BROCKTON, MA – This was a case of three games rolled into one: a defensive battle, a game-changing goal line stand, and a blowout. In the end, the Brockton Boxers shut out the BC High Eagles on Friday night, 21-0. The victory proved to be a bit of revenge for Brockton. Last year, the Boxers were shut out by the Eagles, 42-0.
Just two minutes into the game, the contest was delayed for about an hour due to lightning off in the distance. When play resumed, the result was a defensive struggle for much of the first half. Neither team could get much going offensively. Penalties were almost as numerous as first downs.
Perhaps the turning point of the game came just before halftime. With the Eagles driving, quarterback Brendan Craven took off on third down, and as he was trying to dive into the end zone, he was stood up forcibly by the Boxers’ defense. On fourth and goal, Craven tried the quarterback sneak, but again Brockton’s defense was up to the challenge. The goal line stand kept the game scoreless at halftime.
A momentum changer? You bet.
The home team came out and dominated the second half. While the defense continued to pitch a shutout, the offense found the end zone three times. Quarterback Austin Roberts got his team on the board with a quarterback sneak in the third quarter. His 20-yard run in the fourth quarter put the icing on the cake. In between his scores, Aaron LeClair found the end zone from ten yards out.
The MIAA High School Super Bowls were this past weekend in Massachusetts, and one of the games that continues to be a topic of discussion amongst fans and media members this week is the Division IV-A championship between Blue Hills Regional Technical High School and Boston Cathedral.
In the fourth quarter, Panthers senior quarterback Matthew Owensbursted through the line of defenders, and raced down the sidelines toward the end zone. However, upon reaching the 24-yard line of Blue Hills, he raised his left pointer finger for two strides, which resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct for Boston Cathedral. The Panthers ended up losing the game, and the Super Bowl due to an excessive celebration penalty.
So, we want to know from you — did the MIAA referee make the right decision? Here’s the video, enjoy.
FOXBOROUGH, MA – Concord-Carlisle had hopes of raising the Super Bowl plaque last year, but fell short of their goal. They haven’t lost since.
The Patriots, led by senior running back George Craan’s 122 yards and three touchdowns, routed Oliver Ames, 42-9, to win the Division III Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowl and complete their perfect season.
“We’ve always talked about wins and losses being the report card of the homework you do all week long at practice and these guys have aced every test,” Concord-Carlisle coach Mike Robichaud said. “It’s just been unbelievable and it underscores the great work of this senior class.”
Oliver Ames came out strong, forcing the Patriots to go three-and-out and punt. But on the ensuing punt, the Tigers fumbled the kick, allowing Concord-Carlisle to take over at the OA 34.
Four plays later, senior George Craan ran from four yards out to put Concord-Carlisle up 7-0. The Patriots never looked back, nor surrendered their only lead of the game.
“They did a good job of shutting us down on some things early on,” said Robichaud. “Our guys were really determined and we were able to get back to a main menu of things we were doing a little earlier in the season more consistently.[There] was some really good execution from the guys up front.”
After an OA field goal on their first possession from Ryan McGrath, the Patriots came back with a seven play, 76-yard drive, which was capped off by a nine-yard Craan run.
“He’s just a great kid. He made it to his mission when he came to the high school to get here as a senior,” Robichaud continued. “He got here ahead of schedule last year as a junior and weren’t able to close it out. He was one of the most determined kids we’ve got to make it happen. It was huge in the playoff games.”
“We just knew we had to execute,” said Craan. “Obviously we were happy we were here but we had a mission ahead of us. Our guys had to stay to focused to accomplish that mission.”
The Patriot defense forced a total of four turnovers and limited the Tigers to just complete 4-of-11 third downs.
“The defense is well prepared by [assistant] coach Dalicandro,” continued Craan. “Those guys work their butts off at practices. We knew everyone had to help each other out; from defense to offense to special teams, it was a whole group effort.“
Concord-Carlisle senior Henry Bumpus had a “redemption” game according to Robichaud. After dropping a pass last year in the Super Bowl, Bumpus came back to catch two touchdowns and snatch one interception.
“We’ve been waiting to get here. He was sick as a dog [about last year],” Robichaud said. “To come back here and to do what he did was extra special. It was definitely redemption and a wonderful day for a kid who has put so much work into becoming a better football player.”
For Oliver Ames, senior back Sam Langston led the way with 60 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was the final play of an 80-yard drive, capped off by the three-yard Langston run.
“Sam’s a fantastic football player,” said Oliver Ames head coach Jim Artz. “I wanted to get him in the end zone at the end just to try and say thank you for all the hard work he’s given us. He’s just been an outstanding back. Whether he’s catching the ball out of the backfield or running with the ball. He’ll be hard to replace.”
Concord-Carlisle will graduate 19 seniors while Oliver Ames will graduate 20.
ABINGTON, MA – On a warm, wet night, three things happened very quickly at Memorial Field: downpours, Burke turnovers and Abington touchdowns.
The Green Wave (2-1) took advantage of some sloppy play by the Bulldogs (0-3), en route to a 29-2 win in a non-conference game Friday night. It was Abington’s home opener.
Abington got on the board first in the first quarter. On the first play after Burke turned it over on a fumbled exchange, junior Jack Malafronte raced into the end zone from 37 yards out to make it 6-0. Following another fumbled snap, Malafronte scored again on a 3-yard score. The 2-point conversion made it 14-0.
The Green Wave kept rolling in the second quarter, increasing its lead to 21-0 on a 1-yard touchdown by junior David Manzo. The last Abington touchdown of the half came on a 58-yard run by sophomore Matt Kilmain. A safety just before the half made it 29-0 at the intermission, and the rout was on from there.
Abington travels to Norwell next Friday night. Burke will face O’Bryant.
One more game… that’s right, one more game and then the light’s go out.
Friday Night Light’s season five finale is this Friday, (July 15, 2011) and yes, it’s a bittersweet feeling.
This particular series wasn’t just about the sport of football, but instead, a family, community and school, as well as the state of Texas. Each character represented one of us, as well as encountered the same troubles we all dealt with on a daily basis such as love, trust, focus, family, work and school.
Yet, why did we become so attached? What exactly persuaded us to listen to Coach Eric Taylor’s pre-game speeches in the West Dillion locker room? Why did we always side with Tami Taylor? Also, what forced us to cheer for the truest underdog of them all, Matt Saracen?
We'll always remember the great speeches by Eric Taylor
Well, it’s because we were indeed apart of this “fantasy world.” We were fans in the stands every Friday evening, students in the hallway and members of the community who voted at town meetings.
Seriously, we cared so much about this particular “small” Texas town and now, it’s coming to end, (bummer).
It’s hard to imagine life without Friday Night Lights, but seriously, I’m sure many of us won’t forget this amazing series. There were so many wonderful memories, dramatic moments, but also, significant events that made this particular show so enthralling.
Although, as Coach Taylor’s daughter, Julie Taylor once said, there’s no place in the world like Dillon, Texas.
Friday evening can’t come soon enough, yet, once the lights officially go down, we too will walk away from our televisions, computers or mobile devices knowing that just like so many characters, it’s time to move onto greener pastures. It’s been an exciting ride, however, before the cast and crew take their final bow, we’ll get to watch Coach Taylor attempt to win yet another Texas State Championship, so save your voices because I’m sure we’re in for yet another epic showdown.
All in all, it’s safe to say, we’ll always be apart of the imaginary world of Dillon, Texas.
Dan Libon and Matt Noonan are your hosts for the “Dan Libon Podcast” on Tuesday’s!
Matt Noonan and Dan Libon teamed up once again for the Dan Libon Podcast on Tuesday December 7, 2010. The guys talked about the Patriots-Jets Monday night affair, recapped an interesting weekend in high school football, as well as discussed the state of the Boston Bruins.
This article was written by Dan Libon (Featured Noontime Sports Writer)
Foxborough, MA – It was a tale of two teams at the Massachusetts Division II Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, between the Mansfield Hornets and Reading Rockets. At the end of the first half and trailing the Rockets by a gigantic margin, Mansfield head coach Michael Redding wasn’t sure if they could even come back.
“I thought that touchdown at the end of the half was the killer. I kinda walked in thinking that was one too many.”
Of course, these young men play the game of football for a reason.
With the running game being displayed early and often, Reading’s defense decided to put on a show themselves too. With three turnovers off of Mansfield’s four possessions, Reading was putting on a defensive clinic for 40-straight minutes. Yet, while Mansfield was turning over the ball constantly at times, they did show signs of life. A halfback pass from running back Jamel Marshall to wide receiver Jeff Hill, led to a 47-yard touchdown reception. It would be the most excitement that the Mansfield offense would display in the first half, as Reading dominated the entire 20-minutes of the first half.
After Mansfield took a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, Reading’s Nick Scali returned a kickoff for 72 yards, which set up the Rockets offense on the Mansfield 17 yard line. Unable to be successful on the PAT after the first Redding touchdown, the team resorted to a variety of two-point conversions for the remainder of the game in a move that would come back to haunt them in the fourth quarter.
Reading quarterback Brian Bourque threw a touchdown to help his team take the lead, 12-7, but after another Mansfield turnover with 5:24 left in the first half, it would lead to another Reading touchdown with 1:01 remaining. Then, a 34 yard interception by Larry Gilligan with 19 seconds left, set up Reading’s final touchdown of their season, making it 26-7 at halftime.
Beginning in the third quarter, Mansfield defense set up the beginning of a Hornet comeback and special Super Bowl memory. On offense, their passing attack that was nonexistent in the first half began to show signs of life thanks to a Jeff Hill touchdown pass, which cut the lead to 12 points. The 68-yard reception would be Hill’s second touchdown reception of the game and three minuets later, the lead would be cut to five points.
After a Mansfield interception in the closing seconds of the third quarter, Reading’s dominance started to not look as strong as it did in the early minutes of this particular Super Bowl.
With less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Mansfield had a chance to take the lead, but Reading was able to stop them from scoring. Reading’s defense struck again with an interception at their own 1-yard line and 20 seconds later, Mansfield’s Dan Gilmore intercepted a pass, which gave his team another shot to score the go-ahead touchdown.
Jamel Mashall rushed for a one-yard touchdown and two point conversion to give Mansfield a 29-26 lead. An onside kick recovery by Mansfield was then enough to end the game and win their fourth championship in eight seasons.
This comeback can only be describe as a total team effort and after getting the major defensive stops, which were needed greatly, Mansfield attacked with a passing game led by quarterback George Busharis and wide receiver Jeff Hill. Busharis threw for 231 yards in the second half after throwing for only 26 in the first half. Hill caught 5 catches for 191 yards with 135 yards coming in the second half. Jamal Marshall also rushed for 62 yards and for a touchdown.
This article was written by Dan Libon (Featured Noontime Sports Writer)
Foxborough, MA – It was a tale of two teams at the Massachusetts Division II Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, between the Mansfield Hornets and Reading Rockets. At the end of the first half and trailing the Rockets by a gigantic margin, Mansfield head coach Michael Redding wasn’t sure if they could even come back.
“I thought that touchdown at the end of the half was the killer. I kinda walked in thinking that was one too many.”
Of course, these young men play the game of football for a reason.
With the running game being displayed early and often, Reading’s defense decided to put on a show themselves too. With three turnovers off of Mansfield’s four possessions, Reading was putting on a defensive clinic for 40-straight minutes. Yet, while Mansfield was turning over the ball constantly at times, they did show signs of life. A halfback pass from running back Jamel Marshall to wide receiver Jeff Hill, led to a 47-yard touchdown reception. It would be the most excitement that the Mansfield offense would display in the first half, as Reading dominated the entire 20-minutes of the first half.
After Mansfield took a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, Reading’s Nick Scali returned a kickoff for 72 yards, which set up the Rockets offense on the Mansfield 17 yard line. Unable to be successful on the PAT after the first Redding touchdown, the team resorted to a variety of two-point conversions for the remainder of the game in a move that would come back to haunt them in the fourth quarter.
Reading quarterback Brian Bourque threw a touchdown to help his team take the lead, 12-7, but after another Mansfield turnover with 5:24 left in the first half, it would lead to another Reading touchdown with 1:01 remaining. Then, a 34 yard interception by Larry Gilligan with 19 seconds left, set up Reading’s final touchdown of their season, making it 26-7 at halftime.
Beginning in the third quarter, Mansfield defense set up the beginning of a Hornet comeback and special Super Bowl memory. On offense, their passing attack that was nonexistent in the first half began to show signs of life thanks to a Jeff Hill touchdown pass, which cut the lead to 12 points. The 68-yard reception would be Hill’s second touchdown reception of the game and three minuets later, the lead would be cut to five points.
After a Mansfield interception in the closing seconds of the third quarter, Reading’s dominance started to not look as strong as it did in the early minutes of this particular Super Bowl.
With less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Mansfield had a chance to take the lead, but Reading was able to stop them from scoring. Reading’s defense struck again with an interception at their own 1-yard line and 20 seconds later, Mansfield’s Dan Gilmore intercepted a pass, which gave his team another shot to score the go-ahead touchdown.
Jamel Mashall rushed for a one-yard touchdown and two point conversion to give Mansfield a 29-26 lead. An onside kick recovery by Mansfield was then enough to end the game and win their fourth championship in eight seasons.
This comeback can only be describe as a total team effort and after getting the major defensive stops, which were needed greatly, Mansfield attacked with a passing game led by quarterback George Busharis and wide receiver Jeff Hill. Busharis threw for 231 yards in the second half after throwing for only 26 in the first half. Hill caught 5 catches for 191 yards with 135 yards coming in the second half. Jamal Marshall also rushed for 62 yards and for a touchdown.
