12/17/2016

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/17/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Hockey
Attleboro, 5 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk, 1 – Final – Attleboro’s PJ Elliott netted a hat trick while Jake Parker and Dylan Wallace each scored once for the Bombardiers.

Franklin, 2 @ Canton, 1 – Final – Click here for a recap of the game.

King Philip, 0 vs. Coyle & Cassidy, 1 – Final

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Cullen Gallagher netted a pair of goals, including one shorthanded, to lead the Tigers. Max Ward opened the scoring for OA while Zach Walsh had 24 saves in net. OA head coach Sean Bertoni said Korey Sweezey and Matt McCormick had strong performances.

North Attleboro, 4 vs. Bishop Feehan, 1 – Final – Jason McNeany scored in the first period to open the scoring before Feehan tied the game right before the horn. Erik Clements, Hunter Sarro and Anthony Zamiello each scored in the second period for the Rocketeers.

Stoughton, 2 vs. Cape Cod Tech, 6 – Final – Jon Lessa and Josh Hough scored the goals for the Black Knights.

Wrestling
Hanover Quad (Canton) – Canton went 1-2 for the day, picking up a win early but falling in the second two meets. The Bulldogs beat Norwell (36-30) before falling to Duxbury (43-31) and Hanover (40-39).

Mike Melish Duals (Foxboro, Sharon) – Foxboro finished second overall.

Franklin @ Lawrence – Postponed

Milford Tournament (King Philip, Milford), 12:00

Braintree Quad (Mansfield) – Postponed.

North Attleboro Quad (North Attleboro) – North Attleboro won three matches on the day, extending its winning streak to seven. The Rocketeers bet Plymouth North (55-9), Norton (39-31) and Burrillville (42-11) on the day.

Marshfield Super Quad (Oliver Ames) – Oliver Ames picked up three wins in four matches at Marshfield High School. The Tigers beat Whitman-Hanson (63-12), Toll Gate (51-12) and Durfee (48-15) while falling to Marshfield (42-33). Liston Funai (132) went 4-0 with three pints while Dean Pacini (195) also went 4-0. Cobey Williamson (120), Brandon Belleton (138) and Chris Belleton each went 3-0 on the day. Joe Savino, Eric Berardi, Sean Cosgrove, Billy Tat and Jack Mills each had two wins for OA.

Sandwich Quad (Taunton) – Taunton’s Josh Grasso picked up three wins via pin on his way to a first place finish at 125. Alex Simon (170) and Nuno Camara (182) each placed second while freshman Woudanly Danger (220) finished third.

Weymouth Quad (Stoughton), 10:00AM

Indoor Track (@ Reggie Lewis Center)
Boys
Attleboro, 29 vs. Mansfield, 71 – Final – Mansfield placed first in eight events to take down Attleboro. Mike Shannon won the 300M (37.51), Nick Rispoli took first in the 600M (1:27.99), Patrick Heavey won the 1000M (2:42.92), Jack Olsen won the high jump (5-04.00), Kevin McCree won the shot put (41-07.00) and Cameron MacIntyre won the 55M hurdles (8.27). The Hornets also won both the 4×200 and 4×400 relays. Attleboro’s Isaiah Rodriguez won the 55M dash (6.73), David Seybert won both the 1 Mile (4:39.36) and the 2 Mile (10:12.67) and Victor Centeno placed first in the long jump (20-11.00).

Canton, 26 vs. Milford, 65 – Final – Milford junior Jack Kalil set a new school record in the 2 Mile, finishing in 10:15.80 to beat the previous record by nearly two seconds. Milford also got wins from Cameron Clark (38.02) in the 300M and the 55M hurdles (8.35), Chris Cicciu (1:28.40) in the 600M, Joey Madden (2:44.96) in the 1000M and Kevin Truong (19-02.00) in the long jump. Canton’s Muhammad Sambo won the 55M dash in 7.16 while Jack Healey was first in the 1 Mile (4:58.80) and Ben Mendillo won the shot put (33-02.25).

Foxboro, 51 vs. Stoughton, 49 – Final – The Warriors swept the 55M dash and the high jump to edge Stoughton. Nate Rogers (6.99), Owen Whitney (7.25) and Hunter Williams (7.28) went one-two-three in the 55M dash while Matt Nutting (5-10.00), Whitney (5-06.00), and Rogers (5-06.00) were the top three in the high jump. Other Foxboro winners included Williams in the 300M (39.94) and Brendan Foley in the 600M (1:34.29), as well as the 4×200 relay team. Stoughton’s Will Eckhart (3:01.66) and Terry Lapomarede (3:05.99) were first and second in the 1000M, Colin Cochran won the 1 Mile race (5:10.98), Zach Ferreira won the 2 Mile race (11:08.05), Kyle Reason finished first in the 55M hurdles (8.59) and the long jump (18-00.50) and James Tarchara (43-03.00) won the shot put.

Franklin, 36 vs. Taunton, 64 – Final – Taunton grabbed first place in nine different events to pick up a win against Franklin. Dylan Lynch won a pair of events for the Tigers, finishing first in the 1 Mile (4:49.28) and the 2 Mile (10:06.78). Jadin Bruneau won the 55M dash (6.93), Lucas Alves was first in the 300M (37.85), Jimmy Hoye took first in the 600M (1:31.33), Ryan Leason (39-01.00), John Chretien (37-10.00) and Jared Taje (37-05.25) swept the shot put, Nathan Grant was first in the high jump (5-06.00) and Sam Krajewski won the long jump (18-09.25). Franklin won both the 2x400n and the 4×400 relays while getting a win from Nicolas Gnamen (2:50.74) in the 1000M.

King Philip, 54 vs. Oliver Ames, 46 – Final – A sweep in the shot put helped King Philip edge Oliver Ames. Alex Olsen (41-06.00), Gio Fernandez (40-09.75) and Ter Jacobs-Baston (37-03.00) placed first, second and third, respectively for the Warriors. Freshman Michael Griffin won the 1000M (2:44.92), freshman Michael Norberg took first in the 2 Mile (10:58.20), senior Ethan Dunne crossed the line first in the 55M hurdles (8.20) and Aeden Angelone took first in the high jump (5-10.00). Oliver Ames’ Kalil Matier was first in the 55M dash (7.15) and the long jump (20-01.00), Belmund Rodrigues-Pires took first in the 300M (37.37), Matt Campbell finished first in the 600M (1:30.38) and Zane Reservitz crossed first in the 1 Mile (4:50.59). The teams split the relays with KP winning the 2×400 while Oliver Ames came in first in the 4×400.

North Attleboro, 55 vs. Sharon, 45 – Final – The Rocketeers earned a sweep at high jump and Jonathan Shultz won a pair of individual races to edge out the Eagles. Shultz was first in the 600M (1:33.73) and the 55M hurdles (8.36). Nick Rajotte won the 55M dash for North Attleboro in 6.78 while Matt Reimels was first in the 1000M (2:41.48). Matt Tarantino (6-00.00), Omar Jasseh (5-08.00) and Mario Bresko (5-06.00) swept the high jump. For Sharon, Tianrui Sun won both the 1 Mile (4:42.05) and the 2 Mile (10:29.53) races. Matthew Hoffman won the 300M (37.84), Patrick Carries (44-07.50) and Jeffrey Thomas (44-02.50) went one-two in the shot put and Juvan Elisma was first in the long jump (20-11.25).

Girls
Attleboro, 11 vs. Mansfield, 89 – Final – Mansfield won 11 of 12 events, sweeping in five of them. Amanda Mangano won the 55M in 7.82 and was first in the high jump at 4-11.00, Mikaela Maughn finished first in the 300M (46.21), Alexis Kiyanda took first in the 600M (1:58.13), Caitlin Whitman crossed first in the 1000M (3:18.32), Julie Romano won the 1 Mile (6:02.32), Lauren Duggan was the top finisher in the 2 Mile (12:32.69), Heather D’Ambra took first in the 55M hurdles (10.59) and Olivia Horn took first in the long jump (14-09.50). Attleboro’s Tianna Ridge won the shot put at 27-09.25.

Canton, 48 vs. Milford, 51 – Final – Milford’s Chrissy Speliakos won the 55M hurdles in 9.25, the long jump (15-08.75) and ran the anchor leg on the 4×200 relay that clinched the victory for the Scarlet Hawks. Milford also got a win from freshman Juliana France in the 600M (1:48.07). Canton’s Selena Cho was first in the 55M dash (7.89), Hannah Link won the 300M (44.12), Sarah Collins was a double winner, taking first in the 1000M (3:36.67) and the 1 Mile (5:49.50) while James Polsgrove was first in the 2 Mile (12:51.71) for the Bulldogs. Freshman Bronwyn Mahoney had a first place finish in the shot put (27-08.00).

Foxboro, 73 vs. Stoughton, 27 – Final – Senior Angela VandenBoom won a pair of events while grabbed first in 11 of the 12 events. VandenBoom won the 300M (45.00) and the high jump (4-07.00). Freshman Amanda Walden won the 55M dash (7.94), Meredith Cronin was first in the 600M (1:46.78), Nicole Yeomans placed first in the 1000M (3:40.38), Lexi Quinn won the 2 Mile race (12:20.26), Malaysia Cabral won the 55M hurdles (10.29), Solange Stamatos won the shot put (26-05.75) and Ana Sanchez was first in the long jump (15-05.00). Stoughton junior Mia Greene (6:02.07) won the 1 Mile race with Amelia Cochran (6:06.94) finishing second.

Franklin, 67 vs. Taunton, 33 – Final – Franklin sophomore Halle Atkinson won a pair of individual races and anchored the 4×200 relay to a win. Atkinson won the 55M dash in 7.70 and took first in the 300M in 43.19. The Panther’s 4×200 crossed first in 1:52.80. Franklin’s Lauren McGrath also had a big day for the Panthers, scoring in three events. McGrath was second in the high jump (4-07.00), third in long jump (15-00.50) and second 55M hurdles (10.18). Taunton freshman Victoria Gravel was first in the 55M hurdles (10.10), senior Shannon Stokes won the high jump (4-09.00) and Samantha Tichelaar took first in the long jump (16-02.50).

King Philip, 39 vs. Oliver Ames, 61 – Final – Oliver Ames placed first in eight of the 12 events while sweeping the 1000M race. Dana Lowney was first in the 1000M (3:13.53) while Jess Robarge was second (3:32.57) and Jessica Mills was third (3:32.87). Senior Elizabeth Hausman was first in the 300M (46.37), Lauren Wright won the 600M (1:45.83), Olivia Timbone crossed first in the 2 Mile (12:59.34), Desiree Snead won the 55M hurdles (9.44) Antonia Peretti was first in the shot put (28-10.25) and junior Rachel Clark (15-02.50) and freshman Madison Perry (14-09.50) finished first and second, respectively, in the long jump. King Philip’s Hannah Balunos was first in the 55M dash (7.90), Krista Cepkauskas was first in the 1 Mile (5:47.44) and Abigail McKeown won the high jump (4-11.00).

North Attleboro, 49 vs. Sharon, 51 – Final – Sharon won seven events while North Attleboro claimed first in five in the closest race of the day. Junior Ariadne Tolay won both the 1000M (3:17.69) and the 1 Mile (5:29.53) for the Eagles. Angela Wallace won the 55M dash (7.62), Erica Laidler was first in the 600M (1:45.94), Maria Gieg won the 2 Mile (12:15.02) and freshman Jade Johnson won the long jump (16-01.75). North Attleboro got first place finishes from Rachel LaBonte in the 300M (43.83), Rene Gagne in the 55M hurdles (10.14), Julia Mechlinski in the shot put (34-04.00) and Samantha Gaskin in the high jump (4-11.00).

Gymnastics
King Philip @ Attleboro – Postponed to TBA.

Sharon @ Canton, 1:30

Girls Hockey
Canton, 0 @ Barnstable, 4 – Final

Franklin, 6 vs. Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake, 0 – Final

King Philip, 4 vs. Medway/Ashland, 1 – Final – King Philip raced out to a 3-0 lead through two periods and held off Medway/Ashland in the third. Olivia McCarthy opened scoring late in the first period, finishing off a rebound from a Katie Crowther shot from the point. Nicole Connor scored her first goal of the season 10 minutes into the second period on a wrist shot from straight away that found the top corner of the net. Liz Furfari closed the second period with her second goal of the season, driving hard to the net and slipping the puck between the goalies legs. In a penalty filled third period, Medway/Ashland brought the game within two goals, but Furfari added her second goal late to seal the win for KP. KP coach Jack Unger said goalie Lilly Potts had a great game in net to secure her second win of the season.

Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 0 @ Medfield, 3 – Final

Stoughton, 1 @ Cohasset/Hanover, 8 – Final

12/04/2016

King Philip Defeats Reading For First State Title

King Philip football — King Philip junior Shane Frommer carries the ball in the first half at Gillette Stadium. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

FOXBORO, Mass. – Throughout the 2016 season, King Philip head coach Brian Lee has said time and time again that the Warriors can throw the ball – they just don’t like to if they don’t have to.

Through the first 11 games, the running game was more than sufficient.

But in the D1A State Championship, KP had to rely on the passing game – and Lee was right, the Warriors can throw the ball.

Using an impressive aerial attach and it’s typical hard nosed defense, King Philip defeated Reading, 21-18, at Gillette Stadium for the program’s first ever state championship.

“Reading has an awesome defense, we could not [run the ball],” Lee said. “There were a lot of dudes in there and they were big and strong and physical. We just knew they were not going to let us do what we wanted. We worked on throwing the ball more in practice. We’ve been saying we can throw it, we just don’t like to if we don’t have.

“That’s why this team is so special, because we’re a running team and we had to throw it today. We had to throw it to guys that aren’t your conventional wide receivers and they had to make plays on the biggest stage. That’s why they’re so, so special.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

King Philip’s running attack has given teams fits as season but the Rockets’ defense was stout throughout the first half, bottling up run after run by the Warriors. KP’s defense kept things close but after a scoreless first quarter, the Warriors had just nine yards after two offensive series.

Reading was able to move the ball on its second series of the game, even converting a fourth down a fourth down on the first play of the second quarter at the KP 19-yard line. The Rockets were forced to go for it again on fourth down from the 13 yard line but Reading quarterback Corey DiLoreto’s pass was dropped in the end zone.

A 45-yard gain by Gio Fernandez finally gave King Philip’s offense some life as they moved into Reading territory. But a penalty forced KP back and 10 yard gain on fourth down from Brendan Lydon (13/18, 256 yards, two touchdowns) to Fernandez came up a yard short.

One play into Reading’s third series, Nick DiNapoli took the toss to the right side and got around the edge and sprinted his way for a 79 yard touchdown. A failed two point rush gave Reading a 6-0 lead with 3:11 to go in the first half.

On the next series, King Philip began its commitment to the passing game. Facing 3rd and 20, Lydon hit senior Tyler Jenesky over the middle for a 24 yard gain and a first down. Two plays later, Lydon connected with David Morganelli for 14 yards and another first down. After another completion to Jenesky, Lydon connected with Ethan Dunne on a post route for a 14 yard touchdown. Freshman Cole Baker’s extra point (3/3 PAT) gave KP a 7-6 lead with 28 seconds left in the half.

“That was huge,” Lee said of the first half touchdown. “We were getting outplayed big time. Gio gave us a big spark. I thought field position was a real factor early on. We could have done play action but I don’t like to do it when we’re backed up that much. We got some room with that big run and able get those points.”

Reading fumbled the ensuing kickoff and KP recovered at the Rockets’ 30 yard line but the refs ruled the runner down and the team’s headed into the halftime break just a point apart.

King Philip’s defense forced a punt on the opening series of the second half and took advantage with its offense. On the first play, Lydon went play action and found a wide open Brett Mazur for a 62 yard completion. An eight yard pass from Lydon to John DeLuca (45 all purpose yards) made it 4th and 1 from the 2 yard line.

Lydon called his own number and bulled his way into the end zone and Baker’s second extra point put King Philip up 14-6 with 6:34 in the third quarter.

After KP’s defense forced another punt, the offense marched down the field again but Lydon was picked off in the end zone to end the threat. On the ensuing offensive series, Reading opened up its playbook, going with a double reverse with receiver Matt Panacopoulos connecting with Eric D’Agostino for a 50 yard touchdown. However, the two point pass sailed high as KP held a 14-12 advantage with 9:48 left in the game.

It certainly didn’t take King Philip long to respond those. After a one yard gain on first down, the Warriors went play action with Lydon once again finding an open Mazur, who fought off a defender and scampered in for a 69 yard touchdown. Baker’s third extra point put KP up 21-12.

“All season, we’ve averaged about 200 yards on the ground,” Mazur said. “Tonight was a changeup. It was open, it was there, we knew that, and we just took advantage of it. We got the flats open, got everything open and it worked for us.”

“It was confidence and [Brendan’s] really calm,” Lee said of his quarterback. “After he made the mistake, he comes back and puts the ball on the money down here, just unbelievable.

“He’s never lost. Every time he starts, he’s never lost as a quarterback I think that’s impressive. I know it was freshmen and JV before but still. I was yelling and he said coach relax, we’re going to win this.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

After getting the ball back by stopping Reading on downs, King Philip was faced with its own fourth down from the Reading 37-yard line. It looked as though Lydon connected with Mazur again, who clearly got one foot down in bounds, but the ref ruled it was out of bounds and KP turned it over on downs.

The missed call was costly as Reading connected for a 63 yard touchdown on its ensuing drive. DiLoreto hit DiNapoli, who slipped by a pair of defenders and raced the rest of the way. The extra point attempt sailed wide with 3:38 to go.

For the second straight playoff game, Liam Cullagh came up with the onside kick attempt. The Warriors used back to back handoffs to DeLuca to earn a first down and two runs from Shame Frommer resulted in six yards, but KP faced 4th and 5 with 1:08 to go.

“The feeling is surreal; all the hard work throughout the year has really come together right now,” DeLuca said. “That was an A-plus effort. Reading over there played a great game, we played a better one. It was the little things that counted in that game. They made a lot of big plays and we just had to keep our mind straight to come back from those hard plays.”

Lee put his faith back in the passing game. Jenesky came in motion from left to right and split out with DeLuca heading in the opposite direction. That left Jenesky open for the catch and 16 yards, converting the first down and giving King Philip the win. It was Jenesky’s third catch of the game – he had just two all season prior to the game.

“Mazur making catches, Jenesky making another at the end…it was just awesome,” Lee said. “Just unbelievable, unbelievable. And then Morganelli made a catch down there, Gio had one on the wheel. It was just crazy.”

For Lee, the program has come a long way since he took over in 2005.

”No disrespect to anybody but football was in a very bad spot when we got there,” Lee said. “I was just hugging it out with Rich Hardwood, who has helped me build this program and made sure these kids have what they need. As a regional school you lose a lot to Xaverian and we lost a lot to Feehan in the beginning. We were always trying to get the kids and the community to buy in. Building a culture is harder than building a team. Coming out today and seeing all of those people, I was like where are we? It’s taken 12 years to build this.

“If you’re a young coach out there and you say our school doesn’t have it, this is not the right place, we can’t win here…you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. You can win anywhere, KP proves it. You win at KP, you can win at everywhere.

“I am not a great coach. What I do is I hire great people and I have great assistant coaches. My defensive coordinator Matt Wassel and [offensive coordinator] John Sariandies – Norwood, shame on them for not standing by him when he was trying to do the right things down there – we have great, great coaches and they’re winners, I love them.”

King Philip finishes the season 12-0 as D1A State Champions.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

12/04/2016

Warriors Air It Out To Win First Super Bowl Title

FOXBORO, Mass. – With 1:45 remaining in Saturday night’s Div. 1A Super Bowl, King Philip faced third and eight from the Reading 38-yard-line. The Warriors went to their bread and butter and gained three yards to the 35. KP ran the play clock down and called timeout. There was confusion when they lined up, so the Warriors had to call their final timeout as well.

Knowing that five yards would seal the program’s first state title, King Philip put the ball in the hands of junior quarterback Brendan Lydon. He delivered. Lydon flipped a perfectly-timed pass to Tyler Jenesky (three catches, 43 yards) in the flat for a 16-yard gain and clinched the state championship at Gillette Stadium.

“If we had gotten a few more yards on third down then we probably would’ve gone with the run,” said senior John DeLuca. “We called in our go-to play, which is a flood right… Luckily, the Reading guys got mangled up with me when I was doing a 10-yard out. [Tyler] was wide open and able to seal the game.

“That was the best execution I’ve ever seen it and it came in the clutch.”

King Philip has been a run-first team under head coach Brian Lee. The Warriors are a team that likes to grind out wins with an old school style that flies in the face of the typical spread formation, pass-happy offense that have become commonplace in high school football.

But, in the biggest game in the program’s history, the Warriors turned all of that on its head, throwing 18 times against a Rockets defense that was piling numbers into the box. Lydon completed 13-18 passes for a career-high 256 yards and totaled three touchdowns (two through the air and one on the ground).

“We were getting stuffed at the beginning of the game so we decided to start throwing,” said Lydon, who was as cool during his interviews as he seemed to be in the pocket. “We just trusted the game plan, listened to the coaching staff and just went with the flow.”

DeLuca, who was the starting quarterback for the past two years before moving to receiver in the preseason, praised Lydon for his preparation for the Super Bowl and for being ready when his number was called.

“The past three weeks, since we beat Bridgewater-Raynham, he’s been practicing 110 percent,” DeLuca said. “He’s been coming out early and throwing with the receivers to get the timing right. This game means more than anything to him and he wanted to prove that he can do it. He came in, he knew what he had to do, he did it and he’s a winner.”

The Rockets knew the typical KP game plan was to keep the ball on the ground, but on the third possession of the first half Lydon surprised Reading with a play action pass to Giovanni Fernandez for the Warriors first big gain. That drive ended with a turnover on downs, but it showed the capability of KP’s passing attack.

On its next possession, KP took the lead with a touchdown pass from Lydon to Ethan Dunne. In the third quarter, Lydon used another play action fake to open up Brett Mazur downfield for a huge gain inside the Reading 10. That same combo hooked up again in the fourth quarter on a 69-yard touchdown that turned out to be the game-winner.

“Tonight was a changeup,” said Mazur, who finished with 131 yards receiving. “It was open, it was there, we knew that, and we just took advantage of it. We got the flats open, got everything open and it worked for us.”

When asked about the development of Lydon as quarterback, Mazur replied, “He’s grown so much. You can see him develop. You can see his throws, his vision have gotten much better. He’s making better decision since the beginning of the season and he’s really grown as a player.”

Lydon shrugged aside questions about whether or not he felt more comfortable in the offense now compared to his first start this season at North Attleboro.

He explained, “We always had the potential; we have the receivers. We just like to pound the rock because we have good running backs, but when it came down to it we had to throw the ball.”

11/23/2016

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 11/24/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Thanksgiving Football
North Attleboro, 41 @ Attleboro, 13 – Final
1st Quarter: (NA) Nick Rajotte 2-yard rush (XP blocked).
2nd Quarter: (NA) Bobby Mylod 8-yard rush, Chad Peterson to Kyle McCarthy 2-point pass; (NA) C. Peterson 13-yard pass to B. Mylod, Devin Slaney XP good; (A) Cam Furtado 1-yard rush, XP no good.
3rd Quarter: (NA) B. Mylod 13-yard rush, XP no good; (A) C. Furtado 3-yard rush Paul Deluca XP good; (NA) N. Rajotte 1-yard rush, D. Slaney XP good.
4th Quarter: (NA) K. McCarthy 2-yard rush, D. Slaney XP good.

Canton, 0 @ Stoughton, 48 – Final
1st Quarter: (S) Justin Ly 44 yard rush, Josh Cocchi XP good; (S) Izon Swain-Price 36 yard rush, 2pt failed; (S) I. Swain-Price 21 yard rush, J. Cocchi XP good.
2nd Quarter: (S) I. Swain-Price 51 yard rush, J. Cocchi XP good; (S) Ryan Sullivan 73 yard punt return, J. Cocchi XP good.
3rd Quarter: (S) R. Sullivan 59 yard rush, J. Cocchi XP good; (S) Nick Hardy 6 yard rush, J. Cocchi XP good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.

Foxboro, 14 @ Mansfield, 35 – Final
1st Quarter: (M) Anthony DeGirolamo 41 yard pass to Mike Shannon, Diogo DeSousa XP good; (F) Mark Clagg 5 yard rush, XP good.
2nd Quarter: (M) Brian Lynch 13 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good; (M) B. Lynch 1 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good.
3rd Quarter: (F) M. Clagg 21 yard pass to Trey Guerrini, XP good. (M) B. Lynch 6 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) A. DeGirolamo 11 yard pass to Hunter Ferreira, D. DeSousa XP good.

King Philip, 43 @ Franklin, 7 – Final
1st Quarter: (KP) Shane Frommer 51 yard rush, XP good.
2nd Quarter: (KP) Brendan Lydon 26 yard pass to S. Frommer, XP good; (KP) B. Lydon 13 yard pass to Alex Olsen, XP no good; (KP) A. Olsen 1 yard rush, XP good; (F) Jake Noviello 12 yard pass to Connor Peterson, XP good.
3rd Quarter: (KP) Giovanni Fernandez 5 yard rush, 2pt good.
4th Quarter: (KP) Aidan Bender 60 yard interception return, 2pt good.

Milford, 42 vs. Randolph, 14 – Final
1st Quarter: (R) Randolph interception return, XP failed.
2nd Quarter: (M) Matt Curran 1 yard rush, XP failed; (M) M. Curran 15 yard pass to Jack Cappelletti, Sean Lehane XP good; (R) Randolph 42 yard pass, 2pt conversion. (M) Harrison Bliss 1 yard rush, Ryan O’Toole 2pt rush.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4th Quarter: (M) Asong Aminmentse 1 yard rush, S. Lehane XP good; (M) William Pointer 10 yard rush, S. Lehane XP good; (M) J. Cappelletti 10 yard rush, S. Lehane XP good.

Sharon, 33 @ Oliver Ames, 8 – Final
1st Quarter: (S) Juvan Elisma 9 yard rush, 2pt run failed; (S) J. Elisma 60 yard rush, XP good.
2nd Quarter: (S) Jeremy Ruskin 5 yard pass to Drew Naisuler, XP good.
3rd Quarter: (S) J. Elisma 40 yard rush, XP failed.
4th Quarter: (S) J. Elisma 80 yard rush, XP good; (OA) Sean Cosgrove 5 yard rusm Max Pacheco 2pt rush.

Taunton, 55 vs. Coyle & Cassidy, 26 – Final
1st Quarter: (T) Brevan Walker 51 yard rush, Nick Tolan XP good; (T) B. Walker 11 yard rush, N. Tolan XP good; (T) Noah Leonard 41 yard pass to Adam McLaughlin, XP failed.
2nd Quarter: (CC) Connor Rodriguez 65 yard kickoff return, XP failed. (T) B. Walker 21 yard rush, XP failed; (T) N. Leonard 16 yard pass to Andrew Wellington, Jared Taje 2pt rush; (CC) Jacob Cabral 20 yard rush, XP failed.
3rd Quarter: (T) B. Walker 56 yard rush, N. Leonard 2pt pass to A. McLaughlin; (CC) Jackson Murray 49 yard rush, XP failed; (T) N. Leonard 10 yard pass to A. McLaughlin, XP failed.
4th Quarter: (T) B. Walker 1 yard rush, N. Tolan XP good; (CC) J. Murray 20 yard rush, C. Rodriguez XP good.

11/22/2016

The 2016 Hockomock League Football All Stars

Below are the official 2016 Hockomock League Football All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Kelley-Rex

John DeLuca, King Philip

Davenport

Bobby Mylod, North Attleboro (Co-MVP)
Ryan Sullivan, Stoughton (Co-MVP)

Hockomock League All Stars

Kelley-Rex Division

Tyler McGovern, Attleboro
Elvin Sam, Attleboro
Jacob Wolowacki, Franklin
John DeLuca, King Philip
Carl Sanuth, King Philip
Shane Frommer, King Philip
Alex Olsen, King Philip
Giovanni Fernandez, King Philip
Anthony DeGirolamo, Mansfield
Hunter Ferreira, Mansfield
Travis Sjoberg, Mansfield
Julio Arevalo, Mansfield
AJ Gibbs, Mansfield
Liston Funai, Oliver Ames
Adam McLaughlin, Taunton
John Chretien, Taunton

Hockomock League All Stars

Davenport Division

Brian Smith, Canton
Joe Bartucca, Foxboro
Trey Guerrini, Foxboro
Riley Burns, Milford
Blake Hill, Milford
Asong Aminmentse, Milford
Thomas Reynolds, North Attleboro
Bobby Mylod, North Attleboro
Nick Rajotte, North Attleboro
Chad Peterson, North Attleboro
Kyle McCarthy, North Attleboro
Juvan Elisma, Sharon
Andrew Iverson, Stoughton
Lino Azul, Stoughton
Izon Swain-Price, Stoughton
Ryan Sullivan, Stoughton

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions were not distributed by the Hockomock League. We will update this post, as well as our History section, when they are made available.

11/12/2016

KP Holds Off B-R For D1A South Sectional Crown

WRENTHAM, Mass. – The rest of the state is starting to find out what King Philip head coach Brian Lee has known for some time now: this year’s Warriors squad is special.

As King Philip landed punch after punch in its D1A South Final matchup with Bridgewater-Raynham, some in the fourth quarter even appearing to be knockouts blows, the sixth-seeded Trojans continued to land counterpunch after counterpunch.

But in the end, the Warriors made the plays they needed to — plays that make a team special — as they held off the Trojans, 33-28, to claim the D1A South Sectional Title and book the program’s first ever trip to a state championship.

King Philip (10-0) will take on Reading (8-2), winners of the North Sectional, in the D1A State Championship game on December 3rd at Gillette Stadium.

“It’s out of control, so out of control,” said KP head coach Brian Lee on his team making its first trip to a Super Bowl. “It’s a special group of kids. People will ask me if this is the best team I’ve ever had…when you line it all up, it’s not. But it comes down to knowing how to make plays at the end, not give up, not get rattled. They’re special, that’s what they do. I’m so proud of them.”

The Warriors set the offensive tone early, marching 80 yards on 18 plays, taking up 9:40 of the first quarter, punctuated by a 5 yard keeper from Brendan Lydon to go up 6-0.

But it was the plays in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference.

An early fourth quarter touchdown from Shane Frommer (30 carries, 188 yards, two touchdowns) on a 4 yard run gave the Warriors a slim 27-21 lead after a blocked PAT.

As Bridgewater-Raynham tried to land its counter punch, as it had done multiple times throughout the game, the Warriors’ defense came up big. The Trojans used six straight running plays to advance into KP territory but elected to go for it from there. Three straight incompletions – the last on fourth down – forced a turnover on downs.

Fourteen yards from Frommer and then 16 yards from Gio Fernandez (seven carries, 54 yards) helped KP move the chains quickly on back to back plays. But three straight runs totaled just four yards, forcing KP into a 4th and 6 from the BR 24 yard line and 5:04 left in the game.

“[On that fourth down] we called 10 different plays and I said ‘You know what? I just want Shane to touch the ball, he’ll make the play for us’ and he did.”

Frommer sure did, taking a handoff to the right side and bouncing outside to find some space, the run going for 17 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Lydon used a sneak to get in from a yard out to put KP up 33-21 with 3:48 left.

“He is a dude,” Lee said of Frommer. “This program has been established by trying to find a tailback we can build around. It was going to be Sean, it was his turn, and we would use Shane as a back up guy. Shane’s just a killer out there, in a positive sense of the word. He’s such a winner, so much heart when he runs.”

“This is the most amazing day of my life,” an elated Frommer said after the game. “We practice every day for this. It started in June with Gut Camp – we wake up at five in morning every day just to work out. I can’t even explain it right now, I’m so pumped.

“It’s not just me, it’s the hoggies up front. They do everything for me. If they don’t do their job, I can’t do mine. Garrity is such a great back, when he went down I knew I had to step up.”

Frommer was quick to credit linemen Daniel Loewen, Paul Macrina, Nate Gudas, Max Penner and Carl Sanuth. Fernandez and fellow fullback Alex Olsen (six carries, 29 yards) also provided key blocks, as well as tight end Brett Mazur.

Bridgewater-Raynham made the game interesting, quickly moving into KP territory. It looked as though the Warriors made the stop on fourth down, but a holding call kept the Trojans’ drive alive. Quarterback Corey Sullivan connected with Shawn Noel Jr. (197 all purpose yards) on a screen for a 23 yard touchdown to bring B-R within 33-28 with 2:52 left.

Liam Cullagh swallowed up the onside kick attempt from B-R but KP’s offense stalled for just the second time in the game, forcing the Warriors to punt with a minute to play.

With no timeouts and 68 yards to travel, B-R had to throw the ball but for the second straight week, Andrew Dittrich came away with the game-sealing interception.

“That’s why I say the team is special, because when you’re used to making the big plays, and not giving up the big plays like that, when they’re happening – we scored, they scored, we scored, they block the PAT – just every time it felt like it was going to slip away or there’s a weird call against us, it’s just about the next play,” Lee said. “And it’s a hard thing to coach, I wish I could take credit for it but it’s really the guys and my assistant coaches, they do such a good job.

“Here’s what this team has taught me, and I tried to teach it to them as well,” Lee said. “It’s funny, I’m learning it from them. I believed we were going to get a pick. As soon as that ball was in the air, I knew we were coming down with it.”

Bryce Shaw’s touchdown early in the second quarter put B-R ahead 7-6 but KP responded swiftly with John DeLuca (four carries, 20 yards) bursting up the middle for a 12 yard touchdown. A two-point conversion from Frommer put KP up 14-7 with 4:04 left in the second quarter.

Noel Jr. scored on the second play of the second half to bring the Trojans level but KP answered once again with Frommer diving in from 5 yards out. Noel Jr. once again scored to tie the game at 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

In its first Super Bowl appearance, King Philip will take on a Reading squad that shutout Malden Catholic in the first round, shutout Chelmsford in the second round and beat top-seeded Lincoln-Sudbury 21-7 in the Sectional Final. The time of the Super Bowl is still to be announced.

11/05/2016

KP Grinds Out Win, Books Place In South Final

WRENTHAM, Mass. – King Philip had the chance to run out the clock in the closing minutes of Friday night’s Div. 1A South semifinal at Macktaz Field, but Shane Frommer was stopped for a two-yard loss on fourth and two from the Marshfield 17. The Rams had one last chance after the turnover on downs to try and even the score.

Marshfield, which had beaten the Warriors two years ago on the same field in the Div. 2 South final, started the drive with an incomplete pass and then a pass batted down by senior Brett Mazur. On third and 10, Jackson Phinney (8-28, 119 yards) picked out Christian Friedel for 16 yards. Two plays later, Phinney found Mike Catanoso for 39 yards and first down at the KP 26.

The Warriors needed to make a play and on second down it appeared they had when John DeLuca and Frommer had Phinney wrapped up for a big sack, only to have the quarterback somehow release the ball for an incomplete pass. Phinney scrambled on third down and was hit hard after four yards by the far sideline.

The officials kept the clock winding and as the final seconds ticked off the Rams barely got a play away. The ball was up for grabs near the goal line and Andrew Dittrich came up with the interception that sealed the victory. KP held on 14-7 and will play for the sectional title for the second time in three seasons.

“You’re up 14-0, you think you’re going to win,” said KP coach Brian Lee, “and all of sudden they come back because they’re tough, they’re a great team, and you can get back down. Just to be hanging in there, still making plays, still chopping is why they’re special.”

KP came into the game with a plan to slow down the high-powered Marshfield offense, which scored 41 last week against Mansfield, and it worked to near-perfection. The Rams were held without a point until midway through the fourth quarter and had only eight first downs (two in the first half).

“We just had a good game plan,” said Lee of the defensive effort. “We had a great week of practice, really felt prepared. I thought we all felt confident in what our defense could do. We were probably more concerned with what we were going to do on offense, which we struggled to move the ball but it’s tough to finish drives.”

The Warriors took advantage of a short field to take the lead in the first quarter. Frommer (23 carries, 108 yards) returned Marshfield’s second punt 21 yards down to the Rams 29. Giovanni Fernandez (10 carries, 47 yards), Frommer, and Alex Olsen (11 carries, 49 yards) got the ball to the one where junior quarterback Brendan Lydon punched it in.

Lee explained, “Field position is great. We’ve been playing good special teams and it just helps out. It allows you to be patient. We don’t have any problem running the ball and waiting for a good opportunity.”

KP also had a long drive late in the second quarter that used up nearly seven minutes off the clock. The Warriors went from their own 13 as far as the Marshfield 37 on 12 plays before a nine-yard loss ended the scoring chance. Chris O’Neil closed the half with an interception.

Only seven points were on the score board but the game was being played at KP’s pace. The Warriors were methodical on offense, keeping the ball on the ground and keeping the Marshfield offense standing on the sidelines. Lee credited his offensive line of Matthew Tobichuk, Paul Macrina, Carl Sanuth, Cameron Gately, and Daniel Loewen for helping to win the time of possession battle.

“I’m very proud of them,” Lee said. “We ate a lot of clock up, which helped slow down that offense. Even though we weren’t finishing drives, we still took an offense that is very high-powered and kept them off the field.”

The teams traded turnovers on downs to start the second half, but on its second possession KP put together a drive that looked at the time like it put the game away. The Warriors went 67 yards in 13 plays with Frommer, DeLuca, Olsen, and Fernandez all getting carries. After Lydon was ruled down inside the one of a sneak attempt, Olsen got the touchdown on fourth and an inch to make it 14-0.

Just when it looked as though the game was won, Marshfield’s offense woke up. The Rams went 71 yards in nine plays and used little more than two minutes off the clock to cut the KP lead in half with 7:04 remaining. A Jack McNeil end around for 35 yards was the big play and Phinney capped the drive with a two-yard keeper.

As the Rams lined up for the kick-off, they stayed bunched up around the kicker and surprised KP with an onside kick right down the middle of the field. Marshfield recovered and the visiting crowd found its voice. But three plays later Ethan Dunne turned momentum right back around to the home team with a juggling interception in front of the Marshfield bench.

“I screwed that up that was on me,” said Lee of the onside kick, “and Ethan bailed me out. It’s a nice treat to have when a player does that and we’ve been all over them about losing the turnover battles and they really stepped up this week.”

KP tried to run out the clock and Lydon earned a first down on fourth and three with a hard count that got the Rams to jump offsides. Three plays later, the Marshfield defense made a play to give its offense one last chance. The KP defense was waiting and Dittrich made the final play to end the comeback bid.

“It feels good,” said Lee of being back in the South final. “I’d feel better if we were playing someone easy. Tomorrow we’ll go see them and get to work and think about that. We’ll enjoy tonight and go from there.”

King-Philip (8-0) will host the winner of Wellesley and Bridgewater-Raynham on Friday night.

10/29/2016

King Philip Runs Over Attleboro and Into Semifinal

WRENTHAM, Mass. – King Philip prides itself on being able to dominate the line of scrimmage and grind down teams with the running game. In the first meeting with Attleboro, the Warriors took a while to get going on the ground and head coach Brian Lee let his offensive line know that it would have to do better.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Just two weeks later the Warriors had the opportunity to show that they had received their coach’s message when unbeaten and top seeded KP hosted the Bombardiers in the first round of the Div. 1A South tournament. KP amassed nearly 400 yards rushing on Friday night at Macktaz Field and rolled to a 51-21 victory to advance to the sectional semifinal.

“I was very upset with the linemen the last time we played that we didn’t control the line and made a lot of mistakes,” said Lee after the game. “In the end, when we needed to run the ball and kill the clock we were able to, so I’m always happy when that happens.”

Shane Frommer led the way for the Warriors with 173 yards on 21 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Senior John DeLuca also had a big night with 130 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns. Both runners had 100 yards by halftime.

It started well for the hosts, who took their first drive 71 yards in six plays for the opening score. Frommer had all but 14 of those yards and finished the possession with an 11-yard run on a toss to the left.

In the first meeting, Attleboro had no first downs in the first half, but on Friday the Bombardiers came out with a short passing game to try and counter KP’s pass rush and stay away from the run defense. For the most part, it was effective.

Attleboro answered right back with an 80-yard drive of its own. Tyler McGovern (24-37, 268 yards) went 5-6 on the drive and Elvin Sam came up with the big play to tie the game, coming down with a 28-yard pass between a pair of KP corners. Sam had three catches on that drive and would finish the game with 10 receptions for 140 yards.

“We had a game plan that was to throw the ball,” said Attleboro coach Mike Strachan, “and I think we were pretty effective. We knew we had to get it out quick, the fact is that we lost it up front. They do a good job; they wear you down.”

“Our first drive we went down and scored, feeling good,” said Lee, “and they come down and score and I’m like, oh crap it’s going to be a war.”

The score stayed the same until 4:46 left in the half when KP took back the lead. DeLuca took over at quarterback in a ‘wildcat’ set and he faked a handoff to Frommer to carry over the right tackle. The senior broke free and raced 85 yards for the go-ahead score that turned momentum back to the Warriors.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Lee said, “This time it looked like, uh-oh, if we don’t score then we could fall behind and then we’re forced to do some stuff we don’t want to do. Overall, just pleased to make enough plays on offense and defense to get it done.”

DeLuca capped off an 11-play, 76-yard drive with just 13 seconds before halftime. Again on a keeper, he went straight up the middle for a nine-yard score. The big play on the drive was a 29-yard completion from Brendan Lydon (3-8, 47 yards) to Tyler Jenesky on the near sideline to get the ball inside the Attleboro 10-yard-line.

Unlike the meeting two weeks ago, Attleboro did not let those late scores demoralize them and came out of halftime looking to make plays. Sam jumped a route and picked off Lydon to start the third quarter and bring energy back for the visitors.

Strachan said of Sam, “He’s the best athlete on our field and I thought tonight he was one of the best athletes out there period.”

McGovern hit Cam Furtado for 13 yards and the pair followed that up with a 35-yard connection for a touchdown that got Attleboro back into the game, temporarily. Frommer returned the ensuing kick 49 yards down to the Bombardiers 20. Four plays later and DeLuca got his third score of the night, this one from six yards, to push the lead back to 14.

Attleboro turned the ball over on downs at midfield on its next possession and KP took advantage with Giovanni Fernandez finishing off a 49-yard drive with a three-yard burst up the middle.

The Bombardiers did their best to stay in the game. McGovern tossed his third touchdown of the night on a great play-action pass to Steve Hamerski from five yards out with just 22 seconds left in the third. But, again KP had the answer with Frommer notching his second score on a three-yard carry.

“Nine (Sam) is a dude, 14 (Furtado) is a dude, the quarterback (McGovern) is a dude,” said Lee of Attleboro. “You play them two weeks [ago] and they learned from that, another reason why the playoff system sucks, but you have to get ready to go and play them. That is a good team.”

 Fernandez added two points for KP with a sack of McGovern in the end zone on the next Attleboro possession and then Andrew Gelsomini broke a 46-yard touchdown to cap the scoring.

“We’re a young team and we’re cutting our teeth and learning our lessons,” said Strachan. “The future is bright.”

When asked if he was concerned that Attleboro may have found a strategy for attacking the KP defense, Lee said, “The competition is only going to get stronger and that’s obviously something we have to work on and I think for them to play us a couple weeks ago really helped. We’ll see what happens next week and how people attack us.”

Mansfield (8-0, 5-0) will host No. 5 seed Marshfield in the D1A South semifinal, after the Rams knocked Mansfield out of the tournament for the third straight season. It will be a rematch of the 2014 sectional final, which Marshfield won at Macktaz Field on its way to a state championship.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

10/28/2016

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/28/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Football
Playoffs
Division 1 South
#8 Franklin, 0 @ #1 Xaverian, 42 – Final

Division 1A South
#8 Attleboro, 21 @ #1 King Philip, 51 – Final
1st Quarter: (KP) Shane Frommer 25-yard rush, Cole Baker XP good; (A) Tyler McGovern 28-yard pass to Elvin Sam, Paul DeLuca XP good.
2nd Quarter: (KP) John DeLuca 85-yard rush, C. Baker XP good; (KP) J. DeLuca 9-yard rush, C. Baker XP good.
3rd Quarter: (A) T. McGovern 35-yard pass to Cam Furtado, P. DeLuca XP good; (KP) J. DeLuca 6-yard rush, C. Baker XP good; (KP) Giovanni Fernandez 3-yard rush, C. Baker XP good; (A) T. McGovern 5-yard pass to Steve Hamerski, P. DeLuca XP good.
4th Quarter: (KP) S. Frommer 3-yard rush, C. Baker XP good; (KP) G. Fernandez Safety; (KP) Andrew Gelsomini 46-yard rush, C. Baker XP good.

#4 Mansfield, 35 vs. #5 Marshfield, 45 – Final
1st Quarter: (Marsh) Jack McNeil 54 yard rush, XP missed; (Marsh) Jackson Phinney 4 yard pass from J. McNeil, 2pt failed.
2nd Quarter: No scoring.
3rd Quarter: (Mans) Anthony DeGirolamo 28 yard pass to Hunter Ferreira, Diogo DeSousa XP good; (Marsh) J. McNeil 62 tard rush, J. Phinney 2pt pass to Brendan Ward); (Mans) Nick Graham 4 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good; (Marsh) Neil Parry 70 yard pass to Mike Catanoso, J. McNeil 2pt rush.
4th Quarter: (Mans) A. DeGirolamo 32 yard pass to Kristian Conner, D. DeSousa XP good; (Marsh) J. Phinney 6 yard rush, J. Phinney XP good; (Marsh) Neil Parry 65 yard interception return, 2pt failed; (Mans) A. DeGirolamo 15 yard pass to H. Ferreira, D. DeSousa XP good; (Mans) N. Graham 6 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good.

D2 South
#3 North Attleboro, 33 vs. #6 Whitman-Hanson, 8 – Final
1st Quarter: (NA) Chad Peterson 5 yard rush, Geoff Wilson XP good; (NA) Bobby Mylod 41 yard rush, G. Wilson XP good.
2nd Quarter: (NA) Nick Rajotte 25 yard rush, XP failed; (NA) C. Peterson 25 yard pass to B. Mylod, G. Wilson XP good.
3rd Quarter: (NA) C. Peterson 27 yard pass to Mario Bresko, XP failed.
4th Quarter: (WH) Ethan Phelps 31 yard pass to Ryan Kenndey, 2pt pass conversion.

#5 Milford, 0 @ #4 Stoughton, 34 – Final
1st Quarter: (S) Ryan Sullivan 4 yard rush, R. Sullivan 2pt rush; (S) Izon Swain-Price punt block, fumble recovery in the end zone, XP missed; (S) Jason Joseph 60 yard fumble return, Josh Cocchi XP good.
2nd Quarter: (S) Justin Ly 3 yard rush, J. Cocchi XP.
3rd Quarter: (S) Evan Gibb 1 yard rush, XP missed.
4th Quarter: No scoring.

Non-Playoffs
Canton, 27 @ North Quincy, 13 – Final
1st Quarter: (C) Dan Dillon 37 yard rush, Thomas Monagle XP good.
2nd Quarter: (NQ) Rush touchdown, XP failed.
3rd Quarter: (C) Joe Mulkay 4 yard rush, XP missed; (NQ) Rush touchdown, XP good.
4th Quarter: (C) D. Dillon 34 yard rush, T. Monagle XP good; (C) D. Dillon 28 yard pass to Tony Harris, T. Monagle XP good.

Foxboro @ Cardinal Spellman – Postponed to 10/29 at 1:00.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Hopkinton, 22 – Final

Taunton, 27 vs. Brookline, 0 – Final
1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (T) Noah Leonard 1 yard rush, John Teixeira XP good; (T) TJ Mendes 4 yard rush, J. Teixeira XP good.
3rd Quarter: (T) T. Mendes 1 yard rush, J. Teixeira XP good.
4th Quarter: (T) Brevan Walker 2 yard rush, XP failed.

Boys Soccer
Canton, 1 vs. Mansfield, 0 – Final – Griffin Roach scored midway through the second half to lift Canton to a win at Gillette Stadium. With the win, Canton qualified for the state tournament.

Foxboro, 4 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final

Franklin, 0 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – King Philip scored a pair of second half goals to finish the regular season with a win. Mike Rowe scored the game-winner, pouncing on a loose ball inside the area. Tyler Mann doubled the lead, taking a pass from Jason Florio and finishing alone against the keeper.

Girls Soccer
Mansfield, 0 vs. Canton, 0 – Final – With a point, Mansfield clinched a share of the Kelley-Rex division title along with Oliver Ames. This marks Mansfield’s first ever Hockomock League title for girls soccer.

Milford, 3 @ Sharon, 3 – Final

Volleyball
Canton, 3 vs. Duxbury, 2 – Final – Canton rallied from a two deficit to pick up one of its most impressive wins of the season, 19-25, 17-25, 26-24, 25-22, 15-13. “After falling behind two sets to none, we came out giving it everything we had and battled for the next three sets,” Canton head coach Pat Cawley said. Cawley said Nicole Poole was the team’s glue, dishing out 37 assists and picking up 18 digs and two kills. Casey Shea and Emma Murphy were strong in the middle with 12 and 11 kills respectively – each with two blocks. Erika Lum was outstanding with 13 kills and 21 digs. Julia Panico was great in defense with 27 digs.

Mansfield, 0 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – North picked up the non-league sweep 25-23, 25-22, 27-25. For Mansfield, Meg Hill had 10 kills and eight service points. Chloe Peters had seven service points and 25 assists and Jess Haradon had 20 digs and eight service points.

Sharon, 1 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Val Whalen led the offense for the Black Knights with 13 kills.

Taunton vs. New Bedford, 5:15

Field Hockey
Canton, 2 vs. Dover Sherborn, 3 – Final

Foxboro @ Monomoy – Postponed to 10/30 at 9:30AM.

Milford, 1 @ Ashland, 2 – Final

Sharon, 0 @ Norwell, 2 – Final

10/15/2016

KP Wears Down Attleboro to Clinch League Title

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – King Philip had been inside the red zone three times and had held Attleboro without a first down for the first two quarters, but as halftime rapidly approached the Warriors were clinging to a 3-0 lead courtesy of a 20-yard field goal by freshman Cole Baker.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

With the clock winding down in the half, KP pulled out a trick play to try and break the game open. Brendan Lydon hit Ethan Dunne for 15 yards on a hook and the receiver pitched the ball to tailback Shane Frommer, who raced the final 25 yards down the near sideline to make it 10-0 at the break.

KP got the ball back to start the second half and scored again. The Warriors went from just three points to three scores in front and never looked back on their way to a 36-13 victory over the Bombardiers that sealed at least a share of KP’s fourth Kelley-Rex division title in the past six years.

“You go in only up by three, it’s anyone’s game,” said KP coach Brian Lee about the hook and lateral. “You make a big play and then you start the half and come down…and now we’re up by three scores. It was a huge, huge play right before the half for us.”

KP dominated possession in the opening half, but struggled to finish drives. It started with an 11-play drive in the first quarter that got down to the Attleboro 10, but ended when Lydon (5-11, 78 yards) was picked off in the end zone by Cam Furtado (one of his two picks on the night). Following another three and out by the Bombardiers, KP marched down to the Attleboro 12, but Baker’s 19-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

“It was tough sledding,” admitted Lee about the struggles in the first half. “There’s some big beef in there. I think [Attleboro has] the meat more than Arby’s does”

Once again Attleboro went three and out and Andrew Gelsomini returned the punt to the Bombardiers 35. The Warriors got the ball down to the three but had to settle for a kick from Baker to take the lead.

KP got the ball back with less than two minutes remaining in the half at its own 38. After a false start, John DeLuca (12 carries, 74 yards) went for 10 on a keeper and then two plays later broke up the middle for a 17-yard gain on third down that put the Warriors at the Attleboro 40 with a shot to run the hook and lateral play that turned into a huge momentum swing.

“I thought we had a really solid game plan against them,” said Attleboro coach Mike Strachan, “but then the play right before the half, the hook and ladder…we look at situations and we practice situations but when you see it in a game it’s different.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The Warriors started the third quarter with a 39-yard return by Frommer that set them up at the Attleboro 31. Frommer gained eight yards on fourth and two to keep the drive alive and then broke a 12-yard run to get inside the five. Lydon capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge to make it 17-0.

Attleboro finally got a first down on its first possession of the second half. Tyler McGovern (5-12, 104 yards) found Elvin Sam deep down the near sideline for a 28-yard gain. On the next play, Sam (three catches, 96 yards) managed to steal the ball out of the tight coverage of Andrew Dittrich for a 31-yard completion. After a penalty, Marc Dieu pushed it across for a two-yard score that got the hosts on the board.

From that point on, the Warriors wore down the Bombardiers, who lost Jason Mota to a bad leg injury in the first half and saw Andrew Gingras and Furtado not return to the game after halftime. KP continued to do what it does best and dominate the line of scrimmage with physical play.

“That’s a good football team,” Strachan said. “They’re physical and they deserve to be champions. We’ve got to get back to work. They wore us down and we’ve got some injuries that we have to overcome next week.”

A 12-play, 69-yard drive was finished off by a DeLuca 12-yard touchdown that restored the three-score lead. KP then went 51 yards in five plays that was ended when Frommer (19 carries, 102 yards) went over the right side for a 12-yard score. After an Attleboro punt, Giovanni Fernandez (eight carries, 103 yards) sealed the win with a 65-yard touchdown straight up the middle of the field.

“Tough sledding in there but trying to stay with what you do, staying patient with it,” said Lee about his team’s ability to break games open in the second half. “When the defense is playing good, it allows you to be patient and try to get our backs going and we were able to wear them down a little and pull away.”

Attleboro managed to get another score 1:49 left to play. McGovern again looked deep and found Sam for a 37-yard touchdown.

The Warriors (6-0, 4-0) have clinched a share of the league title and will have the opportunity to win it outright for the second time in the past three seasons (and the second time in program history) with a win at home against Taunton next Friday.

“We do not want to share,” Lee said. “We’re happy with this but as far as we’re concerned we want to go out and win it. [Taunton] looked really good last week and Coach Sid (Taunton coach Brad Sidwell) is a great coach…so you want to go out and play well.”

Attleboro (3-3, 2-2) will try to close out the regular season with a win at Franklin next Friday at Pisini Field.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.