11/22/2015

The 2015 Hockomock Football All Stars & HMs

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

Kelley-Rex MVP

Nick Morrison, North Attleboro

Honorable Mentions

Sean Donnelly, Attleboro
Nick Yelle, Franklin
John DeLuca, King Philip
Nicholas Martin, Mansfield
Kyle Gaumond, North Attleboro
Connor Briggs, Taunton

Davenport MVP

Jake Ragusa, Canton

Honorable Mentions

Mack Brown, Canton
James Blake, Foxboro
Jack DeSantis, Milford
Ryan McCarthy, Oliver Ames
Tyler Smith, Sharon
Matt Medina, Stoughton

11/22/2015

The 2015 Hockomock Football All Stars & HMs

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

Kelley-Rex MVP

Nick Morrison, North Attleboro

Hockomock Kelley-Rex All Stars

Honorable Mentions

Sean Donnelly, Attleboro
Nick Yelle, Franklin
John DeLuca, King Philip
Nicholas Martin, Mansfield
Kyle Gaumond, North Attleboro
Connor Briggs, Taunton

Davenport MVP

Jake Ragusa, Canton

Hockomock Davenport All Stars

Honorable Mentions

Mack Brown, Canton
James Blake, Foxboro
Jack DeSantis, Milford
Ryan McCarthy, Oliver Ames
Tyler Smith, Sharon
Matt Medina, Stoughton

09/18/2015

Yelle's Late Field Goal Elevates Franklin Over Milford

Click here for a photo gallery of the game.
By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
FRANKLIN, Mass. – Facing a 4th and 6 at the Milford 24 yard line in the final minute, Franklin head coach Brad Sidwell had no doubt on what he was going to do.
He sent his offense back out — but there was no play. They attempted to get Milford to jump offside, but the end game was always a field goal.
The snap from senior Will O’Reilly was on the money, junior Alex Cregg got the ball set up perfectly and senior Nick Yelle split the uprights for a career-long 41-yard field goal to give Franklin a 24-21 win over Milford in the HockomockSports.com Game of the Week.
Yelle had missed a field goal near the end of the first half but showed no signs of nerves as he drilled the kick right down the middle with just 24 seconds left.
“Honestly I was so nervous,” Yelle said. “I can’t even explain it. I missed the first one and this one I killed it, I was so surprised.”
Yelle rightfully credited the Panthers defense for the opportunity to kick his first game-winning field goal. Milford went three and out twice inside the final eight minutes.
Franklin trailed 21-7 in the third quarter but were able to rally back. Down just one score in the final quarter, junior quarterback Brad Jarosz kept the ball on a designed keeper and scampered 16 yards to tie the game at 21 with 8:04 left.
On Milford’s ensuing drive, the Scarlet Hawks picked up six yards on the first two downs but an incompletion on third forced a punt. It looked like Milford was going to get the momentum back as Leo Moronta had a big pass breakup and Ryan Nesta and Ryan Gray combined for a sack on third down to get the ball back, but Milford once again went three and out. A holding call put Milford into a 2nd and long situation and after a four yard rush and an incompletion, Milford punted again.
Click here for a photo gallery of the game.
Starting at their own 50 with under three minutes to play, a penalty negated a positive play and pushed Franklin back a yard. On first down, junior Jake Wolowacki rushed for 11 yards and then a rush from Wolowacki and Khyler Colella got Franklin a first down at the Milford 28. After an incompletion, a Jarosz keeper and a run from Wolowacki, the Panthers were faced with 4th and 6.
That’s when Yelle split the uprights.
“That’s a long one and he’s pretty accurate,” Franklin head coach Brad Sidwell said. “I asked him Thursday where his range was and he said from the 20. We haven’t really tested his range but he’s a gamer so it was good to give him a shot.”
Milford took leads at 7-0, 14-7 and 21-7 but were unable to hold on.
The Scarlet Hawks opened the scoring on their first drive of the game. After the defense forced Franklin into a punt, senior quarterback Zach Lanzetta drove Milford 74 yards on 10 plays into the end zone. Highlighted by an 18 yard run from Jack DeSantis and a 21 yard toss and catch from Lanzetta to Moronta, the Scarlet Hawks made their way into the red zone.
Two straight negative plays forced Milford into 3rd and goal from the seven yard line but Lanzetta floated one into the corner of the end zone that junior Blake Hill reeled in with one hand for a touchdown.
Franklin tied the game up on their ensuing drive. It took just three plays to travel 74 yards for the Panthers. On first down, Jarosz hit Luke Gordon for a 38 yard gain and then two plays later, Wolowacki bounced off a couple of tackles to break a 32 yard touchdown run.
Milford punted on its next to drives while Franklin turned the ball over after a missed field goal and then on downs. It wasn’t until the final seconds of the first half that Milford found the end zone again. Lanzetta drove the Scarlet Hawks 79 yards on 10 plays to score just before halftime.
Lanzetta connected with Hill three times on the drive for 48 yards before DeSantis took a sweep to the right and punched it in from six yards out with just 19 seconds left.
Click here for a photo gallery of the game.
Milford doubled its lead right out of the gates in the second half. This time it took 13 plays for the Scarlet Hawks to cover 82 yards of ground. Lanzetta hit Moronta for 13 yards and then a trio of runs from Hill went for 26 yards. Facing 4th and 1 from the Franklin 24 yard line, Lanzetta’s QB sneak went for 10 yards and a first down. Three plays later, Lanzetta kept it himself and rushed to the right for a four yard touchdown to make it 21-7.
Franklin’s ensuing drive nearly ended just as quickly as it started but on 3rd and 9, a pass interference call gave Franklin some life. Three plays later, Jarosz floated one out that O’Reilly went up to grab with a defender all over him to gain 42 yards. Two plays later, Jarosz went back to O’Reilly and found him along the right sideline for an 18 yard touchdown to bring the Panthers back within one. Sidwell said after that O’Reilly’s first catch “absolutely” gave him confidence to go back to him, noting how good the plays were that he made.
“Our guys are inexperienced — not that they aren’t good players, they just haven’t played a ton [at this level],” Sidwell said. “This was huge for us. You always try to just plug away in a game. That pass interference call got us going a bit but we made a couple of big plays after that. And then our defense just held up enough. Even when they scored, our defense was in some right spots we just didn’t finish some plays We’ll keep working and trying to get better.”
Milford couldn’t get the offense in gear on the ensuing drive, handicapped by the fact they started at their own three yard line. A rush for no gain followed by a throw that was broken up by Gordon and then another incompletion forced Milford into another punt.
Starting at Milford’s 37, the Panthers used just five plays to tie the game. Four straight rushes from Wolowacki went for 26 yards. On the fifth play, Jarosza took the designed keeper up the left side and into the end zone to tie the game.
“It was an exciting win for our kids,” Sidwell said. “These kids can gain some experience from this.”
Wolowacki led all players with 129 yards on 21 carries, averaging over six yards a carry, and a touchdown.
“He’s done a great job,” Sidwell said. “He wasn’t on our radar and one of our guys got nicked up and we put him in a scrimmage and he did some good things. He did some good things tonight too, he’s pretty much a slasher and he finished some runs well.”
Jarosz finished 9/14 for 140 yards and a touchdown and had 28 yards on the ground with a touchdown. Wokolacki had a team-high four receptions for 23 yards while O’Reilly hauled in three passes for 63 yards and a touchdown.
For Milford, Lanzetta went 11/23 for 128 yards and a score and had four carries for 19 yards and a touchdown. Jack DeSantis had 15 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown and Blake Hill had six receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown and six rushes for 26 yards.
Franklin (1-1) will look to win back-to-back games when they open their Kelley-Rex Division schedule at home against Taunton (0-2). Milford will look to get back into the win column with a trip to Canton to open their Davenport Division schedule.
Click here for a photo gallery of the game.
Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.

09/10/2015

Football: 2015 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

Attleboro

2014 Record: 4-7
2014 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Mike Strachan
Key/Returning Players: Kyle Murphy, Sr., OT/DT, 6-4, 275 lbs.; Brendan Nunes, Sr., WR/CB, 6-0, 175 lbs.; Tyler McGovern, Jr., QB, 6-3, 190 lbs.; John Burns, Sr., FB/OLB, 5-9, 165 lbs.; Alex Silva, Sr., TE/DE, 5-11, 185 lbs.
Outlook: The Bombardiers come into this season hoping to regain some of the magic of their 2013 run to the Div. 1 South final and doing it while replacing last year’s starting backfield and leading receiver. The reason for optimism in Attleboro is the return of senior lineman Kyle Murphy, who has emerged as a legit FBS prospect and one of the top players on the line in the state. Head coach Mike Strachan told ESPNBoston.com, “He’s got very good feet for a kid that big. We’re looking for some great things from him this season.”
In addition, junior quarterback Tyler McGovern is back under center for his second season, after splitting time with Ross Killion in 2014. McGovern has the size at 6-foot-3 and also has the arm to be a major weapon in the offense and try to make up for some of the lost production from the graduating running backs. McGovern’s growth at QB will be crucial for Attleboro. Strachan said, “He’s got a very quick release, and he’s worked on his feet all offseason. We need him to help get us back to that level we were at two years ago.”
Brendan Nunes is one of the receivers that Attleboro is hoping can turn into a primary target along with senior tight end Alex Silva, although there are question marks about who can become the No. 1 back to take pressure off McGovern and the passing game.
Defense should be a strength for the Bombardiers, who bring back almost all of last year’s starters. Murphy can dominate the line of scrimmage and forces double teams and game plans that can open space for his teammates. John Burns and the linebacking corps will be hoping to take advantage of that extra room to make plays.

Franklin

2014 Record: 5-6
2014 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Brad Sidwell
Key/Returning Players: Ben Riggs SR. 6-3, 300,OL/DL; Joe Giacolone SR 6-2, 270, OL/DL; Nick Yelle SR. 5-9, 180, LB/RB; Luke Gordon SR. 6-1, 175, WR/DB; Sam Harrell SR. 6-0, 180, WR/DB; Jake Lyons JR. 5-10, 190, RB/DB; Tyler Gomes JR. 6-1, 210, FB/DE; Brad Jarosz JR QB; Will O’Reilly SR. WR/DB; Eddie Scannapieco WR/DB
Outlook: The Panthers come into 2015 lacking varsity experience in a lot of places, but with more depth at the skill positions and improved play at the line of scrimmage that has head coach Brad Sidwell entering his 20th season with hopes of getting Franklin into the tournament after back-to-back 5-6 seasons. He said, “Not a lot of experience, but many have been progressing through the sub varsity programs.[We] will play physical football.”
The Panthers will be starting a new quarterback this season with junior Brad Jarosz expected to take over under center and he will have plenty of weapons to use in Franklin’s typically up-tempo offense. Nick Yelle will be in the backfield along with Jake Lyons, while Sam Harrell, Will O’Reilly, Luke Gordon and Eddie Scannapieco are all back on the outside. The offensive line is improved, according to Sidwell, although it may lack depth in case of injuries. Ben Riggs and Joe Giacolone are two-way linemen that can be dominant on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, Franklin will hope that the skill position players continue to develop into strong players in the secondary, while counting on junior defensive end Tyler Gomes to continue his emergence as a strong presence in the pass rush. Franklin will be counting on the opening games against Arlington and Milford to prepare it for the battles to come in the Kelley-Rex Division.
Sidwell said, “Looking forward to working with this group, hard working and great attitude. Getting off to a good start and gaining confidence will be important.”

King Philip

2014 Record: 10-1
2014 Finish: Reached D2 South final
Coach: Brian Lee
Key/Returning Players: John DeLuca, Jr. QB; Bill Dittrich, Sr. OL/DL; James Cooke, Sr. OL/DL; Cory Lombardo, Sr. LB; Nick Bernier Garzon, Sr. DL; Steven Eaton, Sr. RB; R.J. McCarthy, Sr. WR/DB, Giovanni Fernandez, Jr. RB
Outlook: King Philip is coming off its first outright league title and a trip to the Div. 2 South final where it gave eventual state champion Marshfield one of its toughest games of the season. The Warriors are a team based on ball control offense and hard-nosed defense and despite losing a strong core from last year’s squad, head coach Brian Lee will ensure that KP remains a tough team to play against even with a host of young players.
Quarterback John Deluca returns for his junior season, but without some of the weapons that were so prolific from last year including HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Mark Glebus and wideout Kyle Loewen. Senior running back Steven Eaton will take most of the carries and is hoping to develop some of the explosiveness that made Glebus such a weapon last year. Junior Gio Fernandez also saw some carries last year and is a load at running back, especially in short-yardage situations. Senior R.J. McCarthy is a player to watch at receiver.
The offensive and defensive lines remain a strength for KP with Bill Dittrich and James Cooke returning. Nick Bernier Garzon will also help out on the line, but the key to the defense is senior middle linebacker Cory Lombardo who will be the leader and continues the pattern of strong linebackers at KP.
If the offense can find a groove and the young players develop quickly, KP will have its sights set on a second straight Hockomock title. But, as Lee said, there are “a lot of rookies out there.”

Mansfield

2014 Record: 6-5
2014 Finish: Reached D2 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Mike Redding
Key/Returning Players: Diogo Desousa, Jr. K/DE, 5-11, 182 lbs.; Connor Finerty, Sr. RB/LB, 5-11, 200 lbs.; Anthony DeGirolamo, Jr. QB/DB, 5-11, 165 lbs.; Ben Wisnieski, Sr. RB/DB, 5-10, 160 lbs.; Hunter Ferreira, Jr. WR/DB, 6-1, 185 lbs.; Brian Lynch, Jr. RB/DB, 5-8, 170 lbs.; Nick Krouskos, Jr. FB/LB, 5-9, 175 lbs.; Mike Arnold, Sr. TE/DE, 6-1, 205 lbs.; Josh Schafer, Jr. OL/DL, 6-2, 230 lbs.; Matt Kashtan, Sr. OG/NG, 5-8 195 lbs.; Joe Bukuras, Jr. RB/DB, 5-9, 160 lbs.; A.J. Gibbs, Jr. OL/DL, 5-11, 270 lbs.
Outlook: Mansfield enters the season with plenty of depth on both sides of the ball, as the Hornets try to regain the Kelley-Rex Division crown they lost to King Philip in an injury-plagued 2014 season. Head coach Mike Redding, entering his 28th year in charge, is expecting to learn quite a bit about his team with St. John’s Prep, Haverhill, KP, and Attleboro to start the season. Redding noted, “We will need to be hitting on all cylinders for those key games early.”
“Overall, we’re on the young side and a little undersized, but very talented at skill positions and we have very good overall team strength and good team chemistry and leadership,” said Redding.
Mansfield will be making a change under center with junior Anthony Girolamo taking over and his task will be made a little easier by the talented backfield of senior Connor Finerty and junior Brian Lynch, who is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him rush for eight touchdowns and more than 800 yards. In addition, the Hornets have talent on the edges with receivers Ben Budwey and Hunter Ferreira and athletic tight end Mike Arnold. Junior Josh Schafer will be a player to watch on the line.
Finerty headlines the defensive unit as the outside linebacker and leader on that side of the ball. He will be joined by Ferreira and Anthony Keefe on the outside with Nick Krouskos, Travis Sjoberg, and Nick Martin in the middle. The real strength of the defense could lie in the secondary with all four starters returning and plenty of depth behind them. Joe Bukuras and Connor Driscoll are the corners with Ben Budwey and Ben Wisnieski at safety. Special teams will also be strong with returning kicker Diogo DeSousa, who Redding calls “one of the best kickers” he has had in his time with the Hornets.

North Attleboro

2014 Record: 8-3
2014 Finish: Reached D3 Southwest Quarterfinal
Coach: Don Johnson
Key/Returning Players: Connor Flynn, Sr. K/RB/LB; Nick Morrison, Sr. RB/LB; Bobby Mylod, Jr. RB/LB; Nick Rajotte, Jr. RB/DB; Brodey Barr, Sr. QB/DB; Kyle McCarthy, Jr. QB/DB; Ridge Olsen, Sr. WR/DB; Kyle Gaumond, Sr. WR/DB; Patrick Johnson, Sr. RB/WR/DB; Andy Katch, Sr. OL/DL; Joe Flaherty, Sr. OL; Brendan Nally, Jr. OL; Alex Dion, Sr. OL; Josh Morrison, Sr. OL/DL; Sam Morrison, Sr. OL/DL; Tom Reynolds, Jr. OL/DL; Davon Andrade, Sr. TE/DL
Outlook: After a stunning home loss to Medfield in the opening round of the Div. 3 Southwest playoffs last fall, North Attleboro returns a number of skill position players with hopes of making a run at the Kelley-Rex Division title.
The backfield is loaded with seniors Connor Flynn, who averaged 12.1 yards per carry until a wrist injury kept him out, and Nick Morrison providing steady hands and downhill running while being pushed by the explosive duo of juniors Nick Rajotte and Bobby Mylod, who combined for 13 touchdowns last season. Head coach Don Johnson said of his running backs, “All four backs are versatile and can play multiple positions.” On the outside, North boasts plenty of size at wideout with 6-foot-5 senior Ridge Olsen on one side and Kyle Gaumond on the other.
The biggest question mark is who will be getting the ball to those skill position players? There has been a three-way battle at quarterback during the preseason between senior Brodey Barr, who saw some time under center last year and was primarily a runner, athletic junior Kyle McCarthy, and sophomore Chad Peterson. Johnson explained, “We could use them all, but it might depend more upon how things shake out at other positions, particularly on defense. All three are competitive athletes that can help us in other spots.”
Defensively, North has loads of depth on the line if not loads of experience. Senior twins Josh and Sam Morrison will split time along with senior Davon Andrade and senior defensive tackle Andy Katch, The linebacking corps features Mylod in the middle with Flynn and Nick Morrison on the outside. In the secondary, Gaumond, Barr, Rajotte, Olsen, McCarthy, and Patrick Johnson will all be in the mix depending on match-ups.

Taunton

2014 Record: 2-9
2014 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Chris Greding
Key/Returning Players: Brian Cherenfant, RB/DB; Jake Norberto, OL; Santiago Lopez, OL; Jason DaRosa, RB; Damion Theodule, DB; Matt Grey, LB; Jared Williams, DL; Tanner Costa, RB/DB; Lazare Joseph, RB; Adam McLaughlin, WR; Connor Briggs, OL; Nick Brown, DL; Sylvester English, DL; Zakeem Harrow, DL; John Chretien, LB; Breven Walker, DB; Amir Rehim, LB

Outlook: The Tigers are coming off a 2-9 season and will have a new quarterback under center, but head coach Chris Greding is counting on his depth on the line and at the skill positions and overall team speed to get Taunton in the mix in the division.
Senior Brain Cherenfant is one of the fastest players in the league and gives the Tigers a weapon both on offense and in special teams. He will be joined in the backfield by Jason DeRosa, Lazare Joseph and Coyle transfer Tanner Costa, giving Taunton a number of weapons. Adam McLaughlin will be a player to watch at wideout.
The line has also been strengthened with Jake Norberto and Santiago Lopez coming back on the offensive side of the ball and Jared Williams on defense. Connor Briggs will be another player to keep an eye on opening holes for the backs, while the defensive line is bolstered by Florida transfer Sylvester English, Texas transfer Nick Brown, and Boston transfer Zakeem Harrow. The linebacking corps includes Matt Grey and John Chretien, while Breven Walker, Cherenfant and Costa will all play bog roles in the secondary.