11/24/2022

Mansfield Dominates Foxboro To Claim Davenport Title

Mansfield football Tommy Smith — Mansfield junior Tommy Smith breaks free for an 80-yard touchdown in the second quarter against Foxboro. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

FOXBORO, Mass. – A balanced attack on offense and a dominant effort defensively turned out to be the perfect recipe for Mansfield on Thanksgiving Day.

Buoyed by five different touchdown scorers, Mansfield clinched the Davenport division title with a convincing 33-0 win over rival Foxboro, also notching its first shutout on Thanksgiving since 2009.

“We had a heck of a year winning the division and winning nine games,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Redding. “I think both teams have a lot to be proud of. And both teams have a lot of good players back and it will be fun next year for sure.

“I thought we had good balance. Just everything went our way in the first half…this was a great way to wrap it up against a good Foxboro team, and to play dominate. Especially coming off a tough playoff loss, this flips this season. Finishing at 9-2 is a lot better than 8-3 and losing your last two. We had two weeks to get ready, we worked hard on the field and in the weight room, just a great effort by our seniors.”

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Senior linebacker Kyle Murphy was named the Don Currivan MVP for the Hornets while senior captain Jephte Jean earned the Matt McCue Lineman of the Game for Mansfield. Foxboro’s Lincoln Moore (Vin Igo MVP) and Andrew Finn (Jeff Parker Lineman of the Game) earned the honors for the Warriors.

“I’ve been playing with these kids since second grade, and we’ve worked year in and year out, and it’s a brotherhood really,” said Murphy, who missed last season recovering from an injury. “It means a lot for it to end in a satisfying way. We won’t get this chance to play together again but I’m grateful to share the field with these boys one last time.

“We were physical and we had a lot of energy. I think we wanted it more than them on every single play, it meant more to us.”

“He’s a great story,” Redding said of Murphy. “He didn’t play varsity last year coming off a knee injury. He had a phenomenal year on defense for us and I’m so happy for him to get the MVP today because he worked so hard to get back on the year.

“He came in this year like a man possessed. He was one of our best defensive players and played great football for us.”

Mansfield took control in the first quarter and never surrendered it the rest of the way. On the first series of the game, the Hornets only needed four plays before finding the end zone. Junior backup quarterback Connor Curtis came in after three plays, and although he’s been called on mostly to run with the ball, he slung a deep pass down the middle. Foxboro’s defensive backs were able to get their hands up, but the ball bounced back in the air and junior receiver Trevor Foley hauled it in with one hand and went the distance for a 47-yard touchdown. Travis Hennessy’s point after put Mansfield ahead 7-0 just over two minutes into the game.

Foxboro looked to mount a response with a lengthy drive and marched into Hornet territory. But on the 11th play of the drive, Mansfield junior Brandon Jackman read the play and jumped on a short pass, and took it to the house for a 77-yard interception return with 3:15 left in the opening quarter.

Mansfield’s defense delivered again, forcing a quick three and out. The offense was quick to reward the defense. Junior Tommy Smith, who started the year on JV but was called up due to injury after two weeks, broke free up the left sideline, following a great block from right tackle Jason Riley, who pulled to the left, and Smith raced away for an 80-yard touchdown, boosting Mansfield’s advantage to 20-0 with 40.5 seconds left in the first quarter.

“Things just snowballed early and we took control and made some great plays,” Redding said. “Tommy Smith stepped up big this year and ended up as our leading rusher and one of the best stories of the season.”

Foxboro had its best drive of the game in the second quarter, covering 59 yards on 15 plays to move inside the Mansfield 10-yard line after a 9-yard pass and catch from Mike Marcucella to Tony Sulham.

The Warriors tried to get the run game going with Moore (58 yards on nine carries) and sophomore Ben Angelini, but Mansfield’s front seven controlled the line. Jean and senior Colton Johnson combined for a tackle for a loss on first down, and then Hennessy, Murphy, and Ryan DeGirolamo combined for a third down stop. Foxboro’s 23-yard field goal attempt was just wide with 3:05 left.

“It felt really good to win this game,” Jean said. “We had a tough loss to Milford but we bounced back and it’s great to get a big dub on my final game in the Mansfield jersey.”

That was plenty of time for Mansfield to find the end zone again. Conner Zukowski (11/12, 167 yards) hit Drew Sacco for 15 yards on first down, then linked up with Foley for the first time for 35 yards. Zukowski hooked up with CJ Bell for 14 yards down to the 2-yard line. Despite some big tackles from Moore and junior Brandon Mazenkes-O’Grady on first and second down, Zukowski scrambled just inside the pylon for a 6-yard touchdown with just 17.8 seconds left in the half to make it 26-0.

“They were the better football team, pure and simple,” said Foxboro head coach Jack Martinelli. “They were a lot hungrier than we were. I guess we never really recovered from losing in the playoffs [on Saturday]. Give them all the credit, they executed better. We had some chances to make some plays early on but we didn’t make any plays.”

Both Mansfield and Foxboro entered the game undefeated through three games in the Davenport division, but the Hornets really didn’t have a blemish as they outscored their first three division foes 115-0 — yes, three games and three shutouts.

That trend continued as Mansfield continued the shutout in the second half. Foxboro started the second half with the ball but just two plays in, Bell hauled in an overthrow for an interception to get Mansfield the ball back.

That led to an eight-play, 66-yard drive from the Hornets. It started with a mix of Smith and Sacco, and then a 38-yard pass to Bell moved the sticks. Moore once again had a tackle for loss inside the five for the Foxboro defense, but Sacco plunged in from 2 yards out two plays later for the final score of the game.

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“It was an emphasis at halftime that we didn’t want to give up any points,” Redding said. “We don’t really care if we score another point in the second half but let’s play defense. We haven’t gotten a shutout in this game in a long time. I don’t think we were aware of not being scored on in the division but it was more about getting a shutout on Thanksgiving against a really good team.

“Their film in September, they looked young but talented…their film in November, they looked really good,” Redding said of Foxboro. “They have a lot of good pieces, they’re going to be very, very good a year from now. And it’ll be another battle on Thanksgiving. They had a great year, Jack did an unbelievable job after they started 0-3 to turn it around and get to the final four.”

Mansfield football finishes 9-2 overall and 4-0 in the Davenport while Foxboro finishes at 6-6 overall and 3-1 in league action.

11/20/202203/04/2023

Foxboro’s Playoff Run Finishes In State Semifinals

Foxboro football Brandon Mazenkes-O’Grady — Foxboro junior Brandon Mazenkes-O’Grady tries to get past a pair of Grafton defenders after hauling in a pass in the first half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

BELLINGHAM, Mass. – Foxboro senior kicker Sam Carpenter couldn’t have put his kickoff any closer to the goal line without it being a touchback.

Following a 67-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Mike Marcucella to classmate Nolan Gordon that brought the Warriors within 14-12 with 5:29 to play in the game, Carpenter booted one that Grafton’s Liam Donagher originally let bounce. Instead of crossing the goal line, the ball stopped bouncing just before the goal line with the Warriors kickoff team barreling down the field.

Donagher was forced to pick it up and return it, and with a handful of Foxboro players chomping at the bit to make a big stop deep in Grafton territory, he was able to get out to the left sideline, got around one final block and then raced all the way for a 99-yard touchdown to restore a two-score lead.

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Grafton’s defense forced a turnover on downs on the Warriors’ ensuing drive and had an interception to close out Foxboro’s last chance to secure a 21-12 win to advance to the Division 4 state championship game.

“That just took all of the wind out of our sails and any of the momentum we had built up to at that point,” said Foxboro head coach Jack Martinelli. “Sam kicked the ball perfectly, they were way up and we just didn’t make the play.

“You gotta make plays. Some days you make them, and some days you don’t.”

Foxboro fought back after going down a pair of touchdowns early. The Gators scored on their opening drive when quarterback Casey Jordan linked up with Donagher for an 11-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. The touchdown came two plays after a 34-yard connection between the two.

The Warriors’ second drive of the game came to a halt on an interception from Ryanne Chibani, who returned it into Foxboro territory. Three plays later, Jordan dropped a 26-yard touchdown pass just over the defensive back into Donagher’s arms right inside the pylon to make it 14-0 with 10 minutes left in the second quarter.

Foxboro’s defense didn’t surrender another score the rest of the game, and the Warriors went to work clawing their way back into it.

A booming punt from Carpenter pinned Grafton at their 2-yard line, and the defense forced a three-and-out. An 11-yard pass from Marcucella to Lincoln Moore jump-started the drive. Grafton thought they had an interception but a roughing the passer call kept the drive alive, but not much longer as Carpenter booted a 39-yard field goal to get Foxboro on the board with 39 seconds left in the half.

Foxboro’s defense came up with a big play on the opening drive of the second half. Grafton marched to the Warriors’ 21-yard line but a throw to the end zone was read perfectly by Kaden Hassett and he came down with the interception for the touchback.

The Warriors capitalized on the momentum as Marcucella hit Gordon for an 18-yard completion to move the sticks on third down. Marcucella sandwiched a pair of passes to Tony Sulham around a 15-yard scamper from Ben Angelini, and the Warriors were quickly in the red zone.

Marcucella got inside the five on an 8-yard keeper but the drive stalled there and Carpenter came out to drill a 24-yard field goal to make it a one-score game, 14-6, with 2:10 left in the third quarter.

Foxboro’s defense bent on the ensuing Grafton drive but didn’t break. Jordan scrambled for 26 yards on a key third down play but later in the drive, the Warriors stuffed a 4th and short sneak attempt to get the ball back.

“I thought we took the run away from them but give them credit, they took what they could do better than what I’ve seen them do, and that’s throw the football,” Martinelli said. “They’ve relied on the run for most of the season and we were able to keep that in check but we weren’t able to stop the deep quick scores in the first half. [Grafton] is a good team but I’m proud of my kids too. Nobody ever expected us to be here but when you get here, you wish you could win it.

“We thought we could do a pretty good job against the run but [11] hit [8] a couple of times and those were the early scores. We never really rebounded all the way back, close, but not all of the way.”

After some short yardage carries and completions, Marcucella hit Gordon down the left sideline, just out of the reach of the defensive back, and Gordon raced his way to a 67-yard touchdown. Foxboro’s two-point attempt came up a yard short of the goal line.

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Although Foxboro came up short in its quest to reach Gillette Stadium, it was a terrific run from a squad that reached the state semifinals last year but graduated a lot of talent, including one of the best running backs in program history. Martinelli credited his senior class for helping this team – which lost the first three games of the season – for making this run.

“They are the glue that kept everything together,” Martinelli said. “We don’t have a whole lot of them but the ones we had kept the young kids going, kept themselves going. At 0-3, they never hung their heads and they just kept working.”

Foxboro football (6-5) will host rival Mansfield on Thanksgiving Day with the Davenport division title on the line.

11/05/202211/05/2022

Late Score Lifts Foxboro Past Pesky Pembroke

Foxboro football — Foxboro senior Da’Myi Cameron brings down Pembroke quarterback Jake Falco on the final drive of the game. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

FOXBORO, Mass. – The Foxboro offense made the biggest play of the game, but its defense was the reason it had that opportunity.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Marcucella hit freshman Rashaan Lewis for the go-ahead touchdown with just 1:35 left in the fourth quarter and the Warriors’ defense denied visiting Pembroke on the final drive of the game to secure a thrilling 24-21 win.

The Warriors marched into Pembroke territory with under three minutes to go but a red zone interception put a sudden halt to the drive, and the Titans took over with 2:45 to go and a 21-17 lead.

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Foxboro’s defense, which forced a pair of turnovers on the previous two Titan drives, held Pembroke in check. Lincoln Moore had a tackle for a loss on first down, and on 3rd and 3 from the 23-yard line, junior Shane Henri made a diving play to trip up the runner and senior Da’Myi Cameron finished the tack for a 2-yard loss.

The Warriors used all three timeouts to stop the clock, and a short Pembroke punt gave Foxboro 1st and 10 at the Titans’ 44-yard line.

Marcucella (18/26, 215 yards, 3 TD) hit sophomore Ben Angelini out of the backfield for 13 yards and a first down. Then consecutive passes to the right sideline to Eddie Feldman (eight yards) and Tony Sulham (seven yards) moved the sticks. On the next play, with five wide receivers, Marcucella went over the middle to Lewis on a quick hitch and the freshman slipped a tackle and found enough space between three defenders to dive across the goal line for the go-ahead score.

“The defense played terrific,” said Foxboro head coach Jack Martinelli. “We gave them a couple, they broke one big one on us. I couldn’t ask for any more out of these kids. They are so young but I have a solid group of seniors that live and die for this. This senior group was 0-10 as freshmen and now they are leading a team to the second round of the playoffs and for a shot at the Davenport at Thanksgiving.”

The Warriors’ defense got off to a great start in the second half, a tackle for loss by Marc Francois forced Pembroke into a three-and-out. But a Foxboro fumble — one of five turnovers from the Warriors — gifted the ball back to the Titans.

Pembroke cashed in three plays later when Jack Tosone found a sliver of space up the middle and turned on the jets, racing away for a 79-yard touchdown and a 21-17 lead with 6:02 left in the third quarter.

Things nearly went from bad to worse for Foxboro as the Warriors coughed up the ensuing kickoff and the Titans took over just outside the red zone at the 25-yard line.

Foxboro’s defense delivered again as junior Brandon Mazenkes-O’Grady, who was a constant presence in the Pembroke pocket, pressured the quarterback into a throw that was intercepted by sophomore Nolan Gordon at the 9-yard line.

The Warriors’ offense went on a lengthy drive, extended twice by fourth down penalties from the Titans. First came too many men on the field and then came roughing the kicker. Foxboro couldn’t make the Titans pay though and had to punt from midfield.

The Titans looked content to milk the clock with the lead, running the play clock down with over seven minutes to play. On second and eight, Mazenkes-O’Grady once again applied some pressure and Henri made an acrobatic play to come down with the interception.

While it was a grand finish for the Foxboro offense, it was a bit of a rocky start. Just three plays in, Pembroke’s Steve Johnson picked off a pass. But the Titans couldn’t capitalize as Mazenkes-O’Grady had a third down sack to get the ball back.

Foxboro’s second drive didn’t go much better as a fumble on the second play gave possession back to the visitors at the 10-yard line. On third and goal, Jake Falco hit Will McNamara right at the goal line and it was ruled the ball crossed the goal line for an 8-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 5:31 left in the first quarter.

Behind a 13-play, 55-yard drive — much of which the Warriors had to cover twice due to penalties — Foxboro got on the board. Marcucella hit Gordon (five catches, 72 yards) for 26 yards and then got the Titans to jump offside for a first down. But the drive stalled inside the 10-yard line and Sam Carpenter drilled a 23-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

The Warriors’ defense eventually forced a punt and Foxboro made it back-to-back scoring drives. Behind a couple of first down runs from Angelini (23 carries, 96 yards), Foxboro moved the ball down field. On second and 15, Sulham (five catches, 65 yards) was wide open and Marcucella hit him in stride for a 45-yard touchdown and a 10-7 advantage.

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Pembroke found success in the air on its next drive, as Falco linked up with Johnson over the middle for 32 yards, and on the next play, after a great double move from Johnson, the pair hooked up for a 59-yard touchdown and a 14-10 lead.

Foxboro went back ahead just before halftime. A five-play, 60-yard drive was capped off by a 30-yard touchdown pass from Marcucella to Gordon as the Warriors staked a 17-14 lead at halftime.

Foxboro football (5-4) advances to the Division 4 State Quarterfinals and will travel to #3 Bedford (8-1) on a date and time to be announced.

10/22/2022

Youthful Foxboro Makes the Big Plays to Beat Canton

FOXBORO, Mass. – Foxboro came into the new season with a roster filled with underclassmen being asked to step into major roles on both sides of the ball. After a tough start to the fall, losing the opening three games, the Warriors seem to be turning a corner.

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The youth movement was on full display on Friday night at Martinelli Field. Sophomore Mike Marcucella threw three touchdown passes, including one to freshman Rashaan Lewis and another to classmate Nolan Gordon, and the defense forced four turnovers, to come from behind and beat Canton 36-14.

“Once we focused a little more, we were able to do a lot of different things,” Foxboro coach Jack Martinelli said. “We threw, we ran the ball. It’s such a young team that it’s hard to put a finger on whether it’s going to be a slow start or a fast start. All in all, the kids played tough.”

It was a game that had playoff implications for both teams. Despite a losing record, Foxboro was the No. 9 team in the latest Div. 4 rankings, while Canton was No. 21.

The Bulldogs needed a win to climb back towards the top 16 and they came out of the gates with a strong start. On fourth and three from the Canton 16-yard-line, Ben Angelini (eight carries, 61 yards) was stopped for no gain by Luke Richards and James Robbins. On the second Foxboro possession, Robbins sacked Marcucella on first down and Josh Richards jumped on a tipped ball to get the interception.

After the return, the Bulldogs started at the Foxboro 19. On third and 11, Godson Ofonagoro (18 carries, 97 yards) took a sweep around the right side, bursting past the Warriors front seven and scoring from 20 yards out.

Foxboro started its next drive at its own 15. Marcucella (12-of-18, 206 yards) hit Gordon for a quick first down. Two plays later Brandon Mazenkes-O’Grady took the handoff to the left side of the line, cut it upfield, and then raced away leaving the Canton defense in his wake on a 72-yard touchdown.

The extra point was no good, so Canton held onto the lead into the second quarter. After forcing a three-and-out, Foxboro got the ball at midfield. Marcucella fired a pass underneath to Tony Sulham (four catches, 63 yards) for 23. On first down, the Foxboro QB threw a ball down the right sideline to Lewis and the freshman laid out at full stretch to haul in a 27-yard score.

On its next possession, Canton faced fourth down and one from its own 29. Fallon sensed that his team needed a boost and had confidence that his line could hold its block to get a yard. Owen Lane (6-of-18, 72 yards) had trouble fielding a high snap and Sully Kenneally was in the backfield to bring him down for a five-yard loss.

“It was half a foot,” Canton coach Anthony Fallon said about the decision to go for it. “I know it was bad territory but I was looking to build some momentum. Our linemen were feeling confident, they were getting off the ball, I thought we were playing some really good physicality.”

“We had it if we didn’t drop the snap. It’s tough to put your defense in a hole like that but I thought it was time to try and get a little momentum. Just didn’t work out.”

Foxboro only needed one play to take advantage of the short field. Marcucella, despite taking a big hit from Julian Prentence, was able to get the ball away down the field and Gordon out-jumped the coverage bringing down the 28-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed, but the Warriors led 19-7.

After the fourth down gamble didn’t pay off, things got even worse for Canton as Lincoln Moore jumped a route and picked off a pass to give the hosts the ball at the 26. Canton’s defense came up with a big stand, including a good tackle by Jack Flaherty on third down to force a 37-yard field goal by Sam Carpenter.

Nick Crowe returned the ensuing kick 44 yards to give Canton good starting field position. On third and 10, Lane hit Ofonagoro on a screen pass and he broke free for what looked like it was going to be huge gain. Mazenkes-O’Grady showed off his speed to chase down the Canton running back from behind and force a fumble, which Sulham recovered.

“Forty-four (Mazenkes-O’Grady) made a great play on that screen there,” Fallon said. “Godson looked like he was gone there, the kid caught him and made that play. I thought even after halftime we were going to come out and throw some punches and we did okay but they just wore us down a little bit. We just made too many mistakes in the first half.”

The Foxboro defense started the second half with another turnover. Sophomore Kaden Hassett picked off Lane at the Canton 38. Mazenkes-O’Grady got 10 on first down and 27 on the second play. Moore capped the drive with a one-yard plunge to make it 29-7.

“We had planned to play a seven-game box against them but 21 (Ofonagoro) is a good runner and 14 (Lane) is a good runner and we had to make some adjustments after the first touchdown they scored and the kids adapted well,” Martinelli explained.

Payton Francis and Anthony Porazzo combined to stuff an option attempt for a loss of five, forcing another Canton punt. Foxboro’s offense needed just one play to turn that into a bigger lead. Marcucella hit Eddie Feldman across the middle and the junior broke free, bursting away from the secondary and finding the end zone on a 66-yard score.

While the final result was a foregone conclusion, the Bulldogs weren’t quitting and put together their best drive of the night, going 79 yards on 13 plays to get back on the scoreboard. Ofonagoro has a 14-yard run to get out to the 45. On third and three, Lane got four on a keeper and then he hit Richards for 11 to the Foxboro 33. Ofonagoro had gains of 12 and 15 yards before he went around the right side for a five-yard TD.

“We’ve had three losses where we’ve had the last drive of the game to either tie or win and just weren’t able to pull that off,” Martinelli said when asked about his team overcoming an 0-3 start to the season. “I think being youthful has a lot to do with it but it’s good experience for the kids.”

Foxboro (3-4) has won three of its last four games and is tied for first in the Davenport division. The Warriors will head to Oliver Ames next week. Canton (3-3) will host Blue Hills on Friday in its final game of the regular season.

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