Tag: Jacob Leonard

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/17/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Football
Taunton, 41 vs. Durfee, 0 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game.
1st Quarter: (T) Jacob Leonard 24-yard pass to Braden Mullen, Elias Foreman XP good; (T) J. Leonard 20-yard pass to Jose Touron, E. Foreman XP good.
2nd Quarter: (T) J. Leonard 40-yard pass to J. Touron, E. Foreman XP good; (T) Peter Moor 15-yard fumble recovery, E. Foreman XP good; (T) Malachi Johnson 15-yard rush, XP no good.
3rd Quarter: (T) M. Johnson 60-yard rush, E. Foreman XP good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.

Boys Soccer
Oliver Ames, 1 vs. Needham, 1 – Final

Girls Soccer
Attleboro, 2 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 1 – Freshman Tatum O’Brien scored in the final five minutes of the game to lift the Bombardiers to a non-league road win over a fellow D1 state tournament contender. The game was scoreless at the break and Attleboro goalie Alexis Campbell saved a penalty to keep it that way. Midway through the second half Emily Dunlea opened the scoring for Attleboro. B-R responded with an equalizer, but O’Brien struck late for a big bounce back victory. Attleboro coach Steve Santos praised his back line and midfield for putting in a strong defensive performance.

Canton, 1 @ Norwell, 1 – Final – In a high-tempo game from start to finish, Emily McCabe scored a late goal, her eighth of the season, to secure the Bulldogs a point against the defending Div. 3 state champs. Canton had chances to take the lead, but the game remained scoreless until the final 15 minutes. Against the run of play, Norwell pounced on a goal kick to grab the lead. Canton didn’t drop its intensity and kept fighting for an equalizer. Kristina Keefe played a cross into the box and McCabe was able to get a piece to even the score. Canton coach Idris Senyonjo said, “It was a great game of soccer to watch.”

Sharon, 3 @ Milton, 0 – Final – Sharon continued its strong start to the season with a non-league win at Milton. Jessica Li, Autumn Simon, and Amber Marcus-Blank each found the back of the net for the Eagles to secure a second straight victory. Olivia Soby, Sofia Goclowski, and Taylor Standring each recorded assists.

Field Hockey
Attleboro, 0 @ Bishop Feehan, 4 – Final

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/09/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Football
Attleboro, 35 @ Durfee, 6 – Final
1Q: (A) Matt Harvie 41-yard pass to Adrian Rivera, Ethan Lako 2pt rush good; (A) M. Harvie 5-yard pass to Malachi Jefferson, Josue Salguero XP good.
2Q: (A) M. Harvie 25-yard pass to Ayden Ramirez, J. Salguero XP good; (A) Brody McKenna 30-yard interception return, XP failed.
3Q: (A) M. Harvie 59-yard pass to Andre Turner, J. Salguero XP good.
4Q: (D) Durfee 4-yard rush, XP failed.

Canton, 30 @ Dighton-Rehoboth, 7 – Final

Foxboro, 7 vs. Holliston, 33 – Final

Franklin, 32 @ Wachusett, 22 – Final
1Q: (W) McGeary 3-yard rush, XP good; (F) Jase Lyons 65-yard pass to Luke Davis, Garrett Portesi XP good.
2Q: (W) Wachusett touchdown, XP good; (F) G. Portesi 30-yard field goal. (F) J. Lyons 60-yard pass to L. Davis, XP failed.
3Q: (F) J. Lyons 35-yard pass to L. Davis, XP failed; (F) G. Portesi field goal.
4Q: (W) McDonald rush, McGeary 2pt rush; (F) Mike Davide 4-yard rush, G. Portesi XP good.

BC High, 0 @ King Philip, 35 – Final
1Q: (KP) Rudy Gately 10-yard rush, Matt Kelley XP good; (KP) R. Gately 19-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good,
2Q: (KP) Tom McLeish 6-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good; (KP) Aiden Astorino 4-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good.
3Q: No scoring.
4Q: (KP) Kyle Abbott 1-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good.

Mansfield, 35 vs. St. John’s Shrewsbury, 6 – Final
1Q: (M) CJ Bell 32-yard pass to Trevor Foley, Travis Hennessey XP good; (M) Rocco Scarpellini 1-yard rush, T. Hennessey XP good; (M) Conner Zukowski 9-yard pass to Ryan DeGirolamo, T. Hennessey XP good.
2Q: No scoring.
3Q: (M) R. Scarpellini 4-yard rush, T. Hennessey XP good.
4Q: (M) T. Hennessey 15-yard rush, T. Hennessey XP good.

Milford, 42 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 0 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
1Q: (M) Nate Scudo 5-yard rush, Nicholas Araujo XP good; (M) Evan Cornelius 13-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good.
2Q: (M) E. Cornelius 1-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good.
3Q: (M) N. Araujo 12-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good.
4Q: (M) E. Cornelius 9-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good; (M) Owen Callahan 17-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good.

North Attleboro, 28 @ Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final
1Q: (NA) Nathan Shultz 27-yard rush, Austin Clemente XP good; (NA) N. Shultz 41-yard rush, A. Clemente XP good.
2Q: (BF) Nick Yanchuk 82-yard rush, XP no good.
3Q: (NA) Greg Berthiaume 22-yard rush, A. Clemente XP good.
4Q: (NA) Chase Frisoli 1-yard rush, A. Clemente XP good.

Oliver Ames, 41 vs. Brookline, 12 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
1Q: (OA) Chad Silva 8-yard rush, Nick Ferrini XP good.
2Q: (OA) C. Silva 24-yard rush, N. Ferrini XP good; (OA) Wayne Casey 56-yard pass to Andrew Whiteside, XP blocked.
3Q: (OA) W. Casey 12-yard rush, N. Ferrini XP good; (B) Joshua Karp 53-yard pass to Andrew Bamberg, XP failed; (OA) Harold Smith 18-yard rush, N. Ferrini XP good.
4Q: (B) J. Karp 4-yard pass to Caetano Drinkwater, 2pt pass failed; (OA) CJ Crocker 19-yard rush, N. Ferrini XP good.

Stoughton, 28 vs. Norwood, 13 – Final
1Q: (S) Jarred Daughtry 14-yard pass to James Currier, XP good; (S) Alex Huynh 45-yard interception return, XP failed.
2Q: (S) Liam Pearl 3-yard rush, Alex Huynh 2pt rush good.
3Q: (N) Jack Dwyer 4-yard rush, XP good; (N) J. Dwyer 13-yard rush, XP failed.
4Q: (S) L. Pearl 1-yard rush, XP failed.

Taunton, 33 @ New Bedford, 7 – Final
1Q: (T) Jacob Leonard 34-yard pass to Dmitrius Shearrion, Elias Foreman XP good; (T) Elijah Prophete 62-yard fumble return, XP failed.
2Q: (T) J. Leonard 61-yard pass to Jose Touron, Abby Doherty XP good; (NB) Amari Harris 5-yard pass to Darrin Godine, Brent Sharples XP good; (T) Malachi Johnson 86-yard kickoff return, A. Doherty XP good.
3Q: (T) Anthony Petijohn 48-yard interception return, XP failed.
4Q: Not played.

Sharon, 27 @ Weston, 14 – Final








Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 2 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – Attleboro scored the first and last goals of the game, the latter coming with less than 10 minutes to play to help the Bombardiers secure a tie and a point on the road. Luke Hagopian bagged a brace on his birthday, finishing off an assist from Esvin Morales in the 74th minute to bring the Bombardiers back level. Hagopian opened the scoring in the 16th minute off an assist from Steve Etienne. Mansfield leveled the game less than 10 minutes later on a blast from distance from Aiden Steele. Mansfield took the lead in the 34th minute as Grady Sullivan buried a rebound off a shot from Steele. For Mansfield, Matty Sullivan, Derek McGrath, Aiden Jones, Brendan Flynn, and Kyle Johnson all played well defensively.

Milford, 4 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Milford scored a pair of goals in each half to pick up a pair of points on the road at Foxboro. The Hawks converted a pair of crosses to establish the lead, starting with a finish from Eduardo Santana on a service from Saverio Fulgitini. Milford double its lead when Kaua Pereira scored off a cross from Nick Ribero. In the second half, Pereira set up Arthur Tome to make it 3-0 and then Santana fed John Borges for a finish to make it 4-0.

Franklin 1, @ Oliver Ames, 5 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – Oliver Ames raced out to a three-goal lead by halftime and then tacked on two goals inside the final 15 minutes to secure a 5-1 win over Franklin in its season opener. Five different players scored for the Tigers, starting with a goal just over five minutes into the game. Sophomore Luke Churchill lifted a ball over the top of the defense and junior Ryan Linhares ran onto it and calmly chipped the oncoming keeper on the bounce. Less than 10 minutes later, sophomore Casey Milliken played in a through ball to junior Ryan Carney and he finished low to the far post. OA made it 3-0 in the 35th minute as Hector Bucio was first to a corner from Linhares, hitting a low one-timer into the back of the net from inside the area. Franklin had a strong start to the second half and played equal to the hosts. The Panthers pulled one back in the 47th minute after good pressure from juniors Andrew O’Neill and Hansy Jacques ended up in a combination between the two and the latter smashed a low left-footed shot off the far post and in. After some more even play, OA cashed in on a Franklin turnover. Andrew Martins took down a failed clearance connected with Milliken, who fired a cross/shot that was spilled in the area and Mirray Dasilva was first to the loose ball and fired it in. Michael MacAdam came up with a turnover at midfield and quickly hit a counter pass up to Milliken that drew Franklin goalie Griffin Tolonen well off his line. Tolonen got the ball but it deflected right to Martins, who passed one into the back of the net.

King Philip, 1 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final




Girls Soccer
Mansfield, 2 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Mansfield opened league play with a solid road win. Kara Santos put the Hornets in front, finishing a corner by freshman Olivia Dunham, who recorded her first varsity point. Meghan McCann doubled the lead when she ran onto a through ball from Lauren Signoriello and finished the breakaway. Olivia Salisbury made three saves to get the clean sheet.

Canton, 3 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – Canton scored a pair of second half goals to break things open and secure a win in the season opener. The Bulldogs opened the scoring midway through the first half on a goal by Emily McCabe. North started the second half on the front foot, but Canton regrouped and in the 60th minute freshman Georgia Campbell got her first varsity goal to make it 2-0. Emma Cahill sealed the win with a goal in the final minute. Mekahala Costello, freshman Alyssa Wong, and Tess Giglio recorded assists. Canton coach Idris Senyonjo praised Wong and Campbell for giving Canton a needed energy boost in the second half. Maddie Ferrin made six saves for the Rocketeers.

Foxboro, 2 @ Milford, 1 – Final – Neve Taylor scored a pair of unassisted goals and Allie Sougaris made a huge save in the closing minute to secure a hard-fought win for the Warriors. The game was scoreless at halftime and it was the home team that broke the deadlock when Paige Caldon finished off a pass from Dani Atherton. Foxboro responded almost immediately, as Taylor equalized. With about 18 minutes to play, Taylor struck again for what turned out to be the game-winner. Atherton had a chance to steal a point with nearly the final kick of the game, but Sougaris made a brilliant save on the breakaway to keep the Warriors in front. Freshman Kaliegh Tourtellot had a strong game in goal for the Hawks, filling in for injured Chloe Murdock.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Stoughton, 0 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – KP took 32 shots on Friday but only managed a pair of goals, pulling out a tough home win in its league opener. Ella Pisani’s through ball set up Dani Lomuscio for a goal early in the first half. In the second half, Dani Gresham’s corner kick went off a defender to double the lead.




Field Hockey
North Attleboro, 4 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Canton scored three goals in the third quarter and then held off a fourth quarter comeback bid from North Attleboro to secure a 5-4 win. The Bulldogs built a 2-0 lead in the second quarter but Julia Puccio scored a pair of goals, including one off a Kelsey Thompson corner with 31 seconds left in the half to bring the Big Red level. Canton extended its lead to 5-2 with a big third quarter but Puccio scored two more times in the fourth to make it a one-goal game. Puccio netted a deflected shot with 9:05 left in the game and then scored off a pass from Madison Folan with 3:54 left to make it 5-4. Canton had five different goal scorers, including one goal and two assists from freshman Carolyn Schiavo.

Volleyball
King Philip, 3 vs. Walpole, 0 – Final – King Philip continued its strong start to the season with a dominating 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-8) sweep over Walpole. Sami Shore led the offense with seven kills, Ahunna James added six kills and a pair of aces, Emily Sawyer registered four kills, two aces, and two blocks, and sophomore Madison Asprelli landed four aces in the win.

Canton, 1 vs. North Quincy, 3 – Final – Canton jumped ahead in the match with a win in the first set but North Quincy bounced back with three straight to claim victory, 3-1. For Canton, Jess Wright had an outstanding performance with 14 kills and a pair of aces.

2022 Hockomock Football: Players to Watch on Offense

2022 2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense
Milford senior wide out Isaiah Pantalone is one of the players to watch when the new Hockomock League football season kicks off. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

By HockomockSports.com Staff

Player are listed alphabetically

2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Sam Carpenter, Senior – Foxboro

For just the second time, we have a player whose primary position is kicker on the list as Foxboro senior Sam Carpenter makes the cut. At the beginning of high school, Carpenter spent the autumn months on the pitch but when football was forced to the Fall II season due to COVID, he tried out and emerged as the team’s kicker. Fast forward to this season and he enters the year committed to Indiana University as a preferred walk-on. He’s come a long way in less than two years and will be one of the best place kickers in the state this year. His hard work (he won a kicking competition at Rutgers with a 56-yard field goal) during the offseason hasn’t gone unnoticed and he will certainly be a weapon for the Warriors this year. While some programs will find themselves trying to go for it in tough field position and others will struggle to find consistent kicking on PATs, Foxboro has a go-to option that can produce key points.

2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Luke Davis, Senior – Franklin

Franklin had one of the most dynamic offenses in the state last year but one of the only skill players back this year is senior Luke Davis. Although his stats weren’t among the league leaders, he was a vital piece to Franklin’s passing game and a reliable target for quarterback Jared Arone. Now Davis will be one of the Panthers’ primary pass catchers and among the most seasoned receivers in the league. He will also be working with a new quarterback as Jase Lyons takes over. We’ve seen Davis line up all over the field in the past two seasons, going over the middle from the slot or taking corners one-on-one down the sideline. Wherever he lines up this year, he will be a handful for opposing defenses and someone they will certainly need to game plan for. If he gets single coverage on the outside, you can expect him to win a lot of those battles.







2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Trevor Foley, Junior – Mansfield

The reigning HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year, Foley had an outstanding season as Mansfield’s primary receiver and the go-to target for first-year quarterback Conner Zukowski. With his size, great hands, and his strength, Foley came through with big grabs in traffic or near the goal line and was able to turn any catch into a big play. He had 41 grabs for 602 yards last season. Foley averaged 14.7 yards per catch and was among the league’s leading receivers with 10 touchdowns. He added 31 tackles and led the team with five interceptions, proving to be as strong a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. Mansfield saw its three-year reign at the top of the division come to an end last year, but the development of the passing game with Foley as the top target has the Hornets looking to regain its spot at the top of the standings.

2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Chase Frisoli, Sophomore – North Attleboro

North Attleboro’s offense is tough to predict heading into the new season because the Div. 3 finalists graduated so many of the team’s primary weapons, but Frisoli returns after a year of experience, and the Rocketeers will need to build around their sophomore signal caller. As a freshman, Frisoli tossed seven touchdown passes, rushed for one, and showed considerable poise for a player who hadn’t even seen a minute of sub-varsity action. With a strong arm and good pocket presence, Frisoli can make plays downfield but was also able to pull the ball down and grab yards with his feet. He will have to develop connections with his new skill players early in the season, but North should continue to improve over the course of the year as he becomes more comfortable with his new weapons and the new coaching staff’s play calling. Big Red doesn’t have many rebuilding seasons, so expectations remain high and Frisoli is a big piece of North’s puzzle for the new season.




2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Rudy Gately, Senior – King Philip

Gately is the latest in a line of every down backs that the KP offense revolves around. Never one to shy away from contact, Gately finished with seven touchdown runs and a pair of scores through the air. He could fight for the hard yards up the middle and had the breakaway speed to turn any gap into a big play. Gately has great vision to find a seam and never goes down on first contact. He added a touchdown against CM in the Super Bowl at Gillette. Gately also brings his physicality to the other side of the ball as a hard-hitting linebacker. The Warriors continue to be one of the contenders for the Kelley-Rex and Div. 2 titles and Gately’s ability to grind out yards and keep the offense on the field will be critical to KP’s success this fall.

2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Jacob Leonard, Senior – Taunton

There’s a quiet optimism surrounding the Taunton program heading into this season, and the list of experienced players on offense is a big reason why. Jacob Leonard will start his third year under center for the Tigers and he’s got a good amount of weapons to use, and maybe most importantly, a very sizable and seasoned offensive line in front of him. Anchored by captains Nathan LaPlante, William Guachichulca-Torres, and Ryan MacDougall, Leonard will be in good hands when drops back to pass or looks to run himself. He has shown the ability to do both in the past, tossing nine touchdowns last season as well as using his legs to make plays — both by design and on scrambles. He has good weapons in junior Jose Touron and senior Mckyen Gonsalves, both of whom he developed chemistry with last season. With an improved running game, Leonard should have more time and space this year and when he’s had that in the past, he’s punished opponents.

2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Isaiah Pantalone, Senior – Milford

It didn’t take Pantalone long to make an impact at the varsity level. After an impressive JV season as a sophomore, the receiver had three receiving touchdowns in the season opener against Foxboro and never looked back. Capable of making big plays on the deep ball or turning a simple screen into a long touchdown, Pantalone was one of the top receivers in the league. He accounted for more than 1,000 yards of offense and scored 13 touchdowns, as Milford made a run to the Div. 2 semifinals. A tough matchup because he can be lined up out wide, in the slot, and in the backfield, Pantalone had defenses guessing all season and helped the Hawks put together one of the league’s top offenses. Milford has raised expectations around the program, including contention for the league and state title, and Pantalone is one of the factors that has the Hawks coming into the season with confidence riding high.




2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Liam Pearl, Junior – Stoughton

Stoughton’s Liam Pearl was off to a strong start during his sophomore year before being limited to the sidelines due to injury. Back healthy, Pearl will be a feature back in a Stoughton offense that is known year-in and year-out for its strong ground game. Operating out of the Wing-T, Stoughton always uses a handful of backs, and Pearl’s combination of size, speed, and strength fit right into the offense that longtime head coach Greg Burke likes to run. He can be a lead blocker or a capable ball carrier as well. He’s athletic enough to get out from the backfield, haul in a pass, and make a play. As most Stoughton players do, he’ll also play on the defensive side of the ball and could very well have a stand-out season on that end as well.

2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Anthony Salviati, Senior – Attleboro

Attleboro’s offense struggled to click into gear last season (finishing with the second-fewest points in the league) but Salviati gives the Bombardiers a versatile weapon who can pick up yards in a variety of ways. Last season, he accounted for more than 800 all-purpose yards in just eight games, giving Attleboro support in all three phases of the game. After a tough start because of injuries, Salviati turned into a big play threat with his speed and ability to make players miss in the open field, making plays as a receiver and lined up in the backfield. He finished with four touchdowns and was also the team’s kicker. Attleboro has a new staff this fall, with a goal of moving up the Kelley-Rex standings and Salviati’s various skills will be a key to getting the offense producing at a higher level.

2022 Hockomock Football Players to Watch on Offense

Chad Silva, Senior – Oliver Ames

Oliver Ames senior Chad Silva is just one of two players to make this list for the second straight year. One of the most experienced players in the league, it feels like Silva has been around forever because of how many snaps he’s played for the Tigers, both on offense and defense. He was OA’s leading rusher as a sophomore but the emergence of Collin Williamson last year shifted his role into more of a lead blocker. Not a lot of players would be willing to go from the bulk of the carries to doing the dirty work in front, but Silva did just that and Williamson had a terrific season. Now the Tigers are putting the ball back in his hands and his bruising style of running will certainly be difficult for opposing defenses. OA had a great offseason and there is a lot of buzz around the program, and if they end up having a big bounce-back year, don’t be surprised if it’s because of a dominant run game spearheaded by Silva.

Football: 2022 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

Milford and King Philip will both be contenders for the Kelley-Rex division title this season. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
By HockomockSports.com Staff

2022 Kelley-Rex Football Preview

2022 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

Attleboro

2021 Record: 4-6
Coach: Jim Winters

Key/Returning Players: Matt Harvie, Jr., QB; Ethan Lako, Sr., LB; Isaiah Miranda, Sr., OL/DL; Ayden Ramirez, Sr., WR/CB; Adrian Rivera, Jr., RB; Anthony Salviati, SR.; WR/S; Spencer Sherck, Sr., S

Outlook:
In a loaded Kelley-Rex division, Attleboro has largely been on the outside of the title race and the Bombardiers enter this season with an eye to the future, as they have a relatively inexperienced roster. First-year coach Jim Winters, who came from Silver Lake to replace Mike Strachan after his move to North Attleboro, will lean on a talented crew of skill position players and an aggressive mindset to be competitive with the league’s top teams.

Offensively, the Bombardiers have a lot of depth and athleticism at receiver. Senior Anthony Salviati is a dynamic playmaker who can line up in multiple positions, whether out wide or in the backfield. He was also the team’s kicker last year. Junior Matt Harvie gets the nod at quarterback to start the season after seeing time under center as a sophomore. His strong arm and ability to read the defense will be key. Senior Ayden Ramirez will be another threat on the outside and junior Adrian Rivera will be the team’s go-to back at the start of the season. Senior center Isaiah Miranda is the team’s only returning lineman, on either side of the ball, and his leadership is going to be critical to the offense’s success.

Athleticism is going to be important on defense as well. Salviati will bring his playmaking to the secondary as a safety. Winters called Ramirez one of the best corners that he has coached, while senior linebacker Ethan Lako is a ball hawk who led the team in interceptions last season. Senior safety Spencer Sherck is recovering from a preseason injury and the Bombardiers will be hoping to have his leadership back on the field as soon as possible. The defensive line remains a question mark with young players getting their first taste of varsity action this season.

“We should be fast and aggressive at the skill positions,” Winters said. About the challenges on the line, he added, “We will be very inexperienced and do not have the size of Attleboro teams of the past.”










2022 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

Franklin

2021 Record: 10-1 (Kelley-Rex division champions)
Coach: Eian Bain

2022 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

Key/Returning Players: Jase Lyons, Sr., QB/S; Luke Davis, Sr., WR/CB; Grayson Hunter, Sr., TE; Ben Papa, Sr., OL; Ben Ryan, Jr., OL; Leo Meuse, Soph., OL; Jay Gulla, Sr., DL; Emmett Lackey, Sr., DL; Julian Rampino, Soph., DL; Nick Quintina, Sr., LB; Luke Sidwell, Sr., CB; Devine Johnson, Sr., CB;

Outlook:
Franklin was not only the best team in the Kelley-Rex division last year, winning its first league title since 2009, but also proved to be one of the top teams in the state. The Panthers were a win away from a spot in the Super Bowl, going toe-to-toe with Springfield Central in the state semifinal. This season, the Panthers will have to overcome the graduation of a lot of skill position players to keep the positive momentum that the program has shown over the past few seasons.

Last year’s offensive group was as good as any in the state and it showed. This season, Franklin will have a lot of new faces and a lot of versatile athletes that will be part of the game plan. Senior Jase Lyons will take over at quarterback and is a dual threat with his legs and his arm. Senior Luke Davis will be one of the primary targets out wide along with junior wideout Derek Dubriske and senior tight end Grayson Hunter. The graduation of Mack Gulla opens space for new running backs to step up. Juniors Mike Davide and Cody Howard are backs to watch out for this year. Senior Ben Papa will lead the offensive line with junior Ben Ryan and sophomore Leo Meuse adding depth and size. Senior Garrett Portesi will be back on kicking duties and gives Franklin a consistent source of points.

While the offense got a lot of attention last season, Franklin’s defense allowed fewer points than anyone else in the league. The secondary was one of the biggest strengths in 2021 and should be again this year. Senior Devine Johnson is a lockdown corner, while classmates Luke Sidwell, Bobby Padula, and Davis all are playmakers in the passing game. Junior Connor Klawson will add depth in that position. The linebacking group is led by senior Nick Quintina, who will make plays in the middle, and Howard will be a new face in that position. Senior Emmett Lackey will control the defensive line, while senior Jay Gulla is a constant threat on the edge and sophomore Julian Rampino gives another big athlete at defensive end.

“We are taking this one day at a time,” said Franklin coach Eian Bain. “Last year was a whirlwind, and culmination of many years of hard work. It is important not to lose sight of the process that got us to such great accomplishments. It remains all about the process.”




2022 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

King Philip

2021 Record: 9-3
Coach: Brian Lee

Key/Returning Players: Will Astorino, Sr., FB/LB; Thomas Brewster, Sr., WR/DB; Rudy Gately, Sr., RB/DB; Nathan Kearney, Sr., RB/DE; Sean King, Jr., OL/DL; Chris Sesay, Sr., OL/DL; Matt Kelley, Sr., K/WR/DB; Tommy McLeish, Jr., QB;

Outlook: Last season was another banner year for the Warriors, reaching another Division 2 state final and took second in what was one of the most talented years in the Kelley-Rex division.

Certainly, the Warriors have plenty of holes to fill in due to graduation like at quarterback (Charlie Grant), running back (Crawford Cantave), Jonathan Joseph (defensive back), and on both the offensive and defensive line. But head coach Brian Lee has to like the weapons he does have back this season.

It starts with one of the best two-way players in the state in senior Rudy Gately, who will be a workhorse in the backfield and a reliable option at linebacker. He’s been making plays for KP for two years and that’s likely to continue again this year. He’ll be joined in the backfield by Will Astorino (full back) and Nathan Kearney, and they’ll work with junior Tommy McLeish (6’3), who takes over at quarterback. McLeish has weapons in Matt Kelley, who is not only one of the best kickers around but will also line up at receiver and defensive back, as well as Thomas Brewster.

The strength of the squad likely lies where it usually does: in the trenches. The Warriors are big up front on both sides of the ball and return two of the best linemen in the state in 6’6 265-pound Chris Sesay, who holds D1 offers from Eastern Michigan and Brown among others, and 6’0, 260-pound junior Sean King.

Defensively, Astorino will be one of the key pieces at linebacker while Sesay looks to be a force to reckon with on the defensive line.

“As far as strength and weaknesses go, we lost a lot of players from all different positions so we are just in the process of still figuring out what we are, who we are, and if we have all the right guys on the field and in the right spot,” Lee said. “Despite what we’ve lost, our goal is to be prepared and focused each week so that we can be competitive.”




2022 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

Milford

2021 Record: 9-3
Coach: Dale Olson

Key/Returning Players: Key/Returning Players: Nicholas Araujo, Jr., LB/K; Jayden Archeval, Sr., DB; Damien Carter, Jr., WR/DB; Evan Cornelius, Sr., QB/DE; Keith Lee, Jr., G/DT; Isaiah Pantalone, Sr., WR/DB; Tyler Potter, Sr., T/DT

Outlook:
Milford has come a long way in the past couple of seasons, earning wins over its Kelley-Rex division rivals, putting in a challenge for the league title, and making a run to the Div. 2 semifinals. The Hawks will try to continue building on that momentum this fall with the hope of a talented and experienced lineup bringing home a first Kelley-Rex title.

Senior quarterback Evan Cornelius is back to run the Milford offense after a strong junior campaign. Cornelius gives the Hawks a threat with either his strong arm or his ability to make plays with his legs and he helped Milford put together one of the league’s top offensive units last year. Senior wideout Isaiah Pantalone had a breakout junior season and emerged as one of the most dangerous receivers in the Hock. Junior Damien Carter can line up in multiple positions and classmate Nicholas Araujo can make an impact at receiver or as one of the league’s top kickers. Junior Keith Lee and senior Tyler Potter will be two of the top returning lineman and the Milford line got a huge boost by the transfer of Ryan O’Connor from Lawrence Academy.

Cornelius is just as impactful on the defensive side of the ball with his speed and size at defensive end. Lee, Potter, and O’Connor add strength to the interior of the Milford line. Araujo will be one of the key returning players at linebacker. Milford’s athleticism at receiver translates into a strong secondary as well. Carter and Pantalone are both playmakers on the edge and senior Jayden Archeval emerged as one of the top one-on-one cover guys in the league last year.

“We don’t have great numbers and will have to stay healthy,” Milford coach Dale Olson explained, “but have a talented group that has worked hard to rebuild this program.”




2022 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

North Attleboro

2021 Record: 8-4
Coach: Mike Strachan

Key/Returning Players: Greg Berthiaume, Sr., RB/LB; Zack Gallagher, Sr., OL/DL; Nate Shultz, Sr., RB/DB; Kaden Leary, Sr., OL/DL; Jack Munley, Sr., OL/DL; Chase Frisoli, Soph., QB; Lucas Mattson, Jr., OL/DL; Nolan McLaughlin, Sr., OL/DL; Aidan Conrad, Sr., RB/DB;

Outlook: The 2022 season marks a new chapter in the very rich history of North Attleboro football. Coming off a narrow loss in the Division 3 state championship, the Rocketeers have a brand new head coach along with a slew of new faces in new positions.

Mike Strachan is now at the helm of the Big Red. Strachan, who played for the Rocketeers in high school for legendary coach Ray Beaupre, had been the head coach of rival Attleboro since 2013 before switching in his Bombardier blue back to Rocketeer red.

He’ll have the tough task of finding replacements for a very talented senior class from last year, including star Tyler DeMattio – who played a handful of positions over the past four years, including quarterback, running back, linebacker, and kicker – as well as fellow league all star Tyler Bannon. But the cupboard is far from empty for Strachan, who is looking to uphold the high standards and tradition of North Attleboro football.

Sophomore Chase Frisoli returns at quarterback after an impressive freshman season. He will have a lot of new weapons to work with this year, and Strachan is leaning heavily on a big offensive line to not only protect Frisoli but set the tone with a strong running game. The line is anchored by Zack Gallagher (6’3, 280) and North will look to run behind him as well as Kaden Leary, Lucas Mattson, Jack Munley, Nolan McLoughlin, and Danny Locke. Nate Shultz will be the primary ball carrier and brings an explosive run game to the table.

“Nate will lead the defense at free safety [too],” Strachan said. “Nate brings breakaway speed to the offense and has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. In addition, Nate is a tremendously smart player and gives us the on-field leadership required to have a great team.”

On the defensive side, the Rocketeers will turn to veteran linebacker Greg Berthiaume, who lead the D3 finalists in tackles last year. With Berthiaume in the mix, North’s strength defensively will be its linebackers, with Ryan Bannon, Aidan Conrad, and Julian House also in the mix.

2022 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

Photos

Taunton

2021 Record: 5-6
Coach: Brad Sidwell

Key/Returning Players: Ryan MacDougall, Sr., OL/LB; Nathan Laplante, Sr., OL/DL; William Guachichulca-Torres, Sr., OL; Logan Frank, Sr., OL; Jacob Leonard, Sr., QB; Bryan Batista, Sr., RB; Tanner Brannon, Sr., OLB; Dom Kessel, Sr., DL; McKyen Gonsalves, Sr., WR/DB; Jose Touron, Jr., WR/DB; Bryan Joanis, Jr., OL/DL; Ethan Harris, Jr., RB/LB;

Outlook: Taunton took a step in the right direction during the 2022 season with five wins and a trip to the state tournament, but the Tigers went without a win in league play. With an experienced and talented group back in the fold this year, head coach Brad Sidwell and his Tigers will look to make a splash in the league and continue to move the program forward.

It will all start up front for Taunton because of a big and talented group of linemen that have a lot of varsity experience. The team’s three captains are all members of the offensive line: seniors Ryan MacDougall (center), Nathan LaPlante (guard), and William Guachichulca-Torres (tackle). They’ll be joined by senior Logan Frank (guard) and junior Bryan Joanis (tackle). All five register above 6’0 and have a lot of varsity experience under their belt.

Behind them will be returning quarterback Jake Leonard, who is in his third year as the starting quarterback for the Tigers. While Leonard lost some of his top targets from last year, he has some dangerous weapons at his disposal still, including Jose Touron (fresh off an impressive sophomore campaign), seniors Mckyen Gonsalves and Braden Mullen, and speedy junior Dmitrius Shearrion. After a promising start to last year was cut short due to injury, Bryan Batista is back in the mix at running back along with Etha Harris and Malachai Johnson.

Defensively, the Tigers boast an athletic secondary, a big defensive line, and a mix of veteran and new linebackers. Laplante will be among the most disruptive defensive linemen in the league and will be joined by Frank, Joanis, and senior Dom Kessel. MacDougall had a great year at linebacker last year and will be flanked by Harris, senior Tanner Brannon, junior Ryan Keenan, and sophomore Elijah Prophete.

“We have a solid nucleus of experienced players that have worked hard during the off-season,” Sidwell said. “As always, we look to play well, improve, and gain some momentum during our non-league battles to prepare us for the highly competitive Hockomock Kelley-Rex Division.”

Milford Holds Off Taunton, Wins First Holiday Meeting

Milford Football
Milford senior Tyler Lane (21) break away for a first quarter touchdown, helping the Hawks earn a win in their inaugural Thanksgiving Day game against Taunton. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Josh PerryFollowJoshPerry


MILFORD, Mass. – Across the Hockomock League, there are Thanksgiving Day rivalries that stretch back decades. On Thursday morning, the two newest programs in the league squared off in the league’s newest holiday rivalry, kicking it off with a game that went right down to the wire.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Milford (9-3) pulled ahead by two scores in the fourth quarter but then had to hold on in the final minute, watching a deep pass drop incomplete to seal a 34-28 victory over Taunton (5-6) in their inaugural Thanksgiving Day game. It was Milford’s third win in three meetings between the two teams and during the trophy presentation both athletic directors spoke about their hopes that this will develop into a great end-of-season rivalry.

“A great program like Taunton, they’re going to continue to get better and better,” said Milford coach Dale Olson. “Milford had a great Thanksgiving opponent here back in the Mid-Wach days with Shrewsbury, hopefully we can turn that game into this game with Taunton.

Taunton coach Brad Sidwell added, “It’s great. If it’s anything like this one then it’s going to be a little bit of stress on Thanksgiving. It was back-and-forth, back-and-forth.”

Taunton had an extra week to prepare for the game, as the Hawks were playing a state semifinal last Friday, and the Tigers put that extra work into practice on the opening drive. Jacob Leonard ( 20-of-28, 202 yards) threw a perfect strike to Trent Santos (seven catches, 118 yards) for 19 to get to the Milford 37. Three plays later, Leonard’s sneak converted on fourth and inches and then he hooked up with Santos again for 25 yards and a touchdown.

The Hawks looked sluggish at the start, needing an emotional boost after the disappointment of the loss to King Philip. After a halfback pass went incomplete and Nathan LaPlante stuffed a play for a loss of five, Olson called timeout and gave his team a much-needed wakeup call.

“We sensed it. Only having a few days to prepare for a very good Taunton team, there’s a ton of skill on that team and the kids get after it, we knew we were going to have our hands full,” Olson explained.

Evan Cornelius (17-of-24, 154 yards) swung a pass to Tyler Lane for 17 and a first down. A 12-yard pass to Grant Scudo got the ball down to the Taunton 32 and Lane (16 carries, 108 yards) did the rest. The senior running back barreled through the line, breaking tackles, and then broke free in the secondary for a game-tying score.

After forcing a three-and-out, thanks to a sack by Cornelius (who was named Defensive MVP), the Hawks went right back to work. A completion to Jayden Agnew got the ball to the goal line, but then Taunton stuffed back-to-back runs, with Kasaan Jean-Baptiste and Ryan MacDougall combining to drop Lane at the four. On third and goal, Cornelius looked to the right and Faisal Mass tipped, picked off, and returned the pass 97 yards to put the Tigers back in front.

Milford’s offense was still moving the ball well and the Hawks marched right back down the field on the following possession. John Castillo sacked Cornelius for a loss of seven but on third and 17, Cornelius connected with Isaiah Pantalone (seven catches, 56 yards) for 18 and the first. Another third down and long pass hit Scudo for 25 to the one. This time, Cornelius was able to punch it in for the TD and tied it at 14-14.

Pantalone also provided a defensive spark, as his hit forced an Evan Perrotta fumble that was recovered by Alex McColl at the Taunton 41. Lane got an inch more than he needed on fourth and two to keep the drive moving but the Tigers were able to hold and force a field goal. Nicholas Araujo booted a 41-yard kick to make it 17-14.

“We get the deflection and the kid goes back 97 yards and changed the whole outlook on the game,” said Olson, “but I’m thankful we have a sophomore kicker who can kick the ball like that, he’s a huge weapon.”

The Tigers thought they had a chance to take the lead with a two-minute drive. Leonard scrambled for 21 yards on two plays to get to the Milford 22. On third and three from the 15, Leonard hit Jose Touron for 10 yards to the five and the Tigers scrambled to spike the ball and stop the clock with six seconds left. Sidwell was adamant the clock should’ve stopped seven seconds earlier on the first down and given Taunton two shots at the end zone. Instead, the Tigers got one and Scudo tackled Troy Santos a couple yards short as time expired.

Sidwell said, “The clock should stop on a first down, which it didn’t. I thought there were 12 seconds left, there were six. It was bad. It was awful. We had a timeout in our pocket to save. I’m very frustrated by the way that happened.”

Things went from back to worse at the start of the second half. Milford was forced to punt, but the ball appeared to bounce up off the leg of Nathan Keenan and was recovered by Eric Landry at the 32. On third and goal from the three, Cornelius was able to power into the end zone over the right side of the line for a 24-14 edge.

A three-and-out gave Milford the ball back with a chance to make things comfortable heading into the fourth quarter, but Taunton’s defense held again, stopping the Hawks at the 28. Araujo made sure that Milford got at least three points with a 45-yard field goal.

The visitors needed a break and Trent Santos gave them some momentum with a 31-yard return out to the 48. Two plays later, Santos was able to get separation on the near sideline and pulled in a 46-yard touchdown that cut the lead to six with 12 minutes to go.

Araujo was unable to hit from 51 yards, which gave Taunton the ball at its own 20. Leonard scrambled away from pressure but then attempted an underhand pass that Scudo was able to pick off and give the Hawks the ball at the 23. Pantalone followed the block of Marco Monteiro on a sweep, scoring from 10 yards out and seemingly putting the game away.

It only appeared to be over, as Taunton roared back into the game with a huge drive. Leonard moved the chains with a 13-yard scramble and then hit Santos for 16 yards to the Milford 31. On the next play, he threw a strike to Touron, who had gotten behind the secondary. Keenan’s extra point cut the lead to six.

“Our kids fight hard all the time,” Sidwell said. “It is hard on a younger quarterback when you have to throw it and they know it. He gave us a chance to win there at the end.”

The onside kick attempt was recovered at the Taunton 48 and the Tigers had one last chance. On third and two, Cornelius and Angelo Romero combined on a sack to force fourth and nine from the Taunton side of the 50. Leonard bought time in the pocket and looked deep for Santos, who beat his man, but the throw was a yard too far and Milford took home the win.

“That’s kind of been our M.O.,” said Olson. “We haven’t done anything easy over these past two seasons. We’ve played in a lot of tight games.

“When the kids needed to dig in, they dug in today. It’s been a great ride these last two years and to finish 9-3 the future is bright here in Milford.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 11/25/21

Today’s games are listed below.

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.

Sharon, 7 @ Oliver Ames, 34 – Final

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 11/11/21

Today’s games are listed below.

Football
Division 2
#7 Natick, 7 @ #2 Milford, 21 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (N) Colby LeBlanc 43-yard pass to Mathew Pole, XP good; (M) Evan Cornelius 34-yard pass to Isaiah Pantalone, Nicholas Araujo XP good.
3rd Quarter: (M) Tyler Lane 1-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) T. Lane 1-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good.

Non-Playoff
Taunton, 34 vs. Braintree, 14 – Final
1st Quarter: (T) Nathan Keenan 36-yard field goal; (T) Jacob Leonard 36-yard pass to Jose Touron, N. Keenan XP good.
2nd Quarter: (T) J. Leonard 43-yard pass to Trent Santos, N. Keenan XP good; (B) James Tellier 32-yard pass to Cameron Garrity, Manisch Bonhomme XP good; (T) Evan Perrotta 73-yard rush, N. Keenan XP good; (B) J. Tellier 15-yard pass to Kevin McGurn, M. Bonhomme XP good; (T) N. Keenan 31-yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4th Quarter: (T) J. Leonard 1-yard rush, N. Keenan XP good.

Field Hockey
Division 1
#5 Winchester, 1 @ #4 Franklin, 4 – Final – Kaitlyn Carney scored twice and freshmen Haley Wernig and Raena Crandall each scored once, as Franklin beat Winchester to advance to the Div. 1 Final Four. It is Franklin’s first-ever state semifinal appearance. Carney opened the scoring late in the first quarter on a penalty stroke and then doubled the lead with a blast from a corner, assisted by Kendall Jones. Wernig made it 3-0 Franklin in the third quarter by forcing a turnover and then scoring from a tight angle. After the Sachems got one back in the fourth, Crandall popped up at the back post for a near instant response and restored the three-goal cushion. Franklin will face the winner of No. 1 Andover and No. 8 Shrewsbury at a date and time to be determined for a spot in the state title game.

Mansfield Pulls Away In Second Half to Beat Taunton

Mansfield Football
Mark DeGirolamo (66) returns his second half interception that led to a Mansfield touchdown in its win against Taunton. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Josh PerryFollowJoshPerry


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.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

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.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/22/21

Today’s games are listed below.

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

Taunton Takes The Tiger Bowl Behind Big Offensive Night

Taunton football Trent Santos
Taunton senior Trent Santos hauls in a 61-yard touchdown pass in the first half against Oliver Ames. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 TAUNTON, Mass. – Taunton’s two-game losing streak came to an emphatic end on Thursday night.

The Tigers had their best offensive outing in three seasons, scoring six touchdowns plus a field goal to grab a 45-20 win in the Tiger Bowl over Oliver Ames in a non-league crossover clash.

After a close loss to King Philip two weeks ago and a setback to Franklin last week in a game that was closer than the scoreline indicated,

Taunton football

Taunton got back into the win column for the fourth time this season.


“Offensively we knew we’d have the chance to score some points and we did a good job there,” said Taunton head coach Brad Sidwell. “I’m proud of our guys, we haven’t scored that many points in a while.”

Taunton football

Taunton picked up points on its first three drives — a field goal followed by two touchdowns — which all came in the opening quarter of the game. The host Tigers scored inside the final two minutes of the first half and less than two minutes into the second half and added two more in the third quarter to get the win.

The defense set the tone by forcing Oliver Ames into a three-and-out on the first series of the game. OA punted on each of its first three drives, had two series end on turnovers, and one turnover on downs.

A high snap slowed Taunton’s first drive of the game and the hosts settled for a 31-yard field goal off the right foot of senior Nate Keenan.

The offense didn’t need much time on its second drive to find the end zone. After Evan Perrotta (13 carries, 56 yards) moved the chains with a 10-yard run on first down, junior quarterback Jacob Leonard found Trent Santos in single coverage down the right sideline. Leonard dropped the pass into Santos’ hands in stride and the senior, who missed last week due to injury, did the rest for a 61-yard touchdown.










OA couldn’t get anything going offensively on its third series, partly due to a tackle for a loss from Ryan MacDougall, and the visiting Tigers had to punt, pinning Taunton inside its own 20-yard line.

The long field didn’t phase Taunton, who scored on its first play of the drive. Leonard dropped back and hit Perrotta on a screen. The senior back squirmed through the defense up the middle but OA kept with the play and forced a fumble. But before any OA player could pounce on the loose ball, Taunton senior tightend Faisal Mass scooped up the loose ball and raced his way to the end zone from 54 yards out.

Just like that,

Taunton football

Taunton held a 17-0 lead before the end of the first quarter.

“We have to come out better,” said OA head coach Ed DeWitt. “I don’t think it’s an X’s and O’s, I think they are blocking their stuff right…we just came out flat tonight. There wasn’t enough emotion…and when something goes wrong, we have to fight back.”

Oliver Ames put together a much-needed response that took nearly six minutes of the clock. Senior quarterback Jake Grimaldi connected with classmate Sean Friel, who fought for some extra yards to move the sticks with a 24-yard gain. Junior running back Collin Williamson (15 carries, 142 yards, 2 TD) broke free for 21 yards on the next play and then converted a third down inside the red zone three plays later. After that, Williamson took the handoff to the left and found his way into the end zone to make it 17-7.

“Collin’s great, he runs hard,” DeWitt said. “Sometimes it takes us a little bit to figure out where his seam is but when we do, he hits it and when he gets through, he’s a hard tackle and finishes runs for us. He’s been doing it all year for us.

OA’s defense held Taunton to just four yards on its next series, getting good coverage from junior Jordan Young on second down to help get the ball back. OA started to move the ball on its next drive but Nathen LaPlante had a big tackle for loss, OA was hit with a holding call, and Taunton sophomore Troy Santos intercepted a third down pass near midfield, taking it all the way to the OA 25-yard line with just 3:31 left in the half.

Taunton football

Taunton kept it on the ground for this series, handing it off to Perrotta four consecutive plays, the last for a 2-yard touchdown and a 24-7 lead going into halftime.

OA took a chance to start the second half, going for an onside kick on the opening kickoff. The visiting Tigers got the blocks they wanted but the ball bounced out and Taunton took over with good field position. The hosts took advantage of that field position, needing just three plays to add to its lead.




Leonard hit Perrotta with a swing pass out in the flat that went for 28 yards and then the Perrotta took back-to-back handoffs, the latter going for a 4-yard touchdown and a 31-7 lead with 10:20 left in the third.

“We haven’t finished the last two weeks so the whole thing this week was about finishing, and we did which was good to see,” Sidwell said.”With the new playoff system, you’re winning a game and you’re trying to keep that certain lead, keep it at the max. You’re not being unsportsmanlike, you’re trying to do the math figuring out the difference.”

It didn’t take long for Oliver Ames to respond. On just the second play of the ensuing drive, Robert Jenkins (68 receiving yards, 87 rushing yards) took a counter to the left before cutting up the field and through the difference, running away for a 77-yard touchdown with 9:13 to play in the third.

Chad Silva recorded a tackle for loss on second down and junior defensive end Chris Young made a nice play by getting his hands up to bat down a third down pass at the line, forcing Taunton to punt. Grimaldi hit Jenkins for 22 yards and a first down and Williamson gained five on the next play but Troy Santos read the play nicely on the next play, undercutting the pass for his second interception of the game.

Facing 3rd and 11, Leonard hit sophomore Jose Touron on a comeback route on the right side and he was able to break free from the defense and took off for 62 yards, tackled at the 1-yard line. Keenan burst up the middle and into the end zone for a touchdown and Taunton pushed the lead to 38-14 with 3:58 left in the third.

OA’s offense had another response to keep within striking distance. Williamson broke out for 35 yards on first down and Grimaldi kept it on a QB sneak four plays later to convert a fourth and short. Two plays later, Williamson bounced it outside to the right and used his speed to sprint away from the defense for a 34-yard touchdown. That cut the deficit to 38-20 with just 10 seconds left in the third.

“We fought a bit, tried the onside kicks to get back into it but there were some positives we can take from the second half,” DeWitt said.”We felt like we really came out flat in the first half, not much to build on. We put our knee down on the opening kickoff and then had a false start on the first play…and it spirals from there.

“When we got it to 17-7, we have to hammer down there and keep that score going into the half. We just have to come out strong and playing within the aspect of the game, managing the game a bit better.”

Taunton football

Taunton recovered the ensuing onside kick and march 55 yards on 7 plays to add another touchdown. Leonard hit Santos early in the drive to move the sticks and Keenan had a 21-yard gain on third down to keep the drive alive. Touron took the sweep to the right and Santos blocked the corner to allow the ball carrier to get into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown and a 45-20 lead with 9:21 to play.

“Our offense did a good job moving the ball but we have to establish the run game a little bit more, especially when you’re having a little trouble stopping the run. But I’m proud of the way our guys played. We’re trying to get healthy and better for the remainder of the season. The gauntlet of the Kelley-Rex [division] is really hard.”

Both teams have a tough schedule as they head into the final two weeks of division play. Taunton football (0-2 Kelley-Rex, 4-2 overall) hits the road to take on Mansfield while Oliver Ames (1-1 Davenport, 2-4 overall) returns home to host North Attleboro.