Tag: Nathan Pearce

2018 Hockomock League Baseball All Stars

Below are the official 2018 Hockomock League Baseball All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Tyler Dalton, Mansfield

Hockomock League All Stars

Jon Candiales, Attleboro
Matthew Casamento, Canton
Chad Bearce, Foxboro
Alex Haba, Franklin
Jake Macchi, Franklin
Jake Noviello, Franklin
Bryan Woelfel, Franklin
Jeremy Rhines, King Philip
Tyler Dalton, Mansfield
Kevin Dow, Mansfield
Daniel Saraceno, Mansfield
Aidan Wilde, Milford
Zach DeMattio, North Attleboro
Brendan McHugh, North Attleboro
Nathan Pearce, North Attleboro
Nick Sinacola, North Attleboro
Mitch Goulet, Oliver Ames
Matthew Muir, Oliver Ames
Chris Pearsons, Oliver Ames
Ruben Gonzales, Stoughton
Robert Seaman, Stoughton
Tyler DaSilva Medeiros, Taunton
Jack Moynihan, Taunton

Honorable Mentions:
Alvaro Espinal, Attleboro
Matthew Pigeon, Canton
Joseph Freitas, Foxboro
Colby Fitzgibbons, Franklin
David Morganelli, King Philip
Justin Pena, Mansfield
Matthew Shaver, Milford
Peter Cohen, North Attleboro
Michael Mulrean, Oliver Ames
Max Tarlin, Sharon
Evan Gibb, Stoughton
Josh Lajoie, Taunton

Sinacola Leads North Attleboro Past Somerset-Berkley

By Brian Hines, HockomockSports.com Contributor

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Nearly two weeks off in between games didn’t seem to bother the North Attleboro Red Rocketeers, as they defeated the Somerset Berkley Raiders, 5-0, in a Division 2 South baseball quarterfinal matchup.

University of Maine commit Nick Sinacola tossed a complete game shutout for the Rocketeers, allowing just two baserunners all game (one hit). The right-hander struck out 12 Raiders, including six straight batters in the second and third inning.

“Nick has some great ability out there,” said North Attleboro head coach Mike Hart. “He trusts his stuff, he really is trying to pound the zone and come after hitters. A lot of the guys, when they’re up to bat, have faith in him to keep the game within reach and keep the other team’s hitters at bay and gives us confidence at the plate.”

And the lineup showed its confidence at the plate, striking early and often.

North was able to take an early lead in the first inning off a Zach DeMattio sacrifice fly, and they then doubled their lead in the third after a hard-hit single by Nate Pearce.

The duo struck again in the fifth, as a DeMattio single scored Sinacola and Pearce’s double plated pinch runner Billy Drummond.

North’s offense wasn’t done, however, as Brendan McHugh’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning allowed the Rocketeers to jump out to a 5-0 lead.

McHugh, DeMattio, and Pearce accounted for six of the Rocketeers nine hits on the afternoon. McHugh, who batted leadoff, was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. No. 3 batter DeMattio went 1-for-3 with RBI single and sacrifice fly, while Pearce, who batted clean-up, went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.

“They have a lot of ability of up at the plate,” Hart said. “They’re great athletes, which translates into hitting. Those are the guys that we rely on, they’re at the top of the order for a reason.”

The North Attleboro base running and defense was also as terrific as it has been all year, stealing seven bases in seven attempts and not committing an error.

#9 Somerset Berkley ends their seasons 12-10, with one win in the playoffs. The top-seeded Red Rocketeers (19-2) now advance to the semifinals, where they play #5 Dartmouth (15-7) on Wednesday night at 5:00 at Rockland Stadium at Rockland High School

“We’re going to keep taking the same approach, one game, one pitch at a time and just worry about the things we need to do to win some games,” Hart said.

Franklin Prevails In Extras Against North Attleboro

Franklin baseball
Franklin’s Jack Nally (10) is greeted by teammates following his home run in the second inning. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – With two of the best pitchers in the entire state on the mound, scoring chances for North Attleboro and Franklin were going to be hard to come by on Monday afternoon.

Franklin’s Jake Noviello and North’s Nick Sinacola, both committed to play at Division 1 schools next year, clashed in what was the true definition of a pitcher’s duel.

Noviello allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk, striking out 11 in eight innings of work while Sinacola struck out 12, allowed four, four walks and one earned run in 7.1 innings.

It wasn’t until the top of the ninth when the Panthers finally cashed in, exploding for five runs in the top half of the inning to prevail with a 6-1 win over the Rocketeers.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“We knew we’d face Sinacola and he’s a great pitcher, and we knew it’d be a great game,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown. “So we talked about competition, and I think sometimes people forget that competition is back and forth — they answer, then you answer, back and forth. So that was the message prior to the game. We knew there’d be a lot of swings, we just had to stay the course and trust each other. North Attleboro is a great baseball team, they made it really difficult for us today, so hats off to them.

“I thought Jake did a great job just setting the tone. Each time we needed him to settle us back down, he was able to do that.”

North Attleboro’s Zach DeMattio connected on a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to put Big Red ahead 1-0.

But Franklin sophomore Jack Nally answered in the top half of the second, ripping a line drive solo shot down into the bleachers in left field to make it 1-1.

“[Nick] pitched his tail off, there’s not much more to say,” said North Attleboro coach Mike Hart. “He did everything we asked him to. The kids have been behind him all year. He’s a great leader for us too. We knew scoring chances would be tough to come by for both teams. You have to take them when you have the opportunity.”

Those would be the only runs that the starting pitchers gave up, though each team had a golden chance to take the lead late in the game.

North had its best chance in the bottom of the seventh when Nick Raneri reached on a one-out single, and pinch runner Nolan Buckley went all the way to third after an errant pickoff attempt. The Rocketeers tried for a suicide squeeze to bring the winning run in, but Franklin’s defense was prepared.

Noviello purposely pitched high and junior catcher Jake Macchi fired down the third base line. Shortstop Alex Haba made a nice play to get back to the bag, took the throw, and then ran down the runner for the second out. Noviello struck out the next batter to end the inning.

“We had talked about it and how we wanted to defend it,” Brown said. “We decided that if they were going to do it, it’d be the first pitch so we went pitch out there and we were fortunate enough to get it done. And our shortstop did a great job coming over the top of that play, because that’s not an easy play. The guys did a great job executing it.”

“We’ve been aggressive all season, I’m not going to make any excuses for doing it,” Hart said about the decision. “I thought it was the time to do it…that’s the way we play the game and that’s how we’re going to continue to do it.”

That momentum carried into the top of the eighth for the Panthers. Evan Wendell (walk) and Scott Elliott (single) reached and then advanced a base on a throwing error. After going up 3-0, Haba was intentionally walked to load the bases.

That put an end to Sinacola’s day but senior Ben Arrighi came in and got the job done. The senior made a nice play on a grounder near the first base line to get the force out at home and got a swinging strikeout for the third out to escape the inning without any damage.

“That’s his spot right there,” Hart said of Arrighi. “His innings are down because our starters have been able to go deep into games. I give him a lot of credit. He came in with some serious guts and got the job done for us in that inning.”

Noviello didn’t slow down in the bottom of the eighth, sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around a pop up to keep the momentum on the Panthers’ side.

Nally got things started in the top of the ninth with a leadoff single and then stole second. Shane O’Neil laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Nally over, and the sophomore scored on a base hit from senior Michael Langmeyer to make it 2-1.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Langmeyer stole second, took third on a groundout, and crossed the plate on an RBI single from Colby Fitzgibbons. Elliott followed with a walk to put runners on first and second and then Haba — who had a two-run home run taken away by a leaping grab from North’s Nathan Pearce in the sixth inning — delivered the knock out blow with a three-run bomb over the press box at Community Field to give Franklin a 6-1 lead.

“[Alex] has been real steady for us,” Brown said. “He really stepped up big and delivered in a big spot for us. We really needed those insurance runs to beat a team like that because North is capable of scoring in bunches.”

Franklin senior Bryan Woelfel needed just 10 pitches to set North down in order in the ninth inning to close the door.

Franklin baseball finishes the regular season 17-5 overall and 12-4 in the Hockomock. If King Philip defeats Mansfield on Thursday, the Panthers will share the Kelley-Rex title with the Hornets. Franklin will find out its postseason fate June 3rd (Super 8) or June 5th (D1 South). North Attleboro (16-2 overall, 12-2 Hock) is back in action on Wednesday against Milford.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/01/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Football
D2 State Final
#1 King Philip, 10 vs. #1 Lincoln-Sudbury, 7 – Final
1st Quarter: (LS) Braden O’Connell 18-yard pass to Matt Cunningham, XP good.
2nd Quarter: No scoring.
3rd Quarter: (KP) Shane Frommer 13-yard rush, Cole Baker XP good.
4th Quarter: (KP) C. Baker 31-yard field goal.

D3 State Final
#1 North Attleboro, 33 vs. #1 St. John’s Shrewsbury, 35 – Final
1st Quarter: (SJ) Steven Bucciaglia 10-yard pass to Coleman Drugotch, Noah Moselhy XP good; (NA) Chad Peterson 3-yard pass to Zach DeMattio, Geoff Wilson XP good; (SJ) Colin Deso 2-yard rush, N. Moselhy XP good.
2nd Quarter: (NA) Brendan McHugh 8-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good; (SJ) Peter Oliver 2-yard rush, XP no good.
3rd Quarter: (SJ) S. Bucciaglia 15-yard pass to Eamonn Dennis, 2-point conversion good; (NA) B. McHugh 3-yard rush, XP no good; (SJ) S. Bucciaglia 74-yard pass to John Brunelle, N. Moselhy XP good.
4th Quarter: (NA) Nicholas Raneri 18-yard pass to B. McHugh, 2-point conversion no good; (NA) C. Peterson 14-yard pass to Nathan Pearce, Devin Slaney XP good.

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 11/18/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Football
D3 State Semifinal
#1 North Attleboro, 29 vs. #2 Tewksbury, 21 – Final
1st Quarter: (NA) Brendan McHugh 1-yard rush, Geoff Wilson XP good.
2nd Quarter: (T) James Connolly 39-yard pass to Braden Hiltz, 2pt pass good; (NA) Chad Peterson 51-yard pass to B. McHugh, G. Wilson XP good; (T) J. Connolly 8-yard pass to B. Hiltz, XP good.
3rd Quarter: (NA) Nathan Pearce 5-yard rush, C. Peterson 2pt pass to Nolan Buckley.
4th Quarter: (NA) B. McHugh 56-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good; (T) J. Connolly 15-yard pass to Brandon Winn, 2pt rush failed.

Boys Soccer
D2 State Final
#4 Oliver Ames, 1 vs. #8 Concord-Carlisle, 2 – Final (2OT) – OA senior Michael Nikiciuk gave the Tigers’ a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute of the game, heading in a long throw in from Chris Lawrence. Concord-Carlisle scored the tying goal in the 68th minute and then scored the game-winner in the 98th minute in double overtime.

Boys Soccer
2017 HockomockSports Soccer Charity Classic (@ Attleboro)
Team Lanigan, 8 vs. Team Perry, 9 – Final

Girls Soccer
2017 HockomockSports Soccer Charity Classic (@ Attleboro)
Team Lanigan, 3 vs. Team Perry, 6 – Final

Rocketeers Roll In Rematch With Black Knights

North Attleboro football
North Attleboro’s Nathan Pearce (25) and Geoff Wilson (53) sack Stoughton’s Evan Gibb in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
 
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Playing a team for a second time in the season presents plenty of obstacles, and more often than not its a tighter game than the first time around.

That makes North Attleboro’s dominant 35-12 win over Stoughton in the D3 South Semifinals that much more impressive.

Big Red’s defense limited Stoughton’s starting unit to under 100 yards of total offense, and its offensive unit took advantage of strong field position to advance to the sectional final for the second straight year.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Four of North Attleboro’s five touchdown drives required five plays or less, all four of them under 50 yards. Only one drive – the third scoring drive of the game at the end of the first half – was a lengthy possession (seven plays, 65 yards).

“I think this team has really matured as the year has gone on and really developed that business-like attitude,” said North Attleboro head coach Don Johnson. “You get to this point in the year, and you know what you’re supposed to do…you just have to go out and do it. It’s a sign of maturity.”

It wasn’t an ideal start for the Rocketeers, who were forced into an early punt that was blocked by Stoughton’s Jason Joseph and recovered by David Bell. That set Stoughton up at the North Attleboro 20-yard line.

But North Attleboro’s defense stood tall with senior Geoff Wilson sacking Stoughton quarterback Johnny Medina on third down. Medina’s throw into the end zone on fourth fell incomplete and North escaped unscathed.

Stoughton’s defense did its part again, forcing another punt from North but this time the Rocketeers had a big break. Devin Slaney’s long kick got a kind roll and Stoughton’s returner wasn’t able to cleanly field it, allowing North junior Cam Cornetta to pounce and give the Rocketeers the ball at Stoughton’s 10-yard line.

Big Red took advantage of their opportunity and senior quarterback Chad Peterson (5/9, 68 yards – seven carries, 33 yards, three touchdowns) used an option play to keep it himself and run it in from five yards out. North led 7-0 after Wilson’s extra point with 3:05 left in the quarter.

“Sometimes it takes a bad play to kind of spark the team, offense or defense either one,” Johnson said of the blocked punt. “And I think that’s exactly what happened there.

“It felt like on that turnover [muffed punt], the game started over at the point.”

Slaney’s deep kickoff forced Stoughton to start inside its own 20-yard line. And North’s defense did its part, forcing losses on both first and second down. After a punt, North started at the Stoughton 45-yard line.

Peterson hit Nick Raneri for 11 yards then ran for eight yards with a late hit tacked on. Two plays later, North faked the jet sweep and Peterson kept it himself, going in from three yards out and a 14-0 lead with 10:20 to play in the second.

Ryan Gaumond put a halt to Stoughton’s next drive with an interception but the Black Knights’ defense allowed just one yard on North’s ensuing drive and got the ball back with a punt.

Junior Evan Gibb, who was hurt in the first meeting between the two teams and missed the past two weeks, took over under center to start the second quarter. On Stoughton’s next drive, he rushed for eight yards, then hit Alex Iverson for a 19-yard gain and a first down.

Two plays later, Gibb hit Ruben Gonzalez on a hitch route and the senior slipped through a tackle and attempt and raced 41-yards for a touchdown, bringing Stoughton within 14-6 with 3:47 left in the first half.

But that was enough time for North to orchestrate its longest drive of the game. Back-to-back passes from Peterson toMario Bresko moved the chains, and two plays later Peterson hit Raneri out in the flat and he raced 29-yards.

Two plays later, Nathan Pearce (eight carries, 53 yards) followed a great block up the middle and burst his way through two Stoughton defenders at the goal line for a 16-yard touchdown and a 21-6 lead with 90 seconds left in the first half.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Pearce led the Warriors in carries and rushing yards. With Stoughton’s defense bottling Raneri up, and Brendan McHugh without a carry, Pearce provided a spark for the Rocketeers.

“Pearce is kind of a combination of those others [Raneri and McHugh],” Johnson said. “You get to this time of year and guys are getting banged up. Pearce has come along – he was banged up early of the year – so he’s really given us that extra depth we were lacking at the beginning of the year.”

Stoughton got the ball to start the second half but another nice kick from Slaney, plus a block in the back, forced the Black Knights to start from their own six-yard line. After gains on first and second down, Wilson and Pearce combined for the sack on third down and the Black Knights had to punt from their own end zone.

“When you prepare for [Stoughton], you really have to prepare for two offenses,” Johnson said. They run the Wing-T offense so well, and then [Jeff Grier] was in there who didn’t play last time, and he’s a legitimate threat because of his speed. So you have to prepare for that and then they go with the spread offense and throw the ball. And Gibb’s a tough kid when he’s in there. So there’s a lot of things you have to prepare for so I was pretty happy with the defensive effort.”

That meant good field position for Big Red once again, starting at the Stoughton 28-yard line. Pearce had three carries for a total of 26 yards, and Peterson capped the drive with a two-yard plunge on fourth down with 6:10 to play.

North’s defense again held court and even though Stoughton got off a strong punt, Gaumond had a 33-yard return and North started at the Black Knights’ 17-yard line.

With Raneri at quarterback, he ran for 10 yards on first down, and then McHugh burst around the edge for a seven-yard touchdown on his first carry. North led 35-6 with 3:10 left, spelling the end of playing time for its starters on both sides.

“We couldn’t get the field position, we couldn’t move the ball…and they sort of stuck it to us,” said Stoughton head coach Greg Burke. “We have to be able to keep it close so we can run the ball. We got plenty of yards the last time, this time they did a couple of different things.

“Hats off to [North Attleboro], that’s a good team. I think they can win this sectional.”

Stoughton’s Justin Ly scored on an 11-yard run with 8:56 to play to cap the scoring.

With the win, the Rocketeers get a rematch with Duxbury in the sectional finals. It’s the third straight year that Big Red has faced off with the Dragons, with the latter coming away with wins both times.

“It’s always great to get an opportunity to go back and play someone you lost to,” Johnson said. “We’ve lost to them in the playoffs the past two years so it’s an opportunity to get another shot at them. They’ve sent us packing so its time to do something about that.”

The game is scheduled for Friday night, November 10th at Community Field at 7:00.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 11/03/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Football – Playoffs
D2 South
#4 Mansfield, 11 @ #1 King Philip, 13 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.
1st Quarter: (KP) Shane Frommer 6-yard rush, Cole Baker XP good.
2nd Quarter: (M) Damani Scott 1-yard rush, Mike DeBolt 2-point conversion rush; (KP) S. Frommer 10-yard rush, 2-point failed; (M) M. DeBolt 33-yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4th Quarter: No scoring.

D3 South
#4 Stoughton, 12 @ #1 North Attleboro, 35 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.
1st Quarter: (NA) Chad Peterson 5-yard rush, Geoff Wilson XP good.
2nd Quarter: (NA) C. Peterson 3-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good; (S) Evan Gibb 41-yard pass to Ruben Gonzalez, XP failed; (NA) Nathan Pearce 16-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good.
3rd Quarter: (NA) C. Peterson 2-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good; (NA) Brendan McHugh 7-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good.
4th Quarter: (S) Justin Ly 11-yard rush, 2pt failed.

D5 South
#5 Foxboro, 7 @ #1 Dennis Yarmouth, 43 – Final
1st Quarter: (DY) Rob Evans 19-yard rush, 2pt conversion good; (DY) B. Evans 61-yard rush, XP good; (DY) Jonah Arsenault 5-yard rush, XP good.
2nd Quarter: (DY) Daryan Thompson 68-yard rush, XP good; (DY) J. Arsenault 6-yard rush, XP good; (DY) R. Evans 38-yard rush, XP good.
3rd Quarter: (F) Liam Foley 48-yard pass to Jake Addeche, Russell Neale XP good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.

Football – Non Playoffs
Attleboro, 20 @ New Bedford, 19 – Final
1st Quarter: (A) Alex Rodriguez 5-yard rush, 2pt conversion failed.
2nd Quarter: (NB) Tru Williams 7-yard pass to Edgar Semedo, 2pt conversion failed.
3rd Quarter: (A) Joseph Llanos 9-yard rush, XP failed; (NB) Baron Hilton 35-yard fumble return, Victor Lopez XP good.
4th Quarter: (A) Jason Weir 3-yard rush, Justin Cote 2pt pass to James Weir; (NB) T. Williams 39-yard pass to Kolby McCoy, 2pt conversion failed.

Canton, 29 @ Medway, 16 – Final
1st Quarter: (C) Alec Ragusa 8-yard rush, Owen Lehane XP good.
2nd Quarter: (C) Gersom Rivera 40-yard rush, XP no good; (M) Medway rush touchdown, 2pt conversion good; (C) G. Rivera 42-yard rush, 2pt failed.
3rd Quarter: (C) Kyle Fitzgerald 1-yard rush, O. Lehane XP good; (M) Medway rush touchdown, 2pt conversion good; (C) O. Lehane 32-yard field goal.
4th Quarter: No scoring.

Franklin, 13 @ Braintree, 33 – Final
1st Quarter: (B) Braintree 69-yard rush, XP failed.
2nd Quarter: (F) Jake Noviello 20-yard pass to Will Davis, XP no good; (B) Braintree 6-yard pass, XP good.
3rd Quarter: (B) Braintree 19-yard pass, XP good; (F) J. Noviello 4-yard pass to Sean Leonard, Matt Zucco XP good.
4th Quarter: (B) Braintree 16-yard rush, XP good; (B) Braintree 38-yard rush, XP failed.

Milford, 36 vs. Holliston, 6 – Final
1st Quarter: (M) Ryan O’Toole 11 yard rush, Sean Lehane XP good.
2nd Quarter: (M) R. O’Toole 24 yard rush. S. Lehane XP good; (M) S. Lehane 28 yard field goal; (H) Holliston passing touchdown, XP no good; (M) Colby Pires 49-yard pass to Shapel Feaster, XP good.
3rd Quarter: (M) R. O’Toole 16-yard rush, XP failed; (M) Chris Rivera 40-yard interception return, XP failed.

Oliver Ames, 10 @ Plymouth South, 9 – Final
1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (PS) Plymouth South passing touchdown, XP no good.
3rd Quarter: (PS) Plymouth South field goal good.
4th Quarter: (OA) Matt Berksza 10-yard rush, Derick Hanscom XP good; (OA) D. Hanscom 25-yard field goal.

Sharon, 10 @ Westwood, 35 – Final
1st Quarter: (S) Mitchell Director 24-yard field goal.
2nd Quarter: (S) Chris Gong 80-yard punt return, M. Director XP good; (W) Westwood 1-yard rush, XP good.
3rd Quarter: (W) Westwood 1-yard rush, XP good; (W) Westwood 60-yard punt return, XP good; (W) Westwood 12-yard pass, XP good.
4th Quarter: (W) Westwood 1-yard rush, XP good.

Taunton, 27 vs. Brookline, 21 – Final

Girls Soccer
D1 South
#14 Franklin, 4 vs. #19 Brockton, 2 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

D2 South
#17 Foxboro, 0 @ #16 Scituate, 2 – Final

Field Hockey
D2 South
#5 Foxboro, 2 vs. #12 Martha’s Vineyard, 1 – Final (OT) – Sophia DiCenso scored both goals for the defending Div. 2 South champions, including the game-winner 45 seconds into the overtime period to earn Foxboro the first round win. Katie Notarangelo assisted on the first goal and the Warriors advance to face No. 3 Dover-Sherborn on Sunday.

Peterson Helps Rocketeers Advance Past Walpole

North Attleboro football
Senior quarterback Chad Peterson (7) accounted for four touchdowns, two rushing and two passing, to lead North Attleboro to a first round win over Walpole at Community Field. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

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NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – After a slow start to the game, North Attleboro put the ball in the hands of senior quarterback Chad Peterson and the Amherst College-commit came through with four touchdowns, two through the air in the first half and two more on the ground in the second, to lead the Rocketeers to a 28-14 first round win against Walpole.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

North was able to survive and advance, despite the defense allowing more than 200 passing yards against Walpole’s spread formation, including 163 receiving yards (on 11 receptions) by wideout Chase Conrad.

“We knew they could throw the ball, so defensively we wanted to put pressure on the quarterback, which I thought we did a decent job of earlier but then they did a good job picking the pressure and we didn’t do a particularly good job covering the guys behind it,” said North Attleboro coach Don Johnson. “So, that kept them in the game.”

The North defense showed its ability to get pressure straight up the middle on the first Walpole series when Ryan Clemente dislodged the ball from Rebels running back Drew Van klock, hitting him just as he received the ball.

North returned the favor with a fumble five plays later but again the defense kept the pressure up on Walpole senior quarterback Brett Lavanchy (17-32, 223 yards). Geoff Wilson, Sam Bullock, and Zach DeMattio all forced Lavanchy into rushed throws and Wilson’s sack led to a Rebels punt.

North took over on its own 15-yard-line and proceeded to put together a 12-play, 85-yard drive to open the scoring. Nathan Pearce (11 carries, 96 yards) got the drive going with a 28-yard jet sweep to the far sideline and North kept advancing into the red zone until Peterson was sacked to force a third and 18. Peterson hit Pearce on an eight-yard screen and, on fourth and 10, found Ryan Gaumond on the near sideline for 16 and a first down.

Two plays later, Peterson bought time and found Nolan Buckley open in the back of the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown.

Walpole responded quickly. Conrad returned the kick to the Walpole 45 and it took the Rebels only six plays to get on the board. DeMattio and Adam Eberle combined on a sack to force third and 13 from the North 47, but Walpole caught the Rocketeers in an all-out blitz. Lavanchy’s screen pass found Conrad in space and he took it the distance.

A missed extra point kept North in the lead, but the Rocketeers failed to take advantage on the next drive, turning it over on downs at the Walpole 16.

“Walpole played tough,” said Johnson. “I thought they did a great job on defense and worked hard to make us earn it.”

He added, “We thought we’d be able to move the ball on the ground, but I thought they played really well on defense in the first half. They did some different things that we hadn’t seen on the film. They jumped into a 50 double eagle look there and we hadn’t seen them do that all year long.”

Jonathan James and Bullock combined on a sack to end Walpole’s drive and get the ball back for North with just 51 seconds remaining in the half. The Rocketeers took over at the 50 and Peterson proceeded to march the hosts down field, needing just five plays to add a big score before the break. All three completions on the drive went to Devin Slaney, including the 26-yard touchdown.

The Rocketeers got the ball back to start the third quarter and promptly extended the lead. Pearce broke a 31-yard run to get the ball into Walpole territory. Peterson would take it the final 16 yards on a pair of carries to make it 21-6.

“I thought that was key, coming out get that first drive and score in the second half,” said Johnson. “I thought that was a big momentum swing there.”

He continued, “I never felt like we were out of control, but I just never felt like we could finish things. It just took a while for us tonight.”

Walpole’s ability to move the ball through the air meant that the game was far from over and the Rebels immediately responded to cut the lead back to one score. Conrad had another big return to get the ball near midfield. A 26-yard catch moved the drive inside the North 30 and then it was finished with a 16-yard catch in the back corner. Lavanchy and Conrad connected on the conversion as well.

“At halftime, they definitely went in there to pick up the middle blitz,” said DeMattio, “so we tried coming off the edge to try and stop the sprint out.”

After a North punt, the Rebels were on the move again, getting the ball inside the Rocketeers’ 10. Lavanchy was forced to throw a pass away on first and goal then was stuffed for a four-yard loss on a keeper by Jason McNeany and Marc Burns. On third and goal, Clemente got loose in the backfield for North’s fifth sack of the game. With Gaumond in coverage, the fourth down pass went out the back of the end zone.

North took over on its own 17. The Rocketeers put together a 13-play, 83-yard drive that put the game away. While the bulk of the drive consisted of runs by Peterson (13 carries, 88 yards), Pearce, and Nick Raneri (13 carries, 54 yards), there were also two big completions from Peterson to Gaumond on the far sideline. Peterson capped the possession with a seven-yard keeper to seal the win.

“It was a tough first game, but it was fun,” said DeMattio. “You can definitely see a lot more people coming out, bigger crowds, lot more intense.”

When asked about the prospect of hosting league rival Stoughton next week, DeMattio added, “They’re definitely a run-heavy team, so it will be good for them to come back to Community Field and get a good game for everyone.”

North Attleboro (7-1), the top seed in Div. 3 South, will host the Black Knights (6-2) on Friday night at Community Field.

Johnson said of what was at the time only a potential rematch with Stoughton, “I don’t like playing anybody a second time. They get to know all your secrets.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Peterson, Rocketeers Clinch Third Straight League Title

North Attleboro football
North Attleboro quarterback Chad Peterson eludes a track from a Stoughton defender in the first half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
 
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
NORTH EASTON, Mass. – It’s been a week to remember for North Attleboro senior quarterback Chad Peterson.

Just days after giving a verbal commitment to play college football at Amherst College, Peterson scored three touchdowns to lead the Rocketeers to a 35-21 win over Stoughton at W.B. Mason Stadium on the campus of Stonehill College.

The win clinches at least a share of the 2017 Hockomock League Davenport title, the third straight league title for the program and Peterson, a three-year starter. The Rocketeers can clinch the title outright with a win against Canton next week. If Canton wins, North can still win the title outright if Stoughton beats Milford.

“He’s a special player,” said North Attleboro head coach Don Johnson. “I think it’s safe to say we might not have won those three championships if Chad Peterson wasn’t our quarterback. He’s a difference maker.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

With a chance to three-peat on the line, Peterson and the North Attleboro offense put together one of its best performances of the season, scoring 35 points on a defense that had previously allowed just 41 points total through the first five games.

“I thought we had a great week of practice,” Peterson said. “We knew what this game meant, we knew it’d be a physical game. We came out and ran the ball and turned out well for us.”

Big Red’s offense scored on two of its first three drives but a late touchdown from Stoughton in the second quarter kept the teams level at halftime.

But in the second half, after its first drive ended in a punt, Peterson led the offense on three consecutive scoring drives to put the Rocketeers ahead for good.

“I think [our offense] was probably the difference in the game,” Johnson said. “Our offense, particularly up front, taking over the game.”

“It says a lot about the coaching staff and how they approach each season,” Peterson about the three straight league titles. “We graduate guys each year, I’m playing with different players each year but each year guys step up and we just have a championship culture.”

Despite both defensive units being the top two stingiest in the league, both offenses came out strong. A big return from Stoughton sophomore Ajahn Rue set the Black Knights up with good field position. Eight plays later, senior Alex Sjoquist took the toss to the left side and in for a two-yard score and a 7-0 lead.

North’s offense had an immediate response, driving 66 yards on eight plays to tie the score. The Rocketeers didn’t face a third down all drive and junior Nick Raneri (16 carries, 107 yards) punched it in from six yards out to knot it 7-7 with 2:45 left in the first quarter.

The defensive units settled in as Stoughton went three and out and punted, but the Black Knights’ defense forced the same from North.

North’s defense stuffed Sjoquist on third and shot scenario to get the ball back and its offense took the field, driving 63 yards for a score. Stoughton’s defense nearly shut the drive down early but on third and 10, Peterson (7/12, 88 yards) hit Mario Bresko with a beautiful 47-yard long ball to move the chains.

Four plays later, Peterson kept it himself and powered up the middle for a four-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead.

Stoughton nearly had an immediate response when junior Evan Gibb (4/5, 83 yards) hit Ruben Gonzalez for 42 yards, and two plays later again for 16 yards. The Black Knights got inside the 10-yard line but on fourth down, the Rocketeers sent a blitz and junior Ryan Clemente came up with the big hit and get the ball back.

“I thought he did a great job in his pass rush,” Johnson said of Clemente. “I thought the whole defensive front did a good job in the pass rush, I think that made a difference in the game. And Clemente and some other guys were getting it done on offense too.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

North’s offense stalled, giving Stoughton the ball back with just 25 seconds left in the first half. After a holding call pushed the Black Knights back, they elected to run. Senior Justin Ly took off to the right side, cut back through a gap in the defense and sprinted his way for a 65-yard touchdown just before half, tying the game 14-14.

Big Red moved into Stoughton territory to start the second half but punted, making Stoughton start at their own 20-yard line. Not only did Clemente’s sack at the end of the first half stop Stoughton’s scoring threat, it also knocked Gibb from the game.

Stoughton senior Johnny Medina (8/18, 95 yards, touchdown) took over under center and hit Rue for 11-yards and a first down. But two plays later, Medina was hit as he threw, causing the ball to flutter in the air and Bresko came down with the interception.

“It really didn’t alter our game plan because I think [Medina] throws the ball pretty well too,” Johnson said of the quarterback change. “I was actually watching him in pregame and thinking he was just as good. So when he came in it didn’t really change our game plan, I think our kids just did a nice job of getting to the quarterback.”

North was quick to turn the interception into points. Peterson converted a third down with a pass to Bresko over the middle and five plays later, Peterson kept it himself for a one-yard score and a 21-14 lead with 0:29 left in the third quarter.

Big Red’s defense brought the pressure again, forcing a quick three and out. Starting with a 27-yard scamper from Brendan McHugh (nine carries, 70 yards), North went 69 yards on eight plays to extend its lead to two scores. Nathan Pearce capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown on a jet sweep.

“They just pushed us around up front in the second half,” said Stoughton head coach Greg Burke. “We had to stop them and we didn’t. They didn’t do anything they hadn’t done before. Their big guy, the right tackle [Clemente] they went behind him each time.

“It’s high school, you get down by two scores it can be tough for the kids. Losing Gibb hurt tremendously, but that’s high school. You’re only as good as your next player.”

Stoughton moved the chains once on its next drive, but three straight incompletions resulted in a turnover on downs, and great field position for North. The Rocketeers took just five plays to drive the 33 yards, with Peterson punching it in from two yards out for a 35-14 lead.

Peterson finished with 49 yards on 11 carries, the second most carries by a Rocketeer.

“Chad’s been a little banged up the last couple of weeks so we haven’t been able to do that much with him,” Johnson said. “But when you’re successful running the edge like we were with Raneri and McHugh, defense loosens up and starts to widen and that opens things up for the quarterback running.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The Black Knights added a score with under a minute to play when Medina hit a wide open Ly up the middle for a 51-yard touchdown.

North Attleboro football (5-1 overall, 4-0 Davenport) has a chance to clinch the Davenport title outright when it entertains Canton at Community Field on Friday night. North Attleboro will likely clinch a home playoff game with a win over the Bulldogs.

“We don’t talk about the playoffs until today, we’ll start talking about it,” Johnson said. “We’ve got our share of the championship, that’s number one. Now we talk about the chance to win the outright championship and here’s what it means for the playoffs. We want to get that home game.”

Stoughton (4-2, 2-2) will try to bounce back when it hits the road to take on the Scarlet Hawks.

“Next week is a big week for both of us for position the playoff,” Burke said. “But we have to play a lot better than we played in the second half today.”

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/13/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Game of the Week – Football – Click here for a recap and photo gallery from the game.
North Attleboro, 35 @ Stoughton, 21 – Final
1st Quarter: (S) Alex Sjoquist 2-yard rush, Josh Cocchi XP good; (NA) Nick Raneri 6-yard rush, Geoff Wilson XP good.
2nd Quarter: (NA) Chad Peterson 4-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good; (S) Justin Ly 65-yard rush, J. Cocchi XP good.
3rd Quarter: (NA) C.Peterson 1-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good.
4th Quarter: (NA) Nathan Pearce 8-yard rush, G. Wilson XP good; (NA) C. Peterson 2-yard rush, G. Wilson good; (S) Johnny Medina 51-yard pass to J. Ly, J. Cocchi XP good.

Football
Mansfield, 31 @ Attleboro, 7 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery from the game.
1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (M) Michael DeBolt 26-yard field goal; (M) Aidan Sacco 27-yard fumble return, M. DeBolt XP good; (M) Damani Scott 53-yard pass to M. DeBolt, M. DeBolt XP good.
3rd Quarter: (M) D. Scott 18-yard pass to Hunter Ferreira, M. DeBolt XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) A. Sacco 2-yard rush, M. DeBolt XP good; (A) Joseph Llanos 14-yard rush, Tyler Evans XP good.

Foxboro, 24 @ Milford, 30 – Final
1st Quarter: (M) Sean Lehane 42-yard field goal.
2nd Quarter: (F) Mike Henri 4-yard rush, Russell Neale XP good; (M) Colby Pires 32-yard pass to Will Pointer, S. Lehane XP good; (F) M. Henri 4-yard rush, R. Neale XP good; (F) R. Neale 39-yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: (F) M. Henri 31-yard rush, R. Neale XP good.
4th Quarter: (M) Ryan Pearl 4-yard pass to Joey Everett, S. Lehane XP good; (M) W. Pointer 31-yard rush, S. Lehane XP good; (M) Ryan O’Toole 62-yard rush, 2pt failed.

Taunton, 14 @ Franklin, 21 – Final
1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: (F) Jake Noviello 71-yard pass to Ryan Driscoll, Matt Zucco XP good; (F) Nick Gordon 3-yard rush, M. Zucco XP good; (F) J. Noviello 31-yard pass to Sean Leonard, M. Zucco XP good.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4th Quarter: (T) Noah Leonard 1-yard rush, John Teixeira XP good; (T) N. Leonard 15-yard pass to Jahmeir Lewis, J. Teixeira XP good.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ King Philip, 42 – Final
1st Quarter: (KP) Shane Frommer 10-yard rush, Cole Baker XP good.
2nd Quarter: (KP) S. Frommer 12-yard rush, C. Baker XP; (KP) S. Frommer 17-yard rush, C. Baker XP good; (KP) Brendan Lydon 17-yard pass to Andrew Dittrich, Cole Baker XP good.
3rd Quarter: (KP) Ryan Halliday 4-yard rush, Lazar Rogosie XP good; (KP) R. Halliday 5-yard rush, L. Rogosie XP good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.

Boys Soccer
King Philip, 0 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – Attleboro freshman Joey Soucy scored his first career goal inside the first 10 minutes of the game to help the Bombardiers earn their first win of the season.

Sharon, 0 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Foxboro scored three goals in the opening 10 minutes and never looked back in a win over visiting Sharon. Shane VandenBoom, Nic Biegel, and Matt Rongione each scored to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead. VandenBoom converted a penalty kick in the second half for the final tally. VandenBoom also had an assist, as did keeper Bobby Harrison.

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – Matt Alvarado scored his first of two goals in the first half and Oliver Ames added three more in the second half to grab two points on the road. Alvarado’s goal, assisted by Nathaniel Cardoza, gave the visitor’s a 1-0 lead at the break. Michael Nikiciuk put OA up 2-0 before the Panthers cut the deficit in half at 2-1. Alvardo and James Gillespie added goals to give the Tigers insurance. Cardoza finished with three assists while Brandin Osborne had one.

Mansfield, 4 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Mansfield scored three goals in the second half to turn a close game into a big win on the road. Cullin Anastasia opened the scoring on a Luke Savoie corner in the 34th minute to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead at the break. Sam Hyland converted off another Savoie corner in the 58th minute to make it 2-0. Four minutes later, Anastasia grabbed his second on a penalty kick. Jackson Murphy capped the scoring in the 70th minute on an assist from Colin Caridi. Nick Ferraz made three saves for his fourth shutout of the season.

Milford, 2 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Milford scored once in each half to pick up two points on the road at Stoughton. Sophomore Walisson de Oliveira kept his hot streak going, opening the scoring in the first half on a volley on a feed from Joey Madden. Anthony Salvadore added an unassisted tally in the second half for the Scarlet Hawks. MHS head coach Brian Edwards said freshman Leo Coelho and sophomore Bryan Traya both played great in the midfield.

Girls Soccer
Attleboro, 1 @ King Philip, 6 – Final – The Warriors got a combined five goals and six assists from sophomores Avery Snead and Chloe Layne to stay in a tie at the top of the Kelley-Rex standings. Makayla Griffin opened the scoring in the second minute off a Layne assist and then Layne added her first 14 minutes later on a Snead assist. Four minutes later, Layne set up Snead for a third goal. Julia Hayes scored off a 20-yard free kick for Attleboro’s lone goal, but KP added three in the second half. Layne scored on a Snead assist five minutes after the break and then the same combo added another four minutes later. In the 58th minute, Snead added an unassisted goal to wrap up the scoring.

Canton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – North Attleboro set the tone early, scoring the opener less than three minutes into the game. Big Red then added one late in the first half and two more in the final five minutes of the game. Kayla Pasquel netted the opener on an assist from Aine Mendonca in the third minute. Haley Guertin, assisted by Leah Jette, made it 2-0 with just two minutes to play in the first half. Emma Gaulin made it 3-0 in favor of Big Red with four minutes left in the game off an assist from Ashlyn Gaulin and then Guertin finished the scoring on a feed from Haley Ferrin with just a minute to play. Emma Noreck earned the shutout in net – “with a smothering defense in front of her,” said NAHS head coach Bill Wallace.

Foxboro, 6 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – Foxboro took a 2-0 lead into halftime and broke the game open with four goals in the second half. Mackenzie Fraser netted a pair of goals for the Warriors while Lily Sykes, Shaina Abbott, Katelyn Mollica and Yara Fawaz each scored once. “We played with a lot of energy and passion today,” noted Foxboro head coach Katie Stalcup.

Franklin, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Jackie Mills scored a last-minute goal, her second of the game, to secure a dramatic two points for the Tigers. Franklin had a chance from the penalty spot in the second half, but OA defender Maggie Ault stepped in between the pipes (starting goalie Regan Benton was forced to the bench with a yellow card) and made the save. Anabella Walsh and Abby Reardon had assists for the Tigers.

Taunton, 0 @ Mansfield, 4 – Final – The Hornets stayed in a first-place tie atop the Kelley-Rex behind a Stephanie Kemp brace. Cassidy McMahon added a goal and two assists and Emily Vigeant scored one for the Hornets.

Stoughton, 1 @ Milford, 5 – Final – Milford senior Leeanne Kibbee and Ashleigh Starks each scored a pair of goals as Milford cruised to a win at home. Senior Maggie Boyle also found the back of the net while freshman goalie Carly Ferreira notched her first career win. Mia Greene had the goal for the Black Knights.

Volleyball
King Philip, 3 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – King Philip bounced back from an opening set loss to earn a win on the road, beating Attleboro 19-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-9. Sydney Phillips led the offense with 11 kills, Michaela Palumbo had five kills with five service points, including four aces and Rachael Veillieux had 18 service points, including eight aces. Kat Kmetz added 10 service points and five kills and Grace Ely chipped in with five kills.

North Attleboro, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Despite falling behind 2-0, North Attleboro rallied with three straight wins to pick up a big division win on the road (20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-8, 15-8). Amelia Murphy led the offense with 22 kills and four blocks while classmate Kezia De La Cruz had 15 kills and four aces. Leah Marceau put the offense in motion with 28 assists. For Canton, Nicole Brown had 20 assists, 11 digs, and four kills, Hannah Jerrier had 10 kills, and Megan McDonough had 15 digs and a pair of aces.

Sharon, 3 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin junior Lauren McGrath spread the ball around in the Panthers sweep of the Tigers, recording 29 assists as well as three kills and two aces. Maggie Doyle (four blocks), Meaghan Maguire (two blocks) and Hailey Sanders (block) each had six kills for Franklin. For Oliver Ames, Katie Flynn had seven kills while junior Sadie Homer had 22 serve receptions and 10 digs.

Mansfield, 3 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Mansfield snapped its three-game skid with a 25-23, 25-13, 25-14 win on the road at Taunton. Meg Hill had a team-high 18 kills while Julia Harrison added 10 kills. Emma Ascoli had 28 assists and 10 service points and Lexi Gardner had 17 service points and four kills.

Milford, 1 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Stoughton picked up its 13th win of the season with a 3-1 decision over visiting Milford. Senior Val Whalen led the way for the Black Knights with 13 kills, 14 digs, and nine aces while Junior Hanna Holden chipped in with 13 digs and eight assists.

Golf
Canton, 170 @ Sharon, 176 – Final – Canton’s Thomas Singleton and Sharon’s Corey Carter shared match medalist honors, each carding a round of 40 but the Bulldogs came away with a close win. Joey Vaughan shot a 41 whole Chris Lavoie added a round of 44 in the win. Matt Grosser shot a round of 44 for the Eagles.

Franklin, 168 vs. Medway, 170 – Final

Oliver Ames, 145 @ King Philip, 159 – Final – Oliver Ames seniors Ryan McGarry and Mark Bissonette earned co-medalist honors, each carding a low-round of 35 to lead the Tigers to their 12th win of the season. Nolan Donze shot a 37 and Matt Kelley added a round of 38 in the win.

Taunton, 100 @ New Bedford, 73 – Final (Stableford) – Taunton picked up a win on the road, beating New Bedford in a match decided by Stableford points system. Jack Patneaude led the way with a 42 for the Tigers while Spencer Andrews shot a 43 and Jack Giebel carded a 44.