stoughton 40, Milton 13
Swampscott 28, Winthrop 14
Tantasqua 40, Northbridge 3
Taunton 42, Durfee 21
Turners Falls 36, Ludlow 20
Wakefield 33, Lynn English 8
Waltham 34, Framingham 6
West Roxbury 14, Madison Park 6
Wilmington 20, Arlington Catholic 0
Woburn 27, Burlington 7
No. 3 Reading 22, Dracut 21
No. 4 St. John’s Prep 40, No. 13 Central Catholic 21
No. 6 Springfield Central 49, East Longmeadow 0
No. 7 Natick 41, Acton-Boxborough 6
No. 8 Leominster 33, No. 9 Lowell 20
No. 11 Brockton 33, Weymouth 22
Needham 26, No. 12 Walpole 6
No. 15 St. John’s (Shrewsbury) 42, Catholic Memorial 24
No. 16 Plymouth South 21, Sandwich 7
No. 19 Westfield 49, West Springfield 20
No. 23 Nashoba 21, Shrewsbury 7
No. 24 Attleboro 41, Dartmouth 12
Minnechaug 20, No. 25 Springfield Putnam 8
Agawam 20, Chicopee 14
Ashland 42, Blackstone-Millville 6
Arlington 42, Medford 12
Auburn 35, Oakmont 21
Barnstable 20, BC High 13
Bartlett 46, Millbury 28
Bedford 34, Belmont 13
Beverly 48, North Andover 28
Bishop Fenwick 41, North Shore 0
Boston English 38, Burke 36
Chelmsford 46, Billerica 33
Concord-Carlisle 35, Lexington 18
Dover-Sherborn 33, Hull 20
East Bridgewater 34, Hanover 20
Easthampton 52, Mahar 12
Fitchburg 21, Wachusett 7
Franklin Tech 40, Palmer 0
Greater New Bedford 34, Fairhaven 8
Hingham 27, Braintree 14
Holliston 43, Milford 7
Hopkington 28, Nipmuc 7
Hudson 41, Groton-Dunstable 7
Latin Academy 24, Dorchester 10
Leicester 40, Oxford 7
Longmeadow 36, Holyoke 26
Lowell Catholic 30, Whittier Tech 0
Marlboro 35, Algonquin 20
Malden 29, Revere 0
Marian 14, Mystic Valley 8
Marshfield 15, Plymouth North 12
Martha’s Vineyard 18, Randolph 6
Masconomet 27, Gloucester 0
Medfield 38, Bellingham 0
Medway 31, Stoneham 24
Millis/Hopedale 29, Archbishop Williams 15
Mohawk 56, Dean Tech 12
Monomoy 28, St. Joseph’s 6
Nauset 34, Falmouth 8
Newton South 42, Boston Latin 12
North Attleboro 42, Bishop Feehan 3
North Middlesex 26, Westborough 19
North Reading 16, Hamilton-Wenham 0
Norton 22, Middleboro 20
Oliver Ames 28, Pembroke 21
Old Rochester 35, Bourne 0
Pathfinder 64, Smith Voc. 0
Peabody 34, Somerville 27
Pittsfield 32, Chicopee Comp 23
Quincy 22, Canton 14
Seekonk 48, Wareham 20
Shepherd Hill 28, Gardner 13
Stoughton 40, Milton 13
Swampscott 28, Winthrop 14
Tantasqua 40, Northbridge 3
Taunton 42, Durfee 21
Turners Falls 36, Ludlow 20
Wakefield 33, Lynn English 8
Waltham 34, Framingham 6
West Roxbury 14, Madison Park 6
Wilmington 20, Arlington Catholic 0
Woburn 27, Burlington 7
Week 3 of the high school football season has arrived. We’ll have reporters at the biggest games on the slate and will update scores from these and other contests from around the state tonight in the live blog below. To have your say, tweet using the #RoadToGillette hashtag and your updates/reactions will be included in the chat.
New Hampshire Football Preview
September, 20, 2013
Sep 20
3:07
PM ET
By Roger Brown | ESPNBoston.com
How much interest is there in Saturday's Division I game between Exeter and neighboring Winnacunnet of Hampton?
Put it this way: If 4,000 fans show up for Saturday's contest there will undoubtedly be some who will label the turnout a disappointment.
The Exeter-Winnacunnet rivalry has become the fiercest in the state.
“It's the biggest game of the year,” Exeter coach Bill Ball said. “Always has been. Always will be.”
This year's game will have even more meaning since both programs are in Division I. The programs battled in Division II until Exeter moved to Division I after the 2009 season. Winnacunnet moved to Division I after last season.
Both teams will enter this year's matchup with a 2-0 record. Winnacunnet has won close games against Bishop Guertin of Nashua (23-22) and Nashua North (20-17). Exeter has beaten Dover (48-6) and Keene (13-3).
“Like all of our games against Exeter, this one will be won in the box,” Winnacunnet coach Ron Auffant said. “Their offensive line is big and they come off the ball well, so our kids will have to be tough against their running game. Defensively, the key against Exeter is first down. You have to take them out of their comfort zone.
“We'll have to pick our spots (on offense) and try to make some big plays. They're physical, but I like our athletes.”
Exeter has won the last two Division I championships. Winnacunnet, which won last year's Division II title, is the only team that beat Exeter last season.
“It's always huge when we play Exeter,” Auffant said. “We'll have to bring our A game.”
DIVISION II
Merrimack Valley of Penacook is off to a 2-0 start and may be the most intriguing team in Division II.
Merrimack Valley first fielded a varsity program in 2002 and has had one winning season since then (5-4 in 2008). Pride quarterback Ivan Niyamugabo has drawn some FCS interest, and Tucker Burt has added some punch to the running game after playing for New Hampton Prep last season.
Merrimack Valley, which didn't win a game last year, will get its stiffest test to date when it plays at Portsmouth (1-1) on Friday night.
“They're better than anybody we've played, that's for sure,” Merrimack Valley coach Dave Jackson said. “Everywhere I look I see athletes who can catch the ball.
“I think for us to win it'll have to be a high-scoring game. We have some speed too. We have some play makers.”
DIVISION III
Pelham is one of three unbeaten teams in Division III –- Fall Mountain (Langdon) and Campbell (Litchfield) are the others -– and will try to raise its record to 3-0 when it plays Somersworth (1-1) in Pelham on Friday night.
“I think Somersworth is the best team in the division,” Pelham coach Ryan Clark said. “They have a strong winning tradition. We'll need our play makers to step up.”
Running back Chris Medeiros is the leading rusher in the team's double-wing offense. He's one of several four-year starters on the team.
Pelham finished 3-6 last year, Clark's first season as the program's head coach.
“I felt like we finished last season strong, and we didn't really lose much,” Clark said. “This Friday is going to tell us a lot.”
UNION LEADER/WGIR/WMUR POWER POLL
1. Exeter (2-0)
2. Bedford (2-0)
3. Concord (2-0)
4. Nashua South (2-0)
5. Pinkerton Academy (1-1)
6. Winnacunnet (2-0)
7. Keene (1-1)
8. Trinity (2-0)
9. Londonderry (2-0)
10. Plymouth (2-0)
WEEK 3 SCHEDULE
Division I
Friday
Dover at Alvirne
Nashua North at Spaulding
Timberlane at Nashua South
Bedford at Londonderry
Concord at Merrimack
Saturday
Winnacunnet at Exeter
Manchester Central at Manchester Memorial
Manchester West at Goffstown
Pinkerton at Salem
Keene at Bishop Guertin
Division II
Friday
Laconia at Kingswood
Merrimack Valley at Portsmouth
Kearsarge at Hanover
Lebanon at Trinity
Con-Val at Milford
Saturday
Pembroke at Sanborn
John Stark at St. Thomas
Kennett at Plymouth
Souhegan at Windham
Monadnock at Hollis/Brookline
Division III
Friday
Epping-Newmarket at Raymond
Somersworth at Pelham
Saturday
Bishop Brady at Campbell
Farmington-Nute at Winnisquam
Newfound at Franklin
Gilford at Inter-Lakes/Moultonboro
Newport at Fall Mountain
Stevens at Bow
Roger Brown is a staff writer for the New Hampshire Union Leader and publishes the New Hampshire Football Report. Follow him on Twitter: @603sportsmedia.
Put it this way: If 4,000 fans show up for Saturday's contest there will undoubtedly be some who will label the turnout a disappointment.
The Exeter-Winnacunnet rivalry has become the fiercest in the state.
“It's the biggest game of the year,” Exeter coach Bill Ball said. “Always has been. Always will be.”
This year's game will have even more meaning since both programs are in Division I. The programs battled in Division II until Exeter moved to Division I after the 2009 season. Winnacunnet moved to Division I after last season.
Both teams will enter this year's matchup with a 2-0 record. Winnacunnet has won close games against Bishop Guertin of Nashua (23-22) and Nashua North (20-17). Exeter has beaten Dover (48-6) and Keene (13-3).
“Like all of our games against Exeter, this one will be won in the box,” Winnacunnet coach Ron Auffant said. “Their offensive line is big and they come off the ball well, so our kids will have to be tough against their running game. Defensively, the key against Exeter is first down. You have to take them out of their comfort zone.
“We'll have to pick our spots (on offense) and try to make some big plays. They're physical, but I like our athletes.”
Exeter has won the last two Division I championships. Winnacunnet, which won last year's Division II title, is the only team that beat Exeter last season.
“It's always huge when we play Exeter,” Auffant said. “We'll have to bring our A game.”
DIVISION II
Merrimack Valley of Penacook is off to a 2-0 start and may be the most intriguing team in Division II.
Merrimack Valley first fielded a varsity program in 2002 and has had one winning season since then (5-4 in 2008). Pride quarterback Ivan Niyamugabo has drawn some FCS interest, and Tucker Burt has added some punch to the running game after playing for New Hampton Prep last season.
Merrimack Valley, which didn't win a game last year, will get its stiffest test to date when it plays at Portsmouth (1-1) on Friday night.
“They're better than anybody we've played, that's for sure,” Merrimack Valley coach Dave Jackson said. “Everywhere I look I see athletes who can catch the ball.
“I think for us to win it'll have to be a high-scoring game. We have some speed too. We have some play makers.”
DIVISION III
Pelham is one of three unbeaten teams in Division III –- Fall Mountain (Langdon) and Campbell (Litchfield) are the others -– and will try to raise its record to 3-0 when it plays Somersworth (1-1) in Pelham on Friday night.
“I think Somersworth is the best team in the division,” Pelham coach Ryan Clark said. “They have a strong winning tradition. We'll need our play makers to step up.”
Running back Chris Medeiros is the leading rusher in the team's double-wing offense. He's one of several four-year starters on the team.
Pelham finished 3-6 last year, Clark's first season as the program's head coach.
“I felt like we finished last season strong, and we didn't really lose much,” Clark said. “This Friday is going to tell us a lot.”
UNION LEADER/WGIR/WMUR POWER POLL
1. Exeter (2-0)
2. Bedford (2-0)
3. Concord (2-0)
4. Nashua South (2-0)
5. Pinkerton Academy (1-1)
6. Winnacunnet (2-0)
7. Keene (1-1)
8. Trinity (2-0)
9. Londonderry (2-0)
10. Plymouth (2-0)
WEEK 3 SCHEDULE
Division I
Friday
Dover at Alvirne
Nashua North at Spaulding
Timberlane at Nashua South
Bedford at Londonderry
Concord at Merrimack
Saturday
Winnacunnet at Exeter
Manchester Central at Manchester Memorial
Manchester West at Goffstown
Pinkerton at Salem
Keene at Bishop Guertin
Division II
Friday
Laconia at Kingswood
Merrimack Valley at Portsmouth
Kearsarge at Hanover
Lebanon at Trinity
Con-Val at Milford
Saturday
Pembroke at Sanborn
John Stark at St. Thomas
Kennett at Plymouth
Souhegan at Windham
Monadnock at Hollis/Brookline
Division III
Friday
Epping-Newmarket at Raymond
Somersworth at Pelham
Saturday
Bishop Brady at Campbell
Farmington-Nute at Winnisquam
Newfound at Franklin
Gilford at Inter-Lakes/Moultonboro
Newport at Fall Mountain
Stevens at Bow
Roger Brown is a staff writer for the New Hampshire Union Leader and publishes the New Hampshire Football Report. Follow him on Twitter: @603sportsmedia.
Plenty of talent returning at Roxbury Latin
September, 20, 2013
Sep 20
3:02
PM ET
By Ryan Kilian | ESPNBoston.com
WEST ROXBURY, Mass. -- It is never an easy task to replace one of the most decorated signal callers in school history. Mackay Lowrie was named the Independent School League MVP, was a three-time First Team NEPSAC All-New England selection, NEPSAC Division C Player of the Year, a "Super 26" All-State team selection, a Massachusetts All-State selection, and the holder of the ISL record for most touchdowns in a season with 35.
Lowrie left big shoes to fill as the three-year starter and current Boston College Eagle graduated from Roxbury Latin with over 5,600 passing yards, 1,600 rushing yards, and 75 total touchdowns.
Next in line to take the reign at Roxbury Latin is 6-foot-2 junior Pete Cahill. A Dorchester native, Cahill won the job in camp after some fierce competition at the position.
“Our stability with Mackay Lowrie, over the last three years at the QB position, has moved on,” Ross said. “We had three guys battling for the job all camp and Pete (Cahill) earned the job.”
Cahill, who Ross describes as dual-threat quarterback who can get out on the edge and make plays, will have the luxury of some veteran returning offensive weapons, led by junior wide receiver Sean Lowrie.
Despite graduating leading receiver Sean Myers (Bentley), RL returns Lowrie’s younger brother Sean, who had a breakout season in 2012, featuring a monster 14 catch, 170-yard and four touchdown game in a 34-33 win over Thayer.
“Fortunately we are returning the entire offensive line as well as three-quarters of the receiving corps with a year of experience under their belts,” Ross said. “We may not be the biggest group up front but the boys have a great understanding of our offensive concepts and look forward to compete in every game.”
Boston College commit Kevin Cohee also returns at the tight end position and will be counted on to lead the defense once again this season. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Cohee has developed over the course of his years at Roxbury Latin and is primed to make some big noise this season.
“We plan on moving him around more on defense this year as teams are going to want to run away from him,” Ross said of his starting linebacker. “Another thing about Kevin is the fact that he is such an easy going kid, He is two-year captain and he definitely leads by example. He is the first in weight room, he is always on field doing extra work before and after practice and his leadership skills have improved so much that people are now listening to him and taking him very serious. He has instilled a business-like atmosphere with the team.”
RL also returns hard-hitting playmaker Scott Frankenthaler. Frankenthaler, a Johns Hopkins lacrosse commit, should provide another veteran presence on a defense that Ross thinks could be a team strength this season.
“Defensively we will be fast and athletic. Our philosophy will be to create turnovers and hopefully be opportunistic so our offense can work with shorts fields.”
Special teams is also a weapon that cannot be forgotten as RL features one of the top kickers/punters in the area in senior John Baron. Baron adds a weapon that not many teams can boast.
“Johnny has a great leg and has been with us since a sophomore year,” Ross said. “He has not had a lot of chances as Mackay Lowrie would complete a lot of drives with touchdowns, but I see us giving him more opportunities this year. He has good leg, is strong from 40-yards in and he can nail the long one as well. He also has the ability to flip fields on us as he does a great job executing our directional kicking game.”
ROXBURY LATIN AT A GLANCE
2012: 6-2
Coach: Patrick Ross (5th season, 20-12)
Returning Starters: Kevin Cohee, Sr. TE/ OLB, 6-3, 245 lbs.; Mark Goldstein, Sr. T/ MLB, 6-0, 215 lbs.; Duncan Finigan, Sr. T/ DE, 6-1, 210 lbs.; Jimmy Joyce, Sr. G/NG, 5-10, 200 lbs.; Scott Frankenthaler, Sr. G/ DE, 6-0, 215 lbs.; John Thomsen, Jr. C/NG, 5-10 lbs,; Christian Hasiotis, Sr. RB/S, 5-10 175 lbs.; Tevin Barros, Sr. RB/S, 5-9, 160 lbs.; Sean Lowrie, Jr. WR/ CB, 6-3, 195 lbs.; Alex Abelite, Jr. FB/ ILB, 6-2 225 lbs.
Other Key Returnees: Steven Daley, Jr. WR/TE/ DE 6-3, 205,; Drew Dodakian, Sr. WR/CB, 5-10, 170 lbs.; Luke Roberts, Sr. WR/ CB, 6-0, 185 lbs.; Peter Cahill, Jr. QB, 6-2, 200 lbs.; Darrio Zarrabian , Jr. WR/ S, 5-11, 165 lbs.; Nate Downes, Jr. 5-11, G/NG, 215 lbs.; G/ NG, Sean Rose, Jr. T, 6-2, 210 lbs.; John Driscoll, Sr. FB/LB, 5-11, 200 lbs.; Devin Rosen, Jr. OLB, 6-0, 195 lbs.; Jonah Deykin, Jr. G/T, 5-10, 175 lbs.; Anthony Giordano, Jr. G/NG, 5-10, 190 lbs.; Alan Balson Jr. T/OLB, 5-10,; Ronan O’Toole, Jr. QB/ S, 5-8, 150 lbs.; Martin Buckley, Jr. WR/S, 5-10, 155 lbs.
Strengths: Offensive Line, WRs, Team Speed on Defense.
Weaknesses: Quarterback experience.
Outlook: Cohee anchors a defense that returns featured veterans Frankenthaler, Lowrie, and Goldtein. Lowrie and Cohee will provide Cahill with two veteran options in the RL offensive attack. Three players to keep an eye out for this year, according to Ross, are seniors Drew Dodakian, Luke Roberts and junior Steven Daley. Daley possesses great hands according to Ross, and will be counted on to step in and produce right away. “I believe that the top dogs of the ISL will be strong as always, St Seb’s, Gov’s, BB&N, Milton & Belmont Hill with Lawrence Academy being a team to watch out for,” Ross said. “I also think that there are several well coached, hungry teams that are looking to upset the status quo and compete for the title.” With the balance of the ISL Ross also mentioned that, “I see the schedule filled with exciting, hard fought, close games that will be settled in the final minutes from one week to the next. Every game in the ISL is a battle between competitive teams, who all respect each other in between the lines.”
Lowrie left big shoes to fill as the three-year starter and current Boston College Eagle graduated from Roxbury Latin with over 5,600 passing yards, 1,600 rushing yards, and 75 total touchdowns.
Next in line to take the reign at Roxbury Latin is 6-foot-2 junior Pete Cahill. A Dorchester native, Cahill won the job in camp after some fierce competition at the position.
“Our stability with Mackay Lowrie, over the last three years at the QB position, has moved on,” Ross said. “We had three guys battling for the job all camp and Pete (Cahill) earned the job.”
Cahill, who Ross describes as dual-threat quarterback who can get out on the edge and make plays, will have the luxury of some veteran returning offensive weapons, led by junior wide receiver Sean Lowrie.
Despite graduating leading receiver Sean Myers (Bentley), RL returns Lowrie’s younger brother Sean, who had a breakout season in 2012, featuring a monster 14 catch, 170-yard and four touchdown game in a 34-33 win over Thayer.
“Fortunately we are returning the entire offensive line as well as three-quarters of the receiving corps with a year of experience under their belts,” Ross said. “We may not be the biggest group up front but the boys have a great understanding of our offensive concepts and look forward to compete in every game.”
Boston College commit Kevin Cohee also returns at the tight end position and will be counted on to lead the defense once again this season. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Cohee has developed over the course of his years at Roxbury Latin and is primed to make some big noise this season.
“We plan on moving him around more on defense this year as teams are going to want to run away from him,” Ross said of his starting linebacker. “Another thing about Kevin is the fact that he is such an easy going kid, He is two-year captain and he definitely leads by example. He is the first in weight room, he is always on field doing extra work before and after practice and his leadership skills have improved so much that people are now listening to him and taking him very serious. He has instilled a business-like atmosphere with the team.”
RL also returns hard-hitting playmaker Scott Frankenthaler. Frankenthaler, a Johns Hopkins lacrosse commit, should provide another veteran presence on a defense that Ross thinks could be a team strength this season.
“Defensively we will be fast and athletic. Our philosophy will be to create turnovers and hopefully be opportunistic so our offense can work with shorts fields.”
Special teams is also a weapon that cannot be forgotten as RL features one of the top kickers/punters in the area in senior John Baron. Baron adds a weapon that not many teams can boast.
“Johnny has a great leg and has been with us since a sophomore year,” Ross said. “He has not had a lot of chances as Mackay Lowrie would complete a lot of drives with touchdowns, but I see us giving him more opportunities this year. He has good leg, is strong from 40-yards in and he can nail the long one as well. He also has the ability to flip fields on us as he does a great job executing our directional kicking game.”
ROXBURY LATIN AT A GLANCE
2012: 6-2
Coach: Patrick Ross (5th season, 20-12)
Returning Starters: Kevin Cohee, Sr. TE/ OLB, 6-3, 245 lbs.; Mark Goldstein, Sr. T/ MLB, 6-0, 215 lbs.; Duncan Finigan, Sr. T/ DE, 6-1, 210 lbs.; Jimmy Joyce, Sr. G/NG, 5-10, 200 lbs.; Scott Frankenthaler, Sr. G/ DE, 6-0, 215 lbs.; John Thomsen, Jr. C/NG, 5-10 lbs,; Christian Hasiotis, Sr. RB/S, 5-10 175 lbs.; Tevin Barros, Sr. RB/S, 5-9, 160 lbs.; Sean Lowrie, Jr. WR/ CB, 6-3, 195 lbs.; Alex Abelite, Jr. FB/ ILB, 6-2 225 lbs.
Other Key Returnees: Steven Daley, Jr. WR/TE/ DE 6-3, 205,; Drew Dodakian, Sr. WR/CB, 5-10, 170 lbs.; Luke Roberts, Sr. WR/ CB, 6-0, 185 lbs.; Peter Cahill, Jr. QB, 6-2, 200 lbs.; Darrio Zarrabian , Jr. WR/ S, 5-11, 165 lbs.; Nate Downes, Jr. 5-11, G/NG, 215 lbs.; G/ NG, Sean Rose, Jr. T, 6-2, 210 lbs.; John Driscoll, Sr. FB/LB, 5-11, 200 lbs.; Devin Rosen, Jr. OLB, 6-0, 195 lbs.; Jonah Deykin, Jr. G/T, 5-10, 175 lbs.; Anthony Giordano, Jr. G/NG, 5-10, 190 lbs.; Alan Balson Jr. T/OLB, 5-10,; Ronan O’Toole, Jr. QB/ S, 5-8, 150 lbs.; Martin Buckley, Jr. WR/S, 5-10, 155 lbs.
Strengths: Offensive Line, WRs, Team Speed on Defense.
Weaknesses: Quarterback experience.
Outlook: Cohee anchors a defense that returns featured veterans Frankenthaler, Lowrie, and Goldtein. Lowrie and Cohee will provide Cahill with two veteran options in the RL offensive attack. Three players to keep an eye out for this year, according to Ross, are seniors Drew Dodakian, Luke Roberts and junior Steven Daley. Daley possesses great hands according to Ross, and will be counted on to step in and produce right away. “I believe that the top dogs of the ISL will be strong as always, St Seb’s, Gov’s, BB&N, Milton & Belmont Hill with Lawrence Academy being a team to watch out for,” Ross said. “I also think that there are several well coached, hungry teams that are looking to upset the status quo and compete for the title.” With the balance of the ISL Ross also mentioned that, “I see the schedule filled with exciting, hard fought, close games that will be settled in the final minutes from one week to the next. Every game in the ISL is a battle between competitive teams, who all respect each other in between the lines.”
BOSTON LATIN ACADEMY (2-0) at DORCHESTER (1-0), Friday 6 p.m.
Scott Barboza: The other day when we visited Dragons QB Kyle Dance for our Player of the Week interview, he was wearing a Cam Newton t-shirt. He does his best on-field impression again. Latin, 22-14.
Brendan Hall: Everything we’re taught in this business cautions against cliché, pun-filled headlines. But when you have a quarterback as elusive and fleet-footed as Kyle Dance, you can’t help yourself. Latin Academy, 22-12.
ACTON-BOXBOROUGH (1-0) at No. 7 NATICK (1-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: Hate to upset loyal reader and former A-B gridder Mark Martin after picking against the Colonials last week in their win over Cambridge, but I just don’t think this is the week to change my tune. Natick, 34-24.
Hall: Just wait until Troy Flutie really gets untracked. Natick, 31-20.
BARNSTABLE (0-1) at BC HIGH (1-1), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: Red Raiders are going to enter hungry and desperate not to fall to 0-2, but Eagles defense wins out. BC High, 20-17.
Hall: Barnstable is going to need to show a lot more aggression, and discipline, on both sides of the ball if it is going to stay afloat in the competitive D2 South standings. Eagles could use the points for this win, considering the tough road ahead. BC High, 20-10.
No. 15 ST. JOHN’S OF SHREWSBURY (0-1) at CATHOLIC MEMORIAL (1-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: Kevin Bletzer is the type of player an offensive coordinator will have fits about, but ultimately too much to stop with the Pioneers. St. John’s, 32-28.
Hall: After some early struggles, the St. John’s passing game came alive in the second half, thanks to a flurry of screens and a couple of deep completions down the sidelines from returning All-Stater Andrew Smiley. There are some excellent individual talents at CM, but how good they are on the whole remains to be see. St. John’s, 28-14.
No. 6 SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL (0-1) at EAST LONGMEADOW (2-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: This will be a one-possession game with Ju’an Williams being the difference for the Eagles. Central, 23-20.
Hall: Spartans proving they are an underrated bunch, after a solid win last weekend, but there is too much perimeter speed to harness here. Central, 25-14.
WEYMOUTH (0-1) at No. 11 BROCKTON (0-1), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: A game of turnovers, or at least whichever team is able to hold onto the football best. I’m sure it was a point of emphasis for both squads coming off their performances last week. Brockton, 30-21.
Hall: Wildcats licking their chops after Brockton gassed them for 432 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the Division 1 playoffs last year. Flat out, to be perfectly blunt, I just don’t see Brockton losing to a team from the Bay State Conference. I can’t recall the last time they did. Brockton, 27-13.
No. 12 WALPOLE (1-0) at NEEDHAM (0-1), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: As I wrote in our Roundtable earlier, I really think this classifies as a near must-win for Needham in the stacked Division 2 South sectional. Think the Rebels are too well-rounded though. Walpole, 36-28.
Hall: Wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset here, considering the Rebels’ relative inexperience. But they’ve had two weeks to prepare for this one. Walpole, 17-10.
No. 4 ST. JOHN’S PREP (1-1) at No. 13 CENTRAL CATHOLIC (2-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: A defensive struggle in its truest sense. Prep, 17-14.
Hall: That was some vintage defense by the defensively-sound Raiders in last weekend’s shutout of Haverhill. I don’t see Central doing the same to Prep, but I’m curious to see what kind of gameplan Chuck Adamopoulos devises for Johnathan Thomas. The last two defensive coordinators failed. Expect the Raiders to muck it up here. Prep, 17-14.
No. 8 LEOMINSTER (1-0) at No. 9 LOWELL(2-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: Brian Dolan and the Red Raiders offense opposes their greatest competition – and, most likely – the best secondary they’ll see all season. They find a way to squeak by the Blue Devils. Lowell, 28-21.
Hall: I’ve been saying for a few weeks now that Leominster has the best safety tandem in the state, between Neil O’Connor and Jarell Addo. Lowell is about to find out on Friday night what kind of pass defense they’re up against. Going the other way, I’m intrigued to see how Jack Galvin squares up with Addo at tight end. Leominster, 35-31.
ST. SEBASTIAN’S at MILTON ACADEMY, Saturday 3 p.m.
Barboza: I like the Mustangs’ backfield depth with Luke McDonald and Drew Jacobs; they’re the difference. Milton Academy, 24-14.
Hall: Connor Strachan gets the job done. St. Seb’s, 19-15.
LAWRENCE ACADEMY at GOVERNOR’S ACADEMY, Saturday 1 p.m.
Barboza: Gov’s streak will end this year, just not this week. Governor’s, 17-14.
Hall: LA’s Chris Garrison might be the most impressive player on the field on either side of the ball, and the Spartans will surely get him involved in a variety of ways. Still, I think the sum of the Govs’ lacrosse-bred talent will win out here. Governor’s, 24-14.
GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 1 BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM (2-0) at No. 10 XAVERIAN (1-0), Saturday 1 p.m.
Barboza: The Trojans make it four in a row over the Hawks and break out of the early season curse of the ESPN Boston No. 1. B-R, 16-14.
Hall: First there was #CropTopOverTheTop, then came #FakeCropTopOverTheTop. Can we get some #CropTopOverThePylon action to complete the cycle here? B-R, 16-10.
Last Week’s Picks
Barboza: 10-2 (15-8 overall)
Hall: 7-5 (14-9 overall)
Scott Barboza: The other day when we visited Dragons QB Kyle Dance for our Player of the Week interview, he was wearing a Cam Newton t-shirt. He does his best on-field impression again. Latin, 22-14.
Brendan Hall: Everything we’re taught in this business cautions against cliché, pun-filled headlines. But when you have a quarterback as elusive and fleet-footed as Kyle Dance, you can’t help yourself. Latin Academy, 22-12.
ACTON-BOXBOROUGH (1-0) at No. 7 NATICK (1-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: Hate to upset loyal reader and former A-B gridder Mark Martin after picking against the Colonials last week in their win over Cambridge, but I just don’t think this is the week to change my tune. Natick, 34-24.
Hall: Just wait until Troy Flutie really gets untracked. Natick, 31-20.
BARNSTABLE (0-1) at BC HIGH (1-1), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: Red Raiders are going to enter hungry and desperate not to fall to 0-2, but Eagles defense wins out. BC High, 20-17.
Hall: Barnstable is going to need to show a lot more aggression, and discipline, on both sides of the ball if it is going to stay afloat in the competitive D2 South standings. Eagles could use the points for this win, considering the tough road ahead. BC High, 20-10.
No. 15 ST. JOHN’S OF SHREWSBURY (0-1) at CATHOLIC MEMORIAL (1-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: Kevin Bletzer is the type of player an offensive coordinator will have fits about, but ultimately too much to stop with the Pioneers. St. John’s, 32-28.
Hall: After some early struggles, the St. John’s passing game came alive in the second half, thanks to a flurry of screens and a couple of deep completions down the sidelines from returning All-Stater Andrew Smiley. There are some excellent individual talents at CM, but how good they are on the whole remains to be see. St. John’s, 28-14.
No. 6 SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL (0-1) at EAST LONGMEADOW (2-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: This will be a one-possession game with Ju’an Williams being the difference for the Eagles. Central, 23-20.
Hall: Spartans proving they are an underrated bunch, after a solid win last weekend, but there is too much perimeter speed to harness here. Central, 25-14.
WEYMOUTH (0-1) at No. 11 BROCKTON (0-1), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: A game of turnovers, or at least whichever team is able to hold onto the football best. I’m sure it was a point of emphasis for both squads coming off their performances last week. Brockton, 30-21.
Hall: Wildcats licking their chops after Brockton gassed them for 432 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the Division 1 playoffs last year. Flat out, to be perfectly blunt, I just don’t see Brockton losing to a team from the Bay State Conference. I can’t recall the last time they did. Brockton, 27-13.
No. 12 WALPOLE (1-0) at NEEDHAM (0-1), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: As I wrote in our Roundtable earlier, I really think this classifies as a near must-win for Needham in the stacked Division 2 South sectional. Think the Rebels are too well-rounded though. Walpole, 36-28.
Hall: Wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset here, considering the Rebels’ relative inexperience. But they’ve had two weeks to prepare for this one. Walpole, 17-10.
No. 4 ST. JOHN’S PREP (1-1) at No. 13 CENTRAL CATHOLIC (2-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: A defensive struggle in its truest sense. Prep, 17-14.
Hall: That was some vintage defense by the defensively-sound Raiders in last weekend’s shutout of Haverhill. I don’t see Central doing the same to Prep, but I’m curious to see what kind of gameplan Chuck Adamopoulos devises for Johnathan Thomas. The last two defensive coordinators failed. Expect the Raiders to muck it up here. Prep, 17-14.
No. 8 LEOMINSTER (1-0) at No. 9 LOWELL(2-0), Friday 7 p.m.
Barboza: Brian Dolan and the Red Raiders offense opposes their greatest competition – and, most likely – the best secondary they’ll see all season. They find a way to squeak by the Blue Devils. Lowell, 28-21.
Hall: I’ve been saying for a few weeks now that Leominster has the best safety tandem in the state, between Neil O’Connor and Jarell Addo. Lowell is about to find out on Friday night what kind of pass defense they’re up against. Going the other way, I’m intrigued to see how Jack Galvin squares up with Addo at tight end. Leominster, 35-31.
ST. SEBASTIAN’S at MILTON ACADEMY, Saturday 3 p.m.
Barboza: I like the Mustangs’ backfield depth with Luke McDonald and Drew Jacobs; they’re the difference. Milton Academy, 24-14.
Hall: Connor Strachan gets the job done. St. Seb’s, 19-15.
LAWRENCE ACADEMY at GOVERNOR’S ACADEMY, Saturday 1 p.m.
Barboza: Gov’s streak will end this year, just not this week. Governor’s, 17-14.
Hall: LA’s Chris Garrison might be the most impressive player on the field on either side of the ball, and the Spartans will surely get him involved in a variety of ways. Still, I think the sum of the Govs’ lacrosse-bred talent will win out here. Governor’s, 24-14.
GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 1 BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM (2-0) at No. 10 XAVERIAN (1-0), Saturday 1 p.m.
Barboza: The Trojans make it four in a row over the Hawks and break out of the early season curse of the ESPN Boston No. 1. B-R, 16-14.
Hall: First there was #CropTopOverTheTop, then came #FakeCropTopOverTheTop. Can we get some #CropTopOverThePylon action to complete the cycle here? B-R, 16-10.
Last Week’s Picks
Barboza: 10-2 (15-8 overall)
Hall: 7-5 (14-9 overall)
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Scott Barboza
Scott Barboza joined ESPNBoston.com as a high schools editor/reporter in May 2010. He spent the previous three seasons working in the New England Patriots media relations department after a stint at the Taunton Daily Gazette, where he covered everything from Little League baseball to the Boston Red Sox. The Fall River native is a graduate of Emerson College. He can be reached at sbarboza@espnboston.com.
Brendan Hall
Brendan Hall joined ESPNBoston.com as a high schools reporter/editor in May 2010, after four years covering high schools for The Boston Globe. The Westminster, Mass. native also served on the Globe's Bruins beat last season. Hall is a graduate of UMass Amherst. He can be reached at bhall@espnboston.com.
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