Mansfield senior Jimmy Gilleran has been selected as the HockomockSports.com Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, for May 2 through May 8. Gilleran is the 29th player chosen as Player of the Week for the 2021-22 school year and the fifth of the spring season.
Gilleran’s walk-off homer against Oliver Ames capped a three-win week for the Hornets, which extended Mansfield’s win streak to seven games. Gilleran played a role in all three wins, as the Hornets beat Canton in five innings, battled back to beat Attleboro in extra innings, and then ended the week with a win over the Tigers.
“Jimmy has been an exceptional two way player for us this year,” said Mansfield head coach Chris Hall. “He dominated the offseason and continues to make the proper adjustments to take his game to the next level. Jimmy has had a variety of accomplishments this season, but his walk-off home run against Oliver Ames is one we will never forget.”
Against OA on Friday, Gilleran got the start for the Hornets and allowed four runs (three earned) in the opening inning. He would throw six scoreless from that point, striking out nine and giving up five hits, allowing Mansfield to fight back. After the Hornets got two in the third and two more in the fifth to tie it, Gilleran deposited a homer over the left field fence to earn the 5-4 victory.
The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision.
Jimmy Gilleran
Jimmy Gilleran The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Jimmy Gilleran The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Jimmy Gilleran The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Jimmy Gilleran The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Jimmy Gilleran The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Jimmy Gilleran The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Jimmy Gilleran The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Jimmy Gilleran The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision.
Football
North Attleboro, 14 @ Attleboro, 6 – Final 1st Quarter: (NA) Tyler DeMattio 45-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good.
2nd Quarter: (A) Adrian Rivera 5-yard rush, XP no good.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4th Quarter: (NA) T. DeMattio 8-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good.
Canton, 14 @ Stoughton, 47 – Final 1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (S) Jarred Daughtry 6-yard pass to Tagh Swierzewski, Jonah Ly XP good; Bahsor Mahn 70-yard rush, Hayden Rose XP good; (S) J. Ly 10-yard rush, XP failed; (S) Brady Clark 40-yard pass to Emmett Pearl, J. Ly XP good; (S) B. Clark 30-yard pass to E. Pearl, J. Ly XP good.; (S) Tyler Noel 2-yard fumble recovery, J. Ly XP good.; (C) Owen Lane rush, H. Rose XP good;
3rd Quarter: (S) Anthony Girolamo 12-yard rush, J. Ly XP good.
4th Quarter: (S) E. Pearl 50-yard interception return.
Foxboro, 21 @ Mansfield, 35 – Final 1st Quarter: (M) Conner Zukowski 16-yard pass to Ryan DeGirolamo, James Gilleran XP good; (F) Sam Carpenter 29-yard field goal.
2nd Quarter: (F) S. Carpenter 43-yard field goal; (M) Drew Sacco 5-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good; (F) Dylan Gordon 15-yard rush, D. Gordon 2-point conversion rush.
3rd Quarter: (M) Rocco Scarpellini 5-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good; (M) C. Zukowski 1-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) C. Zukowski 8-yard pass to R. DeGirolamo, J. Gilleran XP good; (F) Tom Marcucella 73-yard pass to Rashaad Way, S. Carpenter XP good.
King Philip, 20 @ Franklin, 27 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: (KP) Charlie Grant 5-yard pass to Drew Danson, Matthew Kelley XP good; (KP) C. Grant 1-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good; (F) Jared Arone 85-yard pass to Shane Kindred, XP blocked.
2nd Quarter: (F) J. Arone 17-yard pass to S. Kindred, Garrett Portesi XP good; (F) J. Arone 37-yard pass to S. Kindred, XP blocked.
3rd Quarter: (KP) Crawford Cantave 6-yard rush, 2pt pass failed; (F) Mack Gulla 5-yard rush, J. Arone 2pt rush.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
Taunton, 28 @ Milford, 34 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: (T) Jacob Leonard 25-yard pass to Trent Santos, Nathan Keenan XP good; (M) Tyler Lane 32-yard rush, Nicholas Araujo XP good.
2nd Quarter: (T) Faisal Mass 97-yard interception return, N. Keenan XP good; (M) Evan Cornelius 1-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good; (M) N. Araujo 41-yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: (M) E. Cornelius 3-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good; (M) N. Araujo 45-yard field goal; (T) J. Leonard 46-yard pass to T. Santos, N. Keenan XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) Isaiah Pantalone 10-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good; (T) J. Leonard 31-yard pass to Jose Touron, N. Keenan XP good.
King Philip captains celebrate with their D2 State Final Four trophy after beating Mansfield. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
WRENTHAM, Mass. — King Philip senior Jonathan Joseph knew Friday night’s clash with rival Mansfield was going to be his final game played at Macktaz Field.
He wasn’t going to let it be a loss.
Joseph had a pair of fourth quarter interceptions that came on back-to-back drives inside the final five minutes to help #3 King Philip secure a 21-14 win over #6 Mansfield, the second time the Warriors beat the Hornets this season.
Despite the MIAA’s switch to a state-wide format, King Philip and Mansfield clashed for the fourth straight postseason. Since the 2017 season, the Warriors and Hornets have played a total of nine times with KP taking a 5-4 edge with the win on Friday night.
“You luck out and have a good game against them the first time and now we’re going to see them again and they’re going to be angry,” said
King Philip football
King Philip head coach Brian Lee. “If you kick a hornet’s nest, you know it’s going to come back at you. Mike [Redding] has been in too many big games, he always has his team ready.
“They were able to throw the ball and do some other things that they had trouble doing the first time, they were much improved and gave us everything we could handle. Right up to the end, blocking that field goal. It was a great battle but it would be nice to play someone else once in a while.”
King Philip football
King Philip scored on its first two drives of the game but then the offense stalled and the Warriors had four straight series spanning over the second, third, and fourth quarters all end in a punt. And it looked like another drive was in jeopardy as the Warriors were faced with 4th and 3 from the Mansfield 33-yard line.
The Warriors went for it on fourth down and senior quarterback Charlie Grant hit classmate Crawford Cantave along the right sideline for 30 yards. Two plays later, Rudy Gately (16 carries, 74 yards) burst up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown. Matthew Kelley’s third successful point after made it 21-14 with 4:32 to play.
Mansfield went to the air on the first play of the ensuing drive and it looked like the pass would fall incomplete when it went over the receivers’ head, but Joseph made an incredible diving catch to haul in the interception and get the Warriors the ball back.
“When he walks by, he’s not that big, not much there to look at but he’s a great kid and a captain for us,” Lee said of Joseph, who is listed on the roster at 5’9, 170-pounds. “He’s all heart. He’s been coming along getting better and better, working on his confidence. In the spring season, we yanked him a couple of times but he came back and responded the right way, just working hard to make himself a captain.”
King Philip football
KP moved the ball behind carries by Gately and Will Astorino but on third down, Caden Colby and Ryan Sullivan stopped the Warriors in the backfield. On top of that, an unsportsmanlike dead ball foul put the Warriors into 4th and 21 from the 28-yard line, likely changing the play call from a field goal (with the line of scrimmage at the 13) to a pass play.
Mansfield was hit with a pass interference call to erase KP’s 15-yard penalty, and then too many men moved the ball five more yards, but the Warriors were still looking at 4th and 1 and Lee elected to send Kelley and the field goal unit out.
The Hornets blocked the field goal, with Jean getting through the line and a paw on the ball. It bounced all the way to the 34-yard line where Mansfield took over with 1:35 to play, but no timeouts.
Conner Zukowski (13/22, 172 yards) hit Ryan DeGirolamo for an 11-yard screen to get the visitors near midfield but two plays later, Joseph intercepted a pass over the middle and clinched the win for KP.
“I didn’t want my last game here to end with a loss, that’s all I was thinking about the whole game,” Joseph said. “I wanted that first one so bad, I wanted the game to be over there. On the second one, I was just thinking just do it again. I trusted all my teammates out there.
“It’s hard to beat a team twice, we had to prepare for this. This game was tough, we had some ups and downs throughout the game. But we were prepared. We play them twice almost every year, it always seems to come down to the playoffs with them.”
The majority of offensive fireworks came early with the Warriors entering the end zone on its first two drives and Mansfield scoring one of its two touchdowns on its second drive of the game — all coming within the first 15 minutes of the contest.
Mansfield lined up to go for it on fourth down on its first drive of the game but the snap came before Zukowski was ready and KP ended up with ideal starting position at the Hornets’ 22-yard line.
A chop block only delayed the Warriors as Cantave gained 15-yards on the next play and Gately pounded it in from a yard out two plays later for an early 7-0 lead.
The Hornets orchestrated an immediate response, going 80 yards on just seven plays to knot the score. Drew Sacco (15 carries, 70 yards) and CJ Bell (102 total yards offensively) moved the sticks on back-to-back runs, and Zukowski found Bell for 37 yards later in the drive to move into the red zone. Two plays later, Sacco plowed his way up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown, and James Gilleran’s point after made it 7-7 with 30 seconds left in the opening quarter.
King Philip football
Then it was KP’s chance to respond as the Warriors answered with an 80-yard drive of its own, taking eight plays to find the end zone. Grant and Gately each had first down runs early on and Cantave carried for nine yards to get over midfield. Three plays later, Grant found Danny Clancy in single coverage over the middle and dropped a 37-yard touchdown pass in stride to go back in front, 14-7.
“You’re playing in the toughest league and then you have to go through it twice,” Lee said about a second encounter with Mansfield, and next up Milford. “I know there are other great teams and it’s nice when you’re playing someone that hasn’t seen you. I knew this would be a battle, they know us way too well so you knew it was going to be the game it was.”
Mansfield finally put together another lengthy drive to find the end zone. The Hornets marched 74 yards on 11 plays to level the game late in the third quarter. Early runs from Sacco and Bell moved the sticks to get the offense in a rhythm, and sophomore Trevor Foley (five catches, 71 yards) went up and stole a pass from the defensive back to haul in a 32-yard pass.
Despite a total of three false starts on the drive, Mansfield found its way into the end zone, and on 2nd and goal from the 10-yard line, Zukowski found Foley open in the corner to make it 14-14 with 1:25 to play.
Mansfield forced a three and out on KP’s next drive but the Hornets coughed up a fumble on their first play. It was one of three fourth quarter turnovers for the visitors.
“A lot of shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Redding. “The snap in the first quarter hands them a touchdown, we lined up wrong on the fake punt and I thought we would have had great field position for a chance to take the lead. Then the turnovers in the second half killed us. We moved the ball pretty well but their secondary made some plays. I told them, it was a great effort, we played tough and so much better than the first game but we just continue to shoot ourselves in the foot at the worst time and in these games, it’s going to kill you.”
Mansfield’s defense stood tall after the fumble but its next drive stalled and after moving the sticks once, the Hornets had three incompletions and had to punt.
“I’m glad someone from the Hockomock is going to Gillette, I don’t know who to root for,” Redding said. “We have a heck of a league, I’m betting North is going to be in the Final Four [in Division 3], Franklin [Division 1] is going, and Foxboro [Division 4] could go. And we have two in Division 2. We’ve lost four games but it’s to Franklin, KP twice, and Milford — all of them are top four teams, maybe top two in their divisions in the state. So we’ve lost games but to the highest level of competition so I’m proud of the way we’ve battled all year.”
King Philip football
King Philip (8-1) will now take on another Kelley-Rex division foe in Milford in the D2 State Semifinal, with the date, time, and a neutral location still to be announced. The Warriors handed the Hawks their first loss of the season in mid-October on a last-second field goal from Kelley.
“Milford is definitely feeling it, they got a big win over Natick,” Lee said. “Coach [Olson] has done a great job with that program, turned them around, and made them a contender right off the bat. So it’s on.”
Football Division 1
#8 Methuen, 7 @ #1 Franklin, 24 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: (M) JP Muniz 4-yard rush, Omar Aboutoui XP good; (F) Mack Gulla 5-yard rush, Garret Portesi XP good.
2nd Quarter: (F) Jared Aron 23-yard pass to Will Tracey, G. Portesi XP good.
3rd Quarter: (F) M. Gulla 32-yard rush, G. Portesi XP good.
4th Quarter: (F) G. Portesi 22-yard field goal.
Division 2
#6 Mansfield, 14 @ #3 King Philip, 21 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: (KP) Rudy Gately 1-yard rush, Matthew Kelley XP good; (M) Drew Sacco 4-yard rush, James Gilleran XP good.
2nd Quarter: (KP) Charlie Grant 37-yard pass to Danny Clancy, M. Kelley XP good.
3rd Quarter: (M) Conner Zukowski 10-yard pass to Trevor Foley, J. Gilleran XP good.
4th Quarter: (KP) R. Gately 2-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good.
Non-Playoffs
Attleboro, 26 @ BC High, 8 – Final
Oliver Ames, 35 vs. Hopkinton, 16 – Final 1st Quarter: (OA) Collin Williamson 50-yard rush, N. Ferrini XP good.
2nd Quarter: (OA) C. Williamson 47-yard rush, N. Ferrini XP good.
3rd Quarter: (OA) Chad Silva 18-yard rush, N. Ferrini XP good.
4th Quarter: (OA) Jake Grimaldi 31-yard pass to Robert Jenkins, N. Ferrini XP good; (H) Hopkinton touchdown, two point conversion good; (OA) R. Jenkins 30-yard rush, N. Ferrini XP good; (H) Hopkinton touchdown, two point conversion good.
Stoughton, 32 @ Middleboro, 0 – Final 1st Quarter: (S) Michael Jardim 60-yard interception return, Jonah Ly XP good.
2nd Quarter: (S) Brady Clark 6-yard pass to Anthony Girolamo, J. Ly XP good; (S) A. Girolamo 70-yard interception return, XP failed.
3rd Quarter: (S) Jarred Daughtry 1-yard rush, XP failed.
4th Quarter: (S) J. Daughtry 17-yard rush, XP failed.
Football Division 1
#16 Braintree, 6 @ #1 Franklin, 42 – Final 1st Quarter: (F) Mack Gulla 1-yard rush, Garrett Portesi XP good; (F) M. Gulla 53-yard rush, G. Portesi XP good.
2nd Quarter: (F) Jared Arone 34-yard pass to Shane Kindred, G. Portesi XP good; (F) M. Gulla 67-yard rush, G. Portesi XP good; (F) Cullen Pek fumble recovery in the end zone, G. Portesi XP good; (F) J. Arone 28-yard pass to Will Tracey, G. Portesi XP good.
3rd Quarter: (B) Braintree 1-yard rush, XP failed.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
#10 Taunton, 28 @ #7 St. John’s Shrewsbury, 35 – Final
#14 Chelmsford, 0 @ #3 King Philip, 35 – Final 1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (KP) Crawford Cantave 5-yard rush, Matthew Kelley XP good; (KP) Rudy Gately 3-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good; (KP) R. Gately 26-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good.
3rd Quarter: (KP) C. Cantave 28-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good.
4th Quarter: (KP) Charlie Grant 14-yard pass to Danny Clancy, M. Kelley XP good.
#11 Barnstable, 21 @ #6 Mansfield, 28 – Final 1st Quarter: (M) Conner Zukowski 62-yard pass to CJ Bell, James Gilleran XP good; (B) Henry Machnik 9-yard rush, Shawn Haislett XP good.
2nd Quarter: (M) Connor Curtis 8-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good; C. Zukowski 48-yard pass to Trevor Foley, J. Gilleran XP good; (B) Eugene Jordan 25-yard rush, S. Haislett XP good.
3rd Quarter: (B) Gibson Guimond 2-yard rush, S. Haislett XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) Drew Sacco 7-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good.
Division 3
#14 Plymouth North, 6 @ #3 North Attleboro, 48 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: (PN) Killian Murphy 4-yard rush, Conversion no good; (NA) Tyler DeMattio 1-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good; (NA) T. DeMattio 17-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good.
2nd Quarter: (NA) T. DeMattio 11-yard rush, T. Demattio XP good; (NA) T. DeMattio 23-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good.
3rd Quarter: (NA) Danny Curran 75-yard kick return, Connor Ruppert XP good; (NA) T. DeMattio 19-yard rush, C. Ruppert XP good; (NA) Garrett Inglese 16-yard rush, XP no good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
#13 Stoughton, 0 @ #4 Plymouth South, 17 – Final
Division 4
#14 Newburyport, 13 @ #3 Foxboro, 45 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: (F) Dylan Gordon 22-yard interception return, Sam Carpenter XP good; (F) D. Gordon 45-yard rush; S. Carpenter XP good; (F) D. Gordon 47-yard interception return, S. Carpenter XP good.
2nd Quarter: (F) S. Carpenter 38-yard field goal; (F) Tom Marcucella 21-yard pass to Nick Medeiros, S. Carpenter XP good; (F) T. Marcucella 16-yard pass to Tommy Sharkey, S. Carpenter XP good; (F) Tre Stith 45-yard interception return, S. Carpenter XP good.
3rd Quarter: (N) Jack Hadden 62-yard interception return, XP good.
4th Quarter: (N) Finn Sullivan 19-yard rush, XP failed.
Non-Playoff
Oliver Ames, 31 @ Somerset-Berkley, 33 – Final (OT)
Attleboro, 42 vs. New Bedford, 0 – Final
Sharon, 0 @ Medfield, 34 – Final
Canton, 14 vs. Westwood, 35 – Final
Field Hockey Division 1
#17 King Philip, 0 @ #16 Lexington, 1 – Final – King Philip fell just short on the road in a tight game at Lexington. The Warriors had six shots on goal but couldn’t find the back of the net. Junior Haley Bright made six saves in net to keep the Warriors close, including a pair of diving stops and a one-handed stop on an aerial shot. Senior Sydney O’Shea, senior Molly Piller, and sophomore Kelly Holmes all played well for KP.
#20 Attleboro, 1 @ #13 Central Catholic, 3 – Final
Division 2
#34 Chicopee Comp, 0 @ #2 King Philip, 3 – Final – King Philip opened its tournament run with an impressive 3-0 sweep (25-9, 25-11, 25-7) over Chicopee Comp. Emily Sawyer led the offense with 13 kills and two blocks while Ahunna James added 10 kills. Gianna DeLorenzo chipped in with four aces while Samantha Asprelli recorded six digs. King Philip will host #15 Notre Dame Academy on Tuesday at 5:00 in a Sweet 16 matchup.
#17 North Attleboro, 1 @ #16 Nashoba, 3 – Final
#29 Sharon, 0 @ #4 Billerica, 3 – Final
#26 Masconomet, 0 @ #7 Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Sophomore Sarah Hilliard had a stellar postseason debut, leading the Tigers to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21) sweep over visiting Masconomet. Hilliard registered 14 kills while classmate Claire O’Rourke added 12 kills in the win. Senior Hadley Rhodes had 24 assists and six kills and Maddie Homer added 25 digs. OA will host #10 Woburn on Tuesday at 6:00 in a Sweet 16 matchup.
KP senior Crawford Cantave dives into the end zone to put the Warriors up 24-0 in the third quarter against Mansfield. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
WRENTHAM, Mass. – On the fourth play of Friday night’s regular season finale at Macktaz Field, Mansfield’s Caden Colby intercepted a pass by King Philip quarterback Charlie Grant. The Hornets got the ball in KP territory, but the Warriors defense held and forced a three-and-out. On its next three possessions, KP ran the ball 25 straight times and all three drives ended with points on the board.
The Warriors dominated the line of scrimmage throughout, junior tailback Rudy Gately ran for 171 yards (including 130 in the first half alone) on 28 carries, and three players found the end zone, as KP earned a 24-6 victory. With the win, KP remains unbeaten in league play, tied with Franklin for the Kelley-Rex division lead, and likely secured a home game in the opening round of the playoffs.
“I’ve got no problem throwing the ball,” said KP coach Brian Lee, “it was just the run was going to be there tonight. It was working and it also takes the clock away. When we did call pass plays, they turned into long runs. It was nice.”
Mansfield missed an opportunity on that opening drive to send a message and take hold of the game. The Hornets never seemed to find any momentum on the offensive side of the ball. Gately ended the first half with more carries (21) than Mansfield had plays (19).
“We were very, very poor on offense,” Mansfield coach Mike Redding explained. “Almost every possession, at some point, we’d have a five-yard penalty and it’s tough to go 10 yards against these guys in three plays, trying to go 15 and now you end up in third and nine, third and eight and you’re playing into their hands.”
After a big tackle for loss by Christopher Sesay and a third down pass breakup by Nick Viscusi, KP stopped Mansfield’s first possession. Crawford Cantave returned the punt 25 yards out to the Warriors 35 and then the ground game went to work. A 20-yard carry for Gately got the ball into the red zone. William Astorino went up the gut for six down to the 11 and two plays later Gately went right up the middle to make it 7-0.
The Hornets dropped the ensuing kick out of bounds, starting at their own four. They went three-and-out again and KP got the ball at the Mansfield 35. Gately got carries on six of the seven plays on the drive, getting as far as the four, but Braeden Veno made a big play in the backfield and KP had to settle for a 23-yard kick from Matthew Kelley and a 10-0 lead.
Mansfield was in desperate need of a spark and seemed to get some life when Drew Sacco and Rocco Scarpellini (16 carries, 82 yards) combined for 20 yards on the first two plays of the next drive. On third and four from the Mansfield 44, Conner Zukowski (5-of-17, 43 yards) was nearly intercepted by Jonathan Joseph. The Hornets went for trickery to try and jump start things, as punter James Gilleran stepped up and threw a pass to James Fichera for 20 yards down to the KP 36.
Scarpellini followed it with a 14-yard carry and the Hornets were in business. After an incomplete pass, the Hornets picked up a false start penalty. Facing third and long, Zukowski’s pass was broken up by Kelley and on fourth down the pass dropped incomplete, giving the ball back to the Warriors.
“The defense bailed us out of that,” said Lee. “We made two bonehead plays and I think the difference in this game [compared] to other games was we were able to respond. Usually, that would just open the floodgate and let them score and then we’re playing in this back and forth.
It was a missed opportunity and KP took advantage. The Warriors marched 75 yards in 11 plays to open up a three-score lead. Gately got the call eight of the 11 plays on the drive, with Astorino and Cantave also getting carries, as the offensive line of Hunter Hastings, Sean King, Dan Nineve, Amro Ismail, and Logan Van Vaerenewyck was getting a great push on every snap.
On first down from the Hornets 22, Grant dropped back to pass, saw no open receivers, scrambled to buy time, and then cut upfield into open space. He weaved through the Mansfield secondary for the touchdown.
“They played so much man and there weren’t a lot of dudes open, so we just said hey Charlie just go for it,” Lee explained. “When he threw the pick, afterwards I’m like why force it. If you’ve got the edge, just go ahead and run. He looked like the Charlie of Pop Warner days, running around, he was the nice athlete on the field, and I’m like you can still do all that.”
The Hornets got the ball to start the second half, but any thoughts of a comeback were quickly diminished. A false start backed Mansfield up five yards and Viscusi broke up a pass on third and long. KP started its first drive of the second half at the Mansfield 44.
A holding call denied Gately a good run, but Grant again scrambled for a big gain to get the first down at the 30. Four plays later, KP was inside the 10 and Cantave got the call. He went straight up the middle, took a hit at the two, and dove full extension to cross the goal line and make it 24-0.
“They execute up front, both backs ran hard, and they controlled the line,” Redding said. “We had a really hard time getting them in third and longs and the couple times we did the Grant kid did a great job running out of the pocket. We couldn’t make a play to get them off the field.”
If Mansfield had any chance of a comeback, it needed to score on its next possession. The Hornets were finally able to string together a long drive, going 72 yards on 16 plays to get on the board. Fichera and Scarpellini kicked things off with carries of 10 and 19 yards to get into KP territory.
On fourth and nine, Zukowski hit CJ Bell for 10 yards and the first. With another first down at the 11, Scarpellini was stuffed for no gain by Luke Danson, then got dragged down after two yards by Hastings. Sesay sacked Zukowski for a loss of five and it looked like another chance gone by for the offense, but on fourth down Zukowski moved in the pocket to give himself some time and fired a bullet into Bell, who made a nice leaping grab for the score.
The conversion failed and the Hornets trailed 24-6 with 10:17 to play.
Mansfield got the ball one more time at its own 20. Thomas Brewster made a couple of nice plays to break up passes and the Hornets turned it over on downs, allowing KP to run out the clock.
King Philip (6-1) will await its seeding in the Div. 2 state tournament, but the Warriors know that they will also face a Thanksgiving Day showdown against Franklin that will decide the Kelley-Rex champ. It is the first time since 2009 that the holiday meeting had this much on the line.
“So much fun,” Lee said. “It’s almost like we pause the season and then we’ll think about Thanksgiving when we get there. The Hock has just felt like playoffs the whole season.”
Mansfield (5-3) is also awaiting its seed in the D2 tournament and hoping to get at least one game at Alumni Field.
Mark DeGirolamo (66) returns his second half interception that led to a Mansfield touchdown in its win against Taunton. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
MANSFIELD, Mass. – When the offense is struggling to produce points, it is critical to take advantage of field position, opponent’s mistakes, and big plays by the defense. On Friday night at Alumni Field, Mansfield’s offense managed to capitalize on all of those in the second half.
The Hornets had three possessions start in Taunton territory after halftime and they were able to find the end zone on all three, turning a 3-0 lead into a 24-8 victory. Sophomore Trevor Foley continued his impressive breakout season with a pair of touchdown receptions and had an interception on the other side of the ball as well.
“You’re in at 3-0 but they’re one play away from going up 7-3 and the game flips on its head,” said Mansfield coach Mike Redding. “So, we said at halftime next score we’re up 10-0 with a two-score lead or they’re up and we’re scrambling from behind. I think everybody took a deep breath when we got it to 10 and we continued to play really good defense to get it to 17.”
For the third league game in a row, Taunton coach Brad Sidwell was rueing missed opportunities that cost the Tigers a chance at picking up a marquee win over one of the league’s perennial powers.
“We came out of halftime thinking at 3-0 we’re hanging in there and then it just blew up on us,” he said. “That was just a series of about 10 plays that were real tough. I did think our guys fought hard but that sequence of plays at the start of the second half got us.”
Mansfield’s offense looked strong out of the gates, as it marched into Taunton territory on its first possession behind the running of Rocco Scarpellini (18 carries, 82 yards), but the Hornets failed to get three yards on two plays and the drive stalled at the 35. Taunton immediately looked deep on its first two plays, but Jacob Leonard’s passes were just out of reach and Pedro Cruz ended the possession with a sack.
After Mansfield went three-and-out, Taunton got the game’s first big play when Leonard ( 8-of-17, 115 yards) found Jose Touron down the sideline for 32 yards to the Mansfield 45. The Tigers got only a yard further and were forced to punt.
Both defenses were playing well. John Castillo and Ryan MacDougall combined to stuff Scarpellini for a loss to start another Mansfield three-and-out and sacks by James Fichera and Jephte Jean made sure Taunton went nowhere.
The Hornets would put together one scoring drive in the opening half. Taking over at the 28, Mansfield marched down to the red zone. Fichera had an 11-yard rush and then a 25-yard reception on a wheel route to get the Hornets to the Taunton 30. On fourth and three, Conner Zukowski (7-of-11, 75 yards) hit Foley for six yards and a first down to the 17.
Taunton came through with a massive defensive stand. Nathan Keenan stepped up quickly to stop Fichera for no gain on first down, Faisal Mass stuffed Scarpellini for a loss of a yard. MacDougall chased down Zukowski after a short gain on third down and the Hornets had to settle for a 32-yard James Gilleran field goal and a 3-0 lead at the break.
“First half we just never got into a flow,” Redding admitted. “They were playing good defense. Right now, we’ve just got to find a way to convert third or fourth and short. That right now is our Achille’s heel. We’re giving up possessions when it’s third and three and we can’t do that in big games.”
The turning point of the game would happen on Taunton’s possession to start the third quarter. Keenan slipped on the return and the Tigers started at their own seven. Jean came through the line and stuffed a run for a loss of three. Two completions later, the Tigers would try to punt from the 16, but the snap was over the head of Tyler Wynn, who scooped the ball in his own end zone and tried to make a break for it. He was tackled two yards short of the line of scrimmage.
On third and seven, Zukowski fooled the defense with a play action pass to a wide open Foley in the back corner of the end zone. The 11-yard score put the Hornets up by two possessions.
“It’s something we’ve been fighting against since I got here, just the blowing up of plays and keep surmounting again and again and again and it just gets behind you too much,” Sidwell said.
Foley made a great play to end Taunton’s next possession, breaking late on a deep throw over the middle and out-jumping the receiver to pull in the pick. Taunton’s defense held, but again a turnover ended any chance of the Tigers putting together a drive. On the first play, Mark DeGirolamo sniffed out a screen pass and pulled in an interception.
A penalty forced Mansfield back to the Taunton 42, but nine players later the Hornets were back in the end zone. CJ Bell picked up a key fourth down with a toss to the right and Scarpellini would push the ball over the goal line from 11 yards out with a lot of help from his offensive line.
Taunton’s offense continued to find things difficult. Jared Fraone made a nice tackle on Trent Santos on the outside and Cruz came flying through for his second sack of the night to quickly end another possession.
Mansfield took back over at the Tigers 40 and put the game away. Scarpellini had an 18-yard rush and Dana Johnson was able to recover a botched hand-off to keep the drive alive at the Taunton 19. On the next play, Zukowski found Foley for the score and a 24-0 lead.
The Tigers did get one drive to go their way and showed why Redding had been nervous about his team only leading by three at the break. Leonard went deep down the sideline to Santos, who pulled in a one-handed grab for 41 yards into Mansfield territory. A pass interference call on the next play got the Tigers to the 13. On fourth down. Leonard was able to hit Touron for the touchdown and Santos got to the corner to punch in the conversion.
Sidwell said, “Our defense played great. We were bad on offense. We had a few chances in the first half but they covered us well and we’ve got to find a way to get those balls completed.”
Redding quickly looked ahead to next week’s showdown with King Philip. He said, “If we win it gets us a home game, if we lose we’re going on the road as a lower seed, so I told these guys playoffs start next Friday at KP. We’re playing for positioning and to make a run.”
Mansfield (5-2) will travel to Macktaz Field next week to face King Philip, which is currently tied for the division lead. Taunton (4-3) try for its first league win of the season when it hosts Attleboro.
Football
Franklin, 21 @ Attleboro, 19 – Final 1st Quarter: (A) Anthony Salviati 25-yard field goal; (F) Jared Arone 31-yard pass to Will Tracey, Garrett Portesi XP good.
2nd Quarter: (A) A. Salviati 35-yard field goal; (F) Mack Gulla 3-yard rush, G Portesi XP good; (A) Matt Harvie 11-yard pass to A. Salviati, Josue Salguero XP good.
3rd Quarter: (F) J. Arone 57-yard pass to W. Tracey, G Portesi XP good; (A) Adrian Rivera 3-yard rush, 2pt pass failed.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
Foxboro, 42 @ Canton, 8 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: (F) Tom Marcucella 8-yard pass to Rashaad Way, Sam Carpenter XP good; (F) T. Marcucella 76-yard pass to R. Way, S. Carpenter XP good; (F) Dylan Gordon 7-yard rush, S. Carpenter XP good.
2nd Quarter: (F) T. Marcucella 45-yard pass to Dylan Gordon, S. Carpenter XP good; (F) T. Marcucella 20-yard pass to Tom Sharkey, S. Carpenter XP good.
3rd Quarter: (F) D. Gordon 9-yard rush, S. Carpenter XP good.
4th Quarter: (C) Colin Albert 3-yard rush, Charlie Cox 2pt rush good.
Taunton, 8 @ Mansfield, 24 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game. 1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (M) James Gilleran 32-yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: (M) Conner Zukowski 11-yard pass to Trevor Foley, J. Gilleran XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) Rocco Scarpellini 11-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good; (M) C. Zukowski 19-yard pass to T. Foley, J. Gilleran XP good; (T) Jacob Leonard 13-yard pass to Jose Touron, Trent Santos 2pt rush good.
Stoughton, 7 @ Milford, 27 – Final 1st Quarter: (S) Jarred Daughtry 25-yard pass to Emmett Pearl, Jonah Ly XP good; (M) Nicholas Araujo 36-yard field goal good.
2nd Quarter: (M) Grant Scudo 7-yard rush, N. Aruajo XP good; (M) Evan Cornelius 11-yard pass to Isaiah Pantalone, N. Araujo XP good.
3rd Quarter: (M) E.Cornelius 10-yard pass to I Pantalone, N. Araujo XP good; (M) N. Araujo 30-yard field goal good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
North Attleboro, 42 @ Oliver Ames, 12 – Final 1st Quarter: (NA) Tyler Bannon 3-yard rush, Tyler DeMattio XP good; (NA) T. Bannon fumble recovery in the end zone, T. DeMattio XP good.
2nd Quarter: (NA) Greg Berthiaume 32-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good; (OA) Collin Williamson 72-yard rush, XP failed; (NA) Chase Frisoli 27-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good; (NA) C. Frisoli 15-yard pass to Jack Munley, T. DeMattio XP good.
3rd Quarter: (NA) Garrett Inglese 1-yard rush, T. DeMattio XP good; (OA) Chad Silva 2-yard rush, XP failed.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
Sharon, 14 @ Hull, 35 – Final
Boys Soccer
Mansfield, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin scored twice inside a five-minute span in the first half and tacked an important insurance goal just minutes into the second half to get a win over Mansfield, pushing their unbeaten streak to five games. Senior Jack Moran opened the scoring in the 15th minute on a pass from sophomore Sean O’Leary and then junior Ben Costa doubled the advantage in the 20th minute on an assist from classmate Max Tobin. O’Leary extended the lead to 3-0 in the 44th minute, finishing off a chance created by junior Will Krysak.
Milford, 3 vs. Medway, 0 – Final – Sophomore J’remy Chaves scored his first career goal and then added his second to lead Milford to a non-league win over Medway, one of the top rated teams in Division 3. Junior Eduardo Santana put the hosts ahead in the first half on a pass from junior Arthur Tome, a lead the Hawks carried into halftime. Chaves’ first goal came off a pass from junior John Borges while his second was set up by sophomore Nate Dinis.
Sharon, 2 vs. Walpole, 2 – Final
Field Hockey
Foxboro, 3 vs. Medfield, 0 – Final
Milford @ Bellingham, 4:45
Sharon, 1 @ Norwell, 4 – Final
Football
Mansfield, 23 @ Attleboro, 7 – Final 1st Quarter: (M) CJ Bell 6-yard rush, James Gilleran XP good.
2nd Quarter: (A) Kaiden Murray 1-yard rush, Anthony Salviati XP good; (M) Rocco Scarpellini 5-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good.
3rd Quarter: (M) Safety.
4th Quarter: (M) Connor Curtis 19-yard rush, J. Gilleran XP good.
Foxboro, 21 @ North Attleboro, 14 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game. 1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (NA) Tyler Bannon blocked punt, safety.
3rd Quarter: (NA) Chase Frisoli 24-yard pass to Gavin Wells, XP no good; (F) Tom Marcucella 40-yard pass to Rashaad Way, T. Marcucella conversion pass to R. Way.
4th Quarter: (NA) Tyler DeMattio 1-yard rush, Conversion no good; (F) Dylan Gordon 72-yard rush, Sam Carpenter XP good; (F) T. Marcucella 68-yard pass to R. Way, XP blocked.
Milford, 14 @ King Philip, 17 – Final
Stoughton, 31 vs. Brockton, 13 – Final 1st Quarter: (S) Anthony Girolamo 24-yard rush, Conversion no good.
2nd Quarter: (S) Jonah Ly 1-yard rush, Conversion no good; (B) Mauricio Powell 20-yard rush, John Dumas XP good.
3rd Quarter: (S) A. Girolamo 19-yard rush, J. Ly XP good; (S) Jarred Daughtry 5-yard rush, XP no good.
4th Quarter: (B) Jason Wonodi 24-yard rush, XP no good; (S) J. Daughtry 8-yard rush, XP no good.
Sharon, 7 @ Norwell, 32 – Final
Boys Soccer
Canton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames hit the post and hit the crossbar but couldn’t find the back of the net and the Tigers and Bulldogs of Canton took a point each. Mathias Taylor, Michael Haikal, Hector Bucio and Diego Rivera had great games for the Tigers while Sasha Priajinski earned his eighth shutout of the season in net.
Foxboro, 4 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Foxboro scored twice in each half to pick up two points on the road over Stoughton. The Warriors scored in quick succession in the first half as AJ Carvalho opened the scoring in the 26th minute and then an own goal (credited to John Hollis) doubled the advantage just two minutes later. In the second half, Cam Barreira set up Alex Penders in the 60th minute for the 3-0 lead and then Barreira capped the scoring with a goal of his own off a feed from Jacob Tessier. Derek Axon notched the shutout in net for Foxboro.
Taunton, 1 @ King Philip, 1 – Final – King Philip and Taunton traded goals, one coming in each half, and the Warriors and Tigers split the two points. Andrew Seropian gave the hosts the lead in the 12th minute, finishing off a pass from Stephen Griffin to make it 1-0. Taunton’s Riley Rebello equalized in the 49th minute, finishing a free kick to the back post to bring the Tigers level.
Milford, 2 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – Milford used a pair of first half goals to earn two points on the road, splitting the season series with Mansfield. Artur Tome opened the scoring with an assist to Bill Silva. Just minutes later, Eduardo Santana doubled the lead with the assist going to Tome.
Sharon, 0 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – The Rocketeers registered a pair of goals before the half hour mark and then put the game away with a third with just 10 minutes to go for a win over Sharon. Quinn Conley earned a penalty for the Rocketeers early in the match and Connor Ward buried the chance from the spot, putting the hosts ahead in the 10th minute. Junior Griffin Rodden doubled the lead in the 28th minute, taking a pass from Givany Carney and finishing. Jaad Ismail’s goal in the 70th minute secured the points for North as the senior finished a corner kick from Ward for a 3-0 lead.
Girls Soccer
Oliver Ames, 1 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Junior Mary Cross scored the lone goal of the game as Oliver Ames claimed a key two points on the road over Davenport for Canton. Cross finished off a pass from Allison Evin in the first half for the lone goal of the game. Emily Meyers earned the shutout in goal for the Tigers.
Stoughton, 0 @ Foxboro, 7 – Final – Foxboro scored four times in the second half to break the game open and keep itself in a first-place tie with OA. Kailee McCabe and Jordan Carman each recorded four points for the Warriors. McCabe scored three times and added an assist, while Carman found the back of the net once and had a hat trick of assists. Lauren Miley scored a brace and DeAnna Hardiman got one. Shayla Ford had a solid game in defense for the Black Knights and Sivannah Marcy was a good outlet up front.
King Philip, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – A day after she tallied a hat trick and five points, Ella Pisani added two more goals and another assist to lift KP to another road win. The Warriors pulled even on points with Franklin for the league lead, having played one more game. Pisani, Brooke Mullins, and Dani Lomuscio all scored in the first half to put KP comfortably ahead. Morgan Norrman, Eilish McGowen, and Pisani each had assist in the opening half. After the break, Pisani completed her brace and Kylie Menendez added the fifth. Paulina Baczkowski and McGowen assisted on the second half goals.
Mansfield, 2 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Tarynn Smith’s brace lifted the Hornets to a road win at Milford, getting Mansfield back on track and keeping it alive in the league title race. Olivia Salisbury made one stop to earn the clean sheet.
North Attleboro, 3 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – Emma Pratt and Abbie Pratt each scored in the first half to put the Rocketeers in front. Autumn Simon scored early in the second half off a Sofia Goclowski assist to cut the North lead in half, but Emma Pratt added her second of the game to seal the two points. Haley Sinacola assisted on each of Emma Pratt’s goals and Caroline Ferrin had the assist on Abbie Pratt’s. North came close several times in the second half, with Steph McKenna, Autumn Hewitt, and Casey Butanowicz narrowly missing. Brayden Rice played well for the Rocketeers in midfield, while Meaghan Dowd, Summer Doherty, and Charlotte Moynihan had good games at the back. Leah Steinberg and Carmen Leonardi played well defensively for the Eagles.
Volleyball
North Attleboro, 3 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final
Canton, 3 @ Fontbonne Academy, 1 – Final – Canton overcame an error-prone opening set to settle in, using a complete team effort to rally for a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-15) on the road at Fontbonne. Talya DeGraw had an all-around good match for the Bulldogs with six kills and 27 digs, Katie Dever played well in the middle with four kills and two blocks, and Kelly MacDonald played strong in the backcourt and served well.
King Philip, 3 @ Walpole, 0 – Final – KP swept Walpole for the second time this season, winning 25-12, 25-15, 25-10 to stay unbeaten. Sami Shore led the way with 11 kills and four aces, while Ahunna James had eight kills and seven digs, and Emily Sawyer finished with seven kills and three blocks. Sofia Reidel had a strong service game with seven aces and Stella Bailey chipped in with four aces and five digs. Samantha Asprelli had another strong defensive match with eight digs.
Taunton, 3 vs. Durfee, 1 – Final – Taunton jumped out to a two-set advantage and took care of business in the fourth to win the match 3-1 (25-15, 25-15, 23-25, 25-14) after dropping a close third set. Angie Lynch had a great all-around game for the Tigers with eight kills, seven digs, four aces, and a block to lead the way. Mikayla Cleary added five kills, four aces, and four blocks while Anna Abouzeid dished out 18 assists and added three kills and a pair of aces. Dani Lofgren (14 digs and excellent serve receive) and Jess Foley (eight digs, three aces) both played well defensively for Taunton.
