FOXBORO, Mass. — With a lot of new faces in the lineup this season, longtime Foxboro head coach Jack Martinelli knew patience was key for this year’s squad to find its rhythm.
Despite starting the season 1-3 in its first four games, Martinelli saw improvement each and every week, and that all came together on Friday night in the form of a 31-0 statement win on the road over Stoughton.
The Warriors had their way on both sides of the ball, especially in the first half as they scored a touchdown on four consecutive drives. Sophomore Ben Angelini had a breakout game for Foxboro, turning 21 carries into 173 yards as Foxboro pounded the ball on the ground to the tune of 282 rushing yards.
“I talked about it in the preseason, if the coaches and kids can remain patient, and remember you never pick up where you left off, I think this could be a pretty good football team,” Martinelli said. “And we’re very young. Every week we’ve gotten better at one phase or the other, and tonight we kind of put everything together. We had some great offensive movement, good defense, and with Sam [Carpenter], I could be on the kickoff team, he’s a weapon.”
After marching into Stoughton territory on its opening drive, Carpenter had a rare miss on a field goal attempt but from there, the Warriors’ offense couldn’t be stopped.
And the defense did its job too. They forced Stoughton into a punt on its first drive, Brandon Mazenkas-O’Grady blocked a punt on the second drive, and the Warriors pounced on a fumble on Stoughton’s drive.
On their second series, Foxboro marched down the field on nine plays before finding the end zone for the first time. Angelini was the workhorse on the drive, with four carries for 35 yards and one catch for 32 to get the visitors inside the 5-yard line. From there, Lincoln Moore took back-to-back handoffs, the latter for a 1-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 1:43 left in the first quarter.
Stoughton got its first first down when Jarred Daughtry connected with James Currier on a tipped pass and another first down when Daughtry hit Tagh Swierzewski for nine yards. But a holding call, an incompletion, and a good tackle from Moore put an end to that drive. After nearly blocking the first punt, Mazenkes-O’Grady blocked the punt the Warriors recovered at the Stoughton 31-yard line.
From there, Angelini had four straight carries for 29 yards and once again Moore capped the drive, taking the handoff from the fullback spot for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.
The Warriors’ offense wasn’t on the sideline very long as Stoughton coughed up the ball on the very first play of the ensuing drive. Foxboro took over at the Stoughton 22-yard line. The Black Knights’ defense stood tall as Liam Pearl had a tackle for loss on third down that would have put Foxboro in fourth and 7 from the 20-yard line, but Stoughton accepted a holding call and Foxboro’s drive stayed alive.
On the next play, sophomore quarterback Mike Marcucella bought some time, scrambled out of the pocket, and threw a jump ball that sophomore Nolan Gordon came back to get right at the goalline for a 29-yard touchdown, and a 21-0 lead with 6:08 left in the second.
A 28-yard keeper from Daughtry and a reception from Alex Huynh helped Stoughton cross midfield but that’s where the drive ended.
Even though field position couldn’t slow the Warriors’ offense. Starting at their own 32-yard line, the Warriors orchestrated another nine-play drive that culminated in another touchdown. Back-to-back passes from Marcucella to Tony Sulham moved the sticks, Marcucella scrambled for 11 yards, and Angelini broke free for 21 yards.
“He’s a puppy but he played unbelievable tonight,” Martinelli said of Angelini. “Having so many young kids, having good senior leadership — we don’t have a lot of them but it’s good leadership — and with that, they hung tough the first couple of weeks when we struggled a bit. But I’ve seen them improve every week and I think it’s the right time to see that improvement.”
Facing a third and 8 from the Stoughton 9-yard line, Marcucella found senior Jaden Becker in the back of the end zone for a 28-0 lead with just seconds left in the half.
“They made some spaces up front and that’s the name of the game,” Martinelli said of his offensive line. “I’m happy all around, happy with how all of them played. Now it’s onto another challenge with North. I know they’ll enjoy tonight but they’ll be ready to go with film on Sunday and practice on Monday.”
Foxboro only had three possessions in the second half and Carpenter drilled a 30-yard field goal at the end of the second series.
Stoughton had its two best offensive series in the third quarter, one that reached the Foxboro 30-yard line, and another that got down to the Warriors’ 25-yard line, but both ended on a turnover on downs.
Foxboro football (1-0 Hockomock Davenport, 2-3 overall) has yet another non-league game next week but this time against a familiar foe in North Attleboro on Friday at 7:00. Stoughton (1-1, 2-3) also has a crossover clash as they hit the road to face Attleboro.