As anticipated, I'm not feeling like spending a lot of time at the computer tonight. So these will be abbreviated picks for the two games for teams from our circulation area on Tuesday, and one from close by:
Bishop Feehan 28, Dighton-Rehoboth 14: The Falcons have a great passing offense, but the Shamrocks are bigger, stronger and more balanced.
Tri-County 24, Brighton 6: The Randy Hardy-led Cougars appear intent to prove that last year was no fluke.
Natick 17, Franklin 14: The Panthers may find that Natick, which smoked a very good Walpole team, will take advantage of mistakes more readily than some of their Hockomock foes did.
Monday, November 30, 2009
No blogging tonight, sorry.
Sorry, folks, but there won't be any blogging from tonight's game between the Patriots and Saints at the Louisiana Superdome.
Part of the reason, of course, is that I won't be there. But a previously scheduled medical procedure scheduled for early Tuesday morning will force me to turn in early tonight, so I won't be able to post the "hots and nots" (I won't be compiling them) and the game notes that the Patriots' PR department usually sends after the game.
That same procedure will also unfortunately prevent me from covering either of the area's two high school football playoff games on Tuesday. But I will post my predictions for them later this afternoon.
I should be back to full-blogging mode by Wednesday, which will include posting of the 30th Audio Blog of the season.
Part of the reason, of course, is that I won't be there. But a previously scheduled medical procedure scheduled for early Tuesday morning will force me to turn in early tonight, so I won't be able to post the "hots and nots" (I won't be compiling them) and the game notes that the Patriots' PR department usually sends after the game.
That same procedure will also unfortunately prevent me from covering either of the area's two high school football playoff games on Tuesday. But I will post my predictions for them later this afternoon.
I should be back to full-blogging mode by Wednesday, which will include posting of the 30th Audio Blog of the season.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
It'll be a morning at Gillette.
The area is already assured of one participant in the MIAA Super Bowls at Gillette Stadium a week from today, and that game will be played early in the day.
The winner of Tuesday night's Division 3 semifinal game at Taunton between Bishop Feehan and Dighton-Rehoboth will advance to the 11 a.m. game at Gillette, the second of the day.
Division 3A starts the day at 9 a.m. After the D3 game, the schedule is as follows: Division 2A at 1:30 p.m., Division 2 (possibly involving Franklin) at 3:30, Division 1 at 6 and Division 1A at 8.
Tickets at Gillette Stadium will be $13 for adults, $10 for students. Parking will be free.
The Super Bowls for Divisions 4 and 4A (the latter possibly invoving Tri-County) will be played at Bentley University on the same day. Times have not been announced.
As in the past, the six games at Gillette will be broadcast on TV. The first three games will be televised on Comcast SportsNet New England, and the last three on WSBK-TV, Ch. 38.
Also of note: Southeastern Regional of Easton (6-5), which includes some local athletes, will face Lynn Tech (7-4) in the State Vocational Large Division "Super Bowl" at 7 p.m. Thursday in Quincy. It's not an official MIAA championship, but still fun for the participants.
The winner of Tuesday night's Division 3 semifinal game at Taunton between Bishop Feehan and Dighton-Rehoboth will advance to the 11 a.m. game at Gillette, the second of the day.
Division 3A starts the day at 9 a.m. After the D3 game, the schedule is as follows: Division 2A at 1:30 p.m., Division 2 (possibly involving Franklin) at 3:30, Division 1 at 6 and Division 1A at 8.
Tickets at Gillette Stadium will be $13 for adults, $10 for students. Parking will be free.
The Super Bowls for Divisions 4 and 4A (the latter possibly invoving Tri-County) will be played at Bentley University on the same day. Times have not been announced.
As in the past, the six games at Gillette will be broadcast on TV. The first three games will be televised on Comcast SportsNet New England, and the last three on WSBK-TV, Ch. 38.
Also of note: Southeastern Regional of Easton (6-5), which includes some local athletes, will face Lynn Tech (7-4) in the State Vocational Large Division "Super Bowl" at 7 p.m. Thursday in Quincy. It's not an official MIAA championship, but still fun for the participants.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Playoff sites announced.
The area's three playoff-bound football teams now know where they'll be playing Tuesday night.
The MIAA Division 3 game between Bishop Feehan and Dighton-Rehoboth will be played at Taunton High's Tiger Stadium, a 7:45 p.m. start.
The Division 4A game between Tri-County and Brighton will almost be a "home" game for the Franklin-based Cougars, a 5:15 p.m. start at Franklin High's Pisini Field.
And it will be a real home game for the Hockomock League-champion Franklin Panthers, whose Division 2 semifinal against Natick will be played at Pisini Field as well, following the T-C vs. Brighton game.
The winner of the D-R vs. Feehan game will play Saturday at Gillette Stadium in the Division 3 Super Bowl at a time to be announced. If Tri-County wins, it would advance to the Division 4A championship game at Bentley University in Waltham, time TBA.
To see all of the playoff sites and times, please go to the MIAA Web site at: http://www.miaa.net/Superbowl-Playoffs-2009-East.pdf
Tags:
The MIAA Division 3 game between Bishop Feehan and Dighton-Rehoboth will be played at Taunton High's Tiger Stadium, a 7:45 p.m. start.
The Division 4A game between Tri-County and Brighton will almost be a "home" game for the Franklin-based Cougars, a 5:15 p.m. start at Franklin High's Pisini Field.
And it will be a real home game for the Hockomock League-champion Franklin Panthers, whose Division 2 semifinal against Natick will be played at Pisini Field as well, following the T-C vs. Brighton game.
The winner of the D-R vs. Feehan game will play Saturday at Gillette Stadium in the Division 3 Super Bowl at a time to be announced. If Tri-County wins, it would advance to the Division 4A championship game at Bentley University in Waltham, time TBA.
To see all of the playoff sites and times, please go to the MIAA Web site at: http://www.miaa.net/Superbowl-Playoffs-2009-East.pdf
Tags:
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Bonus thoughts from Pisini Field.
Here are some random thoughts from one of the most memorable games in the history of the King Philip-Franklin rivalry:
** What a perfect day for a game, and what a perfect site for such a big game. The re-do of the Pisini Field complex a few years ago has produced an outstanding venue for football. I am a big fan of FieldTurf and the way it allows athletes to play at their peak and not have field conditions interfere. The rainy weather of the past couple of days could have rendered a worn-out grass field unplayable, but the Warriors and Panthers did not have to face those problems Thursday.
One thing that may have upset a few folks in the estimated crowd of 6,500 was that very few individuals were allowed inside the fence that serves as the perimeter around the football field and track. I was one of the lucky ones, of course, but I can certainly understand why the coaches would prefer to have a little breathing room between them and a huge crowd.
It may have meant more distant views for a lot of the fans, but in this day and age, it makes more sense from a crowd-control sense.
I did get a kick out of seeing the hillside between the field and the Horace Mann Middle School (which was Franklin High when I was in high school) filled with fans. They had approximately the same angled view that I might in the press box at LandShark Stadium in Miami, home of the Dolphins (albeit lower), and I hope they had fun from this unique vantage point. One problem with Thanksgiving games is that fans often can't see what happens at the far end of the field because they're standing at ground level. But if you've got a nearby hillside, use it -- as long as you can charge admission for it!
** I've been wracking my brain to try to figure out why one team succeeded and another didn't despite taking a very similar approach to the game defensively.
Both teams shut down the run, at least in the early going. They also pressured the opposing quarterback -- both teams had three sacks -- and after a scoreless first quarter, I wondered if anyone was going to score in this game.
I think the answer rests in the style of the quarterbacks, and what their unique capabilities as athletes allowed them to do.
Measure the quarterbacks by the NFL rating system, and one story is told. KP's Brandon Howard (7-13, 133 yards, one TD, no interceptions) had a 115.2 passer rating, and Franklin's Nick Colson (6-17, 136 yards, two TD, one interception) had a 79.5 passer rating. So you'd think Howard should win, right?
Well, not necessarily so. Franklin's offense is based upon Colson's ability to escape trouble with his running ability (78 yards against KP). His throws may be a little erratic at times when he's moving, but it helps keep him alive to make a play -- and the Warriors certainly had to respect his running ability, and could not overcommit to all-out blitzes. It's a testimony to the ability of the KP defense that it could keep Colson's receivers tied up long enough to corral him in the backfield three times, Kevin Donahue making all three sacks.
Howard, on the other hand, is more of a classic dropback quarterback, although he can certainly keep a defense honest if he puts his head down and heads up the middle. But he was not going to be breaking many outside runs, and the Franklin defense did a good job of containing KP's runners, so Howard was basically channeled into having to throw or run up the middle himself to sustain drives. And when you know that's coming, it's time to tee off.
Why don't you see more running quarterbacks in the pros? Well, easy. If you're going to commit so much money to a player who's the leader of your offense, you don't want him to take the beating that he would take from players twice his size but almost as quick. In high school and college, at least the mobile QB still has a fighting chance.
** When you think about it, KP really did dodge a few bullets in Thursday's game.
The first was when Matt Carini threw an option pass to Colson on the left sideline, picking up 18 yards to the KP 32 before Colson fumbled upon being hit. There's another reason why you don't usually want to hang your quarterbacks out to dry elsewhere on the field.
The second when Howard's punt was blocked on the next-to-last play of the first half, and Franklin recovered atthe KP 22. With time for only one play, Colson rolled the dice and threw into the end zone for Jordan Nesmith, but Mike Cochrane (who did some of everything in this game and did it really well) had it scoped out and intercepted it.
So it's very possible that instead of a 6-6 tie at the half, KP could have been looking at a two-touchdown deficit. But the Warriors weren't (fortunately), and the result was a game that was exciting right down to the finish.
** Nine o'clock in the morning is a bit early for a cheeseburger, at least for me, so I can't say I visited the concession stand on Thursday. But they usually do a very good job at the grill in Franklin, and I promise, I'll be back next season.
For those who might worry that I didn't have a good holiday dinner, rest assured I took care of that by planning ahead.Thanks to the good folks at Stop and Shop, I was able to pre-prepare a meal of sliced Boar's Head deli turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and cranberry sauce, and freeze it. Then at the office Thursday, I popped the meal into the microwave for about 15 minutes, and the result was a delicious holiday dinner that I could enjoy while writing my story.
** It's nice to know that I went 6-0 for my holiday picks, but I was stunned by some of the results -- the fact that the margins of victory were so large, in fact. North Attleboro, Mansfield, Norton and Bishop Feehan all won by far larger margins than I imagined possible, and I'm not certain if it's because I overestimated the defeated teams, or just underestimated how good the winning teams were. Probably a little of both.
** What a perfect day for a game, and what a perfect site for such a big game. The re-do of the Pisini Field complex a few years ago has produced an outstanding venue for football. I am a big fan of FieldTurf and the way it allows athletes to play at their peak and not have field conditions interfere. The rainy weather of the past couple of days could have rendered a worn-out grass field unplayable, but the Warriors and Panthers did not have to face those problems Thursday.
One thing that may have upset a few folks in the estimated crowd of 6,500 was that very few individuals were allowed inside the fence that serves as the perimeter around the football field and track. I was one of the lucky ones, of course, but I can certainly understand why the coaches would prefer to have a little breathing room between them and a huge crowd.
It may have meant more distant views for a lot of the fans, but in this day and age, it makes more sense from a crowd-control sense.
I did get a kick out of seeing the hillside between the field and the Horace Mann Middle School (which was Franklin High when I was in high school) filled with fans. They had approximately the same angled view that I might in the press box at LandShark Stadium in Miami, home of the Dolphins (albeit lower), and I hope they had fun from this unique vantage point. One problem with Thanksgiving games is that fans often can't see what happens at the far end of the field because they're standing at ground level. But if you've got a nearby hillside, use it -- as long as you can charge admission for it!
** I've been wracking my brain to try to figure out why one team succeeded and another didn't despite taking a very similar approach to the game defensively.
Both teams shut down the run, at least in the early going. They also pressured the opposing quarterback -- both teams had three sacks -- and after a scoreless first quarter, I wondered if anyone was going to score in this game.
I think the answer rests in the style of the quarterbacks, and what their unique capabilities as athletes allowed them to do.
Measure the quarterbacks by the NFL rating system, and one story is told. KP's Brandon Howard (7-13, 133 yards, one TD, no interceptions) had a 115.2 passer rating, and Franklin's Nick Colson (6-17, 136 yards, two TD, one interception) had a 79.5 passer rating. So you'd think Howard should win, right?
Well, not necessarily so. Franklin's offense is based upon Colson's ability to escape trouble with his running ability (78 yards against KP). His throws may be a little erratic at times when he's moving, but it helps keep him alive to make a play -- and the Warriors certainly had to respect his running ability, and could not overcommit to all-out blitzes. It's a testimony to the ability of the KP defense that it could keep Colson's receivers tied up long enough to corral him in the backfield three times, Kevin Donahue making all three sacks.
Howard, on the other hand, is more of a classic dropback quarterback, although he can certainly keep a defense honest if he puts his head down and heads up the middle. But he was not going to be breaking many outside runs, and the Franklin defense did a good job of containing KP's runners, so Howard was basically channeled into having to throw or run up the middle himself to sustain drives. And when you know that's coming, it's time to tee off.
Why don't you see more running quarterbacks in the pros? Well, easy. If you're going to commit so much money to a player who's the leader of your offense, you don't want him to take the beating that he would take from players twice his size but almost as quick. In high school and college, at least the mobile QB still has a fighting chance.
** When you think about it, KP really did dodge a few bullets in Thursday's game.
The first was when Matt Carini threw an option pass to Colson on the left sideline, picking up 18 yards to the KP 32 before Colson fumbled upon being hit. There's another reason why you don't usually want to hang your quarterbacks out to dry elsewhere on the field.
The second when Howard's punt was blocked on the next-to-last play of the first half, and Franklin recovered atthe KP 22. With time for only one play, Colson rolled the dice and threw into the end zone for Jordan Nesmith, but Mike Cochrane (who did some of everything in this game and did it really well) had it scoped out and intercepted it.
So it's very possible that instead of a 6-6 tie at the half, KP could have been looking at a two-touchdown deficit. But the Warriors weren't (fortunately), and the result was a game that was exciting right down to the finish.
** Nine o'clock in the morning is a bit early for a cheeseburger, at least for me, so I can't say I visited the concession stand on Thursday. But they usually do a very good job at the grill in Franklin, and I promise, I'll be back next season.
For those who might worry that I didn't have a good holiday dinner, rest assured I took care of that by planning ahead.Thanks to the good folks at Stop and Shop, I was able to pre-prepare a meal of sliced Boar's Head deli turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and cranberry sauce, and freeze it. Then at the office Thursday, I popped the meal into the microwave for about 15 minutes, and the result was a delicious holiday dinner that I could enjoy while writing my story.
** It's nice to know that I went 6-0 for my holiday picks, but I was stunned by some of the results -- the fact that the margins of victory were so large, in fact. North Attleboro, Mansfield, Norton and Bishop Feehan all won by far larger margins than I imagined possible, and I'm not certain if it's because I overestimated the defeated teams, or just underestimated how good the winning teams were. Probably a little of both.
Franklin 20, King Philip 13.
Two second-half fumbles turn into a nightmare for the Warriors, as Franklin scores as a result of the both and goes on to the MIAA Division 2 playoffs.
Here's the box score, with bonus thoughts to follow later.
Franklin 20, King Philip 13
KP Frk
First downs 5 12
Total yardage 143 283
Rushes-yards 18-34 35-148
Passing yardage 133 154
Sacks-yds. 3-24 3-19
Comp.-Att.-Int. 7-13-0 7-18-1
Return yardage 150 2
Punts-Avg. 7-32.1 6-30.5
Fumbles-lost 3-3 1-1
Penalties-yds. 4-30 2-15
Possession 16:15 23:45
King Philip 0 6 7 0—13
Franklin 0 6 0 14—20
Scoring summary:
Second quarter
KP — Mike Cochrane 64 pass from Brandon Howard (kick failed), 6:27.
Frk — Greg Dellorco 75 pass from Nick Colson (kick failed), 2:52.
Third quarter
KP — Cochrane 77 punt return (Nick Muscatiello kick), 1:37.
Fourth quarter
Frk — Joe Gilmore 36 pass from Colson (Matt Durkin kick), 8:21.
Frk — Colson 1 run (Durkin kick), 3:40.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: KP — Cacciola 7-4, Johnston 4-21, Howard 6-7, Ruffin 1-2.
Franklin — Carini 21-70, Colson 14-78.
PASSING: KP — Howard 7-13-0—133. Franklin — Colson 6-17-1—136, Carini 1-1-0—18.
RECEIVING: KP — Richards 1-20, Cox 1-3, Johnston 1-15, Cochrane 2-69, May 1-24, Cacciola 1-2. Franklin — Colson 1-18, Dellorco 1-75, Garvey 2-8, Price 2-17, Gilmore 1-36.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Here's the box score, with bonus thoughts to follow later.
Franklin 20, King Philip 13
KP Frk
First downs 5 12
Total yardage 143 283
Rushes-yards 18-34 35-148
Passing yardage 133 154
Sacks-yds. 3-24 3-19
Comp.-Att.-Int. 7-13-0 7-18-1
Return yardage 150 2
Punts-Avg. 7-32.1 6-30.5
Fumbles-lost 3-3 1-1
Penalties-yds. 4-30 2-15
Possession 16:15 23:45
King Philip 0 6 7 0—13
Franklin 0 6 0 14—20
Scoring summary:
Second quarter
KP — Mike Cochrane 64 pass from Brandon Howard (kick failed), 6:27.
Frk — Greg Dellorco 75 pass from Nick Colson (kick failed), 2:52.
Third quarter
KP — Cochrane 77 punt return (Nick Muscatiello kick), 1:37.
Fourth quarter
Frk — Joe Gilmore 36 pass from Colson (Matt Durkin kick), 8:21.
Frk — Colson 1 run (Durkin kick), 3:40.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: KP — Cacciola 7-4, Johnston 4-21, Howard 6-7, Ruffin 1-2.
Franklin — Carini 21-70, Colson 14-78.
PASSING: KP — Howard 7-13-0—133. Franklin — Colson 6-17-1—136, Carini 1-1-0—18.
RECEIVING: KP — Richards 1-20, Cox 1-3, Johnston 1-15, Cochrane 2-69, May 1-24, Cacciola 1-2. Franklin — Colson 1-18, Dellorco 1-75, Garvey 2-8, Price 2-17, Gilmore 1-36.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thursday Morning Rights ... and Wrongs.
OK, here it is, the day for which we've all been waiting. Thanksgiving Day, the day when rivalries are celebrated and contested, and generations of fans and former athletes return to their high schools to share in the excitement of the present while reliving their past.
Remember the feeling, folks. Because if some coaches push through the new football playoff plan that would start the playoffs in October and devalue the Thanksgiving games to the point where they are anti-climactic annoyances, these special games will lose their unique stature on the high school sports landscape. They may still exist, but a lot of the younger coaches from the really bad leagues wish they didn't so they could put everyone in the playoffs.
Enough on that soapbox -- here are my picks for the six holiday games in our area (home teams in CAPS):
NORTH ATTLEBORO 24, Attleboro 21: I've enjoyed watching both of these teams this year. But at a certain point, the teams started going in different directions, and that's what I think will carry the day at Beaupre Field. Attleboro played its best game of the year in the one-point loss at Bridgewater-Raynham. That was the one game this year in which the Bombardiers played championship-level defense, however, and it hasn't been the same since. North, meanwhile, seized the day at Mansfield and staged one of the best comebacks I've ever seen, and I think that will sustain the Rocketeers as they strive to bring "Hilda" back to Wilson Whitty Way.
Mansfield 31, FOXBORO 20: This will be a year that will live on in the Hornets' memories because of two fourth quarters in which double-digit leads could not be held. I can't see Nik Busharis, Shawn Doherty, Matt Zonghetti, Matt Schafer and Jeff Hill wanting a loss to Foxboro to be added to that frustration. Foxboro's running attack is well respected, but put the two teams side by side and measure position against position, and Mansfield seems to be the more well-rounded offensive team. Foxboro will want to keep possession as long as it can, keep the Hornet offense off the field and hope for another fourth-quarter fade. I don't think it will happen, though.
FRANKLIN 23, King Philip 20: A tough call. I know King Philip has been much more stingy on defense, But I see Franklin's spread offense as a means of tiring out the Warriors' defenders. RB Matt Carini is a legitimate game-breaker, but QB Nick Colson may be the Panthers' real MVP because he can run and pass equally well, and he runs the spread to best advantage. Brandon Howard and the talented KP offense have to hope that the Panthers can't cover the receivers as well as Mansfield did earlier in the year, because that will mean trouble. I expect this one to be close, maybe a last-possession win.
Dighton-Rehoboth 31, SEEKONK 14: The Warriors had a great run at the beginning of the season, and should be proud of what they accomplished, But their numbers have dwindled over the course of the season, and D-R has managed to get better and better with each passing week. The Brett Croteau-to-Brian Espinosa combination has really clicked over the second half of the year, and while I've seen the Seekonk defense play up to the level of its challenge in some very tough games, this challenge might be a bit too much.
BISHOP FEEHAN 14, Sandwich 13: Hey, Shamrocks, want some bulletin-board material? This is from Sandwich coach Bill Luette in Wednesday's Cape Cod Times: "Sandwich doesn't see the game against Feehan as a true rivalry," Luette said. "They (Feehan) are way out near Foxboro. Where is the rivalry in that?" Well, close enough. Actually, I have to agree with the guy. Feehan had a great holiday rivalry with Coyle-Cassidy some time back, but Tauntonians demanded that Coyle come back and play Taunton again, and now both holiday games stink. In any event, Sandwich is 5-5 and plays in the tough Atlantic Coast League, and may be better than we local chauvinists believe, so this is why this game gets the famed one-point distinction (which means, I don't really know). At least we know who's going to the playoffs.
NORTON 21, Bellingham 7: Not a championship year for the Lancers in Ted Currle's debut, but given the graduation losses, good job by the Lancers to be in the middle of the Tri-Valley League pack. My only regret as Norton beats the Blackhawks again is that Dale Caparaso isn't coaching in Bellingham any more. Yeah, I hold grudges.
Remember the feeling, folks. Because if some coaches push through the new football playoff plan that would start the playoffs in October and devalue the Thanksgiving games to the point where they are anti-climactic annoyances, these special games will lose their unique stature on the high school sports landscape. They may still exist, but a lot of the younger coaches from the really bad leagues wish they didn't so they could put everyone in the playoffs.
Enough on that soapbox -- here are my picks for the six holiday games in our area (home teams in CAPS):
NORTH ATTLEBORO 24, Attleboro 21: I've enjoyed watching both of these teams this year. But at a certain point, the teams started going in different directions, and that's what I think will carry the day at Beaupre Field. Attleboro played its best game of the year in the one-point loss at Bridgewater-Raynham. That was the one game this year in which the Bombardiers played championship-level defense, however, and it hasn't been the same since. North, meanwhile, seized the day at Mansfield and staged one of the best comebacks I've ever seen, and I think that will sustain the Rocketeers as they strive to bring "Hilda" back to Wilson Whitty Way.
Mansfield 31, FOXBORO 20: This will be a year that will live on in the Hornets' memories because of two fourth quarters in which double-digit leads could not be held. I can't see Nik Busharis, Shawn Doherty, Matt Zonghetti, Matt Schafer and Jeff Hill wanting a loss to Foxboro to be added to that frustration. Foxboro's running attack is well respected, but put the two teams side by side and measure position against position, and Mansfield seems to be the more well-rounded offensive team. Foxboro will want to keep possession as long as it can, keep the Hornet offense off the field and hope for another fourth-quarter fade. I don't think it will happen, though.
FRANKLIN 23, King Philip 20: A tough call. I know King Philip has been much more stingy on defense, But I see Franklin's spread offense as a means of tiring out the Warriors' defenders. RB Matt Carini is a legitimate game-breaker, but QB Nick Colson may be the Panthers' real MVP because he can run and pass equally well, and he runs the spread to best advantage. Brandon Howard and the talented KP offense have to hope that the Panthers can't cover the receivers as well as Mansfield did earlier in the year, because that will mean trouble. I expect this one to be close, maybe a last-possession win.
Dighton-Rehoboth 31, SEEKONK 14: The Warriors had a great run at the beginning of the season, and should be proud of what they accomplished, But their numbers have dwindled over the course of the season, and D-R has managed to get better and better with each passing week. The Brett Croteau-to-Brian Espinosa combination has really clicked over the second half of the year, and while I've seen the Seekonk defense play up to the level of its challenge in some very tough games, this challenge might be a bit too much.
BISHOP FEEHAN 14, Sandwich 13: Hey, Shamrocks, want some bulletin-board material? This is from Sandwich coach Bill Luette in Wednesday's Cape Cod Times: "Sandwich doesn't see the game against Feehan as a true rivalry," Luette said. "They (Feehan) are way out near Foxboro. Where is the rivalry in that?" Well, close enough. Actually, I have to agree with the guy. Feehan had a great holiday rivalry with Coyle-Cassidy some time back, but Tauntonians demanded that Coyle come back and play Taunton again, and now both holiday games stink. In any event, Sandwich is 5-5 and plays in the tough Atlantic Coast League, and may be better than we local chauvinists believe, so this is why this game gets the famed one-point distinction (which means, I don't really know). At least we know who's going to the playoffs.
NORTON 21, Bellingham 7: Not a championship year for the Lancers in Ted Currle's debut, but given the graduation losses, good job by the Lancers to be in the middle of the Tri-Valley League pack. My only regret as Norton beats the Blackhawks again is that Dale Caparaso isn't coaching in Bellingham any more. Yeah, I hold grudges.
Audio Blog 29.
The Patriots are preparing to play the undefeated New Orleans Saints, but they're not too busy to get into the holiday spirit with wishes of Thanksgiving glee for one and all. Also, a special message of thanks can be heard toward the end. The Audio Blog ... there are many like it, but this one is mine.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Many thanks, everyone.
My most heartfelt thanks to the Attleboro Area Football Hall of Fame, which saw fit to select me as this year's honorary inductee at the annual banquet at the Attleboro Elks Club.
More than anything else, my thanks go to the generations of athletes whose games I've covered and whose careers I've followed. I'm convinced that you are the ones who have kept Gobis and me young all these years. This honor is truly yours, not mine.
More in Sunday's column. But again, my sincere thanks.
More than anything else, my thanks go to the generations of athletes whose games I've covered and whose careers I've followed. I'm convinced that you are the ones who have kept Gobis and me young all these years. This honor is truly yours, not mine.
More in Sunday's column. But again, my sincere thanks.
Pats-Dolphins flexed out.
For the second straight year, the Patriots have had a game "flexed" out of the Sunday Night Football slot (8:20 p.m. on NBC).
The NFL announced today that the power of Brett Favre has commanded them to move next Sunday's game between the Vikings and Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., to the 8:20 slot. The Patriots' game at Miami will move to 1 p.m., and will be televised by CBS.
Last year, the Patriots' game at Seattle was moved out of the late slot because it was not a Brady-vs.-Hasselbeck meeting.
I know of at least one fan who's happy about this, because he's brining his 9-year-old son to Miami for the game and will be much happier about getting the kid into bed at a much earlier hour than the late game would have allowed.
The NFL announced today that the power of Brett Favre has commanded them to move next Sunday's game between the Vikings and Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., to the 8:20 slot. The Patriots' game at Miami will move to 1 p.m., and will be televised by CBS.
Last year, the Patriots' game at Seattle was moved out of the late slot because it was not a Brady-vs.-Hasselbeck meeting.
I know of at least one fan who's happy about this, because he's brining his 9-year-old son to Miami for the game and will be much happier about getting the kid into bed at a much earlier hour than the late game would have allowed.
Ryan: "Waah-h-h-h-h!"
Jets' coach Rex Ryan is crying again -- this time about a long pass that Tom Brady tried to throw to Randy Moss toward the end of their game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
I didn't see it because I was en route from the press box to the locker room on a course through the bowels of Gillette, but it fell incomplete. Ryan, however, felt it was an attempt by the Patriots to run up the score on his Jets.
"It was surprising," Ryan said in the post-game press conference. "Again, things happen. (Bill) Belichick, I don't even know how much he had to do with it more than that might have been something that Brady or Moss wanted to do. We need to stop them anyway, so it's no biggie, but I was surprised. I did feel a little bit disrespected."
Give me a break. The score was 31-14. Maybe if it had been by the score I had selected in last week's Fearless Forecasts (41-14), Ryan might have had a beef -- and even then, probably not. He should talk to Jeff Fisher, too, about how 59-0 feels.
This guy has no idea what it means to be a pro coach.
I didn't see it because I was en route from the press box to the locker room on a course through the bowels of Gillette, but it fell incomplete. Ryan, however, felt it was an attempt by the Patriots to run up the score on his Jets.
"It was surprising," Ryan said in the post-game press conference. "Again, things happen. (Bill) Belichick, I don't even know how much he had to do with it more than that might have been something that Brady or Moss wanted to do. We need to stop them anyway, so it's no biggie, but I was surprised. I did feel a little bit disrespected."
Give me a break. The score was 31-14. Maybe if it had been by the score I had selected in last week's Fearless Forecasts (41-14), Ryan might have had a beef -- and even then, probably not. He should talk to Jeff Fisher, too, about how 59-0 feels.
This guy has no idea what it means to be a pro coach.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Welker, Moss break an hours-old record.
The following is from an NFL press release. Pay attention closely, because it took me two or three readings to make sure I understood exactly what league record the Patriots' wide receivers had broken.
DUELING DUOS: A record that hadn’t been topped since 1964 was surpassed twice on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears' tandem of wide receiver JOHNNY MORRIS (77) and Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end MIKE DITKA (59) combined for 136 catches through the first 10 games of the 1964 season. In 1995, the Detroit Lions' wide receiver duo of HERMAN MOORE (73) and BRETT PERRIMAN (63) equaled that total.
During the Indianapolis Colts’ 17-15 win against Baltimore in Sunday 1 p.m. ET game, wide receiver REGGIE WAYNE (76 catches through 10 games) and DALLAS CLARK (65) combined for eight catches, establishing a record of 141 combined catches through the first 10 games of the season.
Later on Sunday, the New England Patriots' wide receiver combo of WES WELKER (79) and RANDY MOSS (63) combined for 20 catches in a 31-14 win over the New York Jets, giving the pair 142 combined receptions through 10 games to surpass the hours-old record set earlier in the day by Wayne-Clark.
The most combined receptions by teammates in the first 10 games of a season in NFL history:
2009 New England Patriots
WR Wes Welker (79) & WR Randy Moss (63)
142
2009 Indianapolis Colts
WR Reggie Wayne (76) & TE Dallas Clark (65)
141
1964 Chicago Bears
WR Johnny Morris (77) & TE Mike Ditka (59)
136
1995 Detroit Lions
WR Herman Moore (73) & WR Brett Perriman (63)
136
2007 Cincinnati Bengals
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (76) & WR Chad Ochocinco (59)
135
1994 Minnesota Vikings
WR Cris Carter (77) & WR Jake Reed (58)
135
DUELING DUOS: A record that hadn’t been topped since 1964 was surpassed twice on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears' tandem of wide receiver JOHNNY MORRIS (77) and Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end MIKE DITKA (59) combined for 136 catches through the first 10 games of the 1964 season. In 1995, the Detroit Lions' wide receiver duo of HERMAN MOORE (73) and BRETT PERRIMAN (63) equaled that total.
During the Indianapolis Colts’ 17-15 win against Baltimore in Sunday 1 p.m. ET game, wide receiver REGGIE WAYNE (76 catches through 10 games) and DALLAS CLARK (65) combined for eight catches, establishing a record of 141 combined catches through the first 10 games of the season.
Later on Sunday, the New England Patriots' wide receiver combo of WES WELKER (79) and RANDY MOSS (63) combined for 20 catches in a 31-14 win over the New York Jets, giving the pair 142 combined receptions through 10 games to surpass the hours-old record set earlier in the day by Wayne-Clark.
The most combined receptions by teammates in the first 10 games of a season in NFL history:
2009 New England Patriots
WR Wes Welker (79) & WR Randy Moss (63)
142
2009 Indianapolis Colts
WR Reggie Wayne (76) & TE Dallas Clark (65)
141
1964 Chicago Bears
WR Johnny Morris (77) & TE Mike Ditka (59)
136
1995 Detroit Lions
WR Herman Moore (73) & WR Brett Perriman (63)
136
2007 Cincinnati Bengals
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (76) & WR Chad Ochocinco (59)
135
1994 Minnesota Vikings
WR Cris Carter (77) & WR Jake Reed (58)
135
The focus shifts to our own backyards.
The Patriots are back on the right track and heading to the Big Easy at the end of the week to take on the undefeated New Orleans Saints, but before then, we've got a lot of football business that needs our attention.
It's time for something that makes Massachusetts almost entirely unique in the country -- Thanksgiving Day high school football. High school games are played on Thanksgiving in only a handful of states (just 10 and the District of Columbia according to Wikipedia, although none as extensively as the Bay State), and regardless of how many younger coaches think that Massachusetts needs a playoff system, nothing matches the excitement when long-time traditional rivals clash on the holiday.
Here's a rundown of the local games and their records. All of them will kick off Thursday morning at 10.
ATTLEBORO AT NORTH ATTLEBORO
Series started in 1921
89th holiday meeting, 90th overall
North leads 54-27-8, 53-27-8 on holiday
MANSFIELD AT FOXBORO
Series started in 1925, holiday series in 1947
79th meeting
Mansfield leads, 43-32-3
KING PHILIP AT FRANKLIN
Series started in 1960
50th meeting
Franklin leads 30-18-1
DIGHTON-REHOBOTH AT SEEKONK
Series started in 1966, holiday series in 1967
44th meeting
D-R leads, 26-16-1
BELLINGHAM AT NORTON
Series started in 1967 (DNP 1972-2001)
13th meeting
Bellingham leads, 8-4
SANDWICH AT BISHOP FEEHAN
Series started in 2006
Fourth meeting
Feehan leads, 2-1
It's time for something that makes Massachusetts almost entirely unique in the country -- Thanksgiving Day high school football. High school games are played on Thanksgiving in only a handful of states (just 10 and the District of Columbia according to Wikipedia, although none as extensively as the Bay State), and regardless of how many younger coaches think that Massachusetts needs a playoff system, nothing matches the excitement when long-time traditional rivals clash on the holiday.
Here's a rundown of the local games and their records. All of them will kick off Thursday morning at 10.
ATTLEBORO AT NORTH ATTLEBORO
Series started in 1921
89th holiday meeting, 90th overall
North leads 54-27-8, 53-27-8 on holiday
MANSFIELD AT FOXBORO
Series started in 1925, holiday series in 1947
79th meeting
Mansfield leads, 43-32-3
KING PHILIP AT FRANKLIN
Series started in 1960
50th meeting
Franklin leads 30-18-1
DIGHTON-REHOBOTH AT SEEKONK
Series started in 1966, holiday series in 1967
44th meeting
D-R leads, 26-16-1
BELLINGHAM AT NORTON
Series started in 1967 (DNP 1972-2001)
13th meeting
Bellingham leads, 8-4
SANDWICH AT BISHOP FEEHAN
Series started in 2006
Fourth meeting
Feehan leads, 2-1
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Where's Fearless? Where you'd expect.
There's a consistent breeze running from the lighthouse end of the field to the enclosed end ... enough to lift the streamers at the tops of the goalposts, but not keep them extended.
As reported earlier, I'm on alone from the sports side and Keith Nordstrom will be handling the photography. Juliet Pennington is here from the news side.
I will be blogging throughout this game, because that's my job. There has been some debate over the frequency of my posts because they are hosted on a site separately from The Sun Chronicle's Web page, which is where most of you access this blog. Rest assured that my efforts to blog pertinent information in this game will remain the same as they've been in the past. Those on the "Southeastern Mass. Online Community" who feel inconvenienced by the frequency of the posts should click on "All Posts" and you'll see everything that everyone has posted.
I asked Stacey James, the media relations director of the Patriots, how much Gatorade a team consumed in the course of an NFL game. It took him a day to track down the training staff, but he told me that the Patriots make anywhere between 30 and 45 gallons of Gatorade for each game, depending upon the hydration needs of the team.
Given that it's a little warmer today than the average late November game, I'll guess that 40 gallons were made for the game -- and at each quarter break, you'll see the little Gatorade Gauge (as seen at left) to show you how much of the electrolyte-replenishment drink has been consumed by the Patriots.
For in-game blogging, please go to www.thesunchronicle.com/farinella. We'll be back after the game here with hots and nots and game notes. Thanks for coming.
Before we start, a moment of remembrance.
The day was Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. I was sitting in my fifth-grade classroom at Dominican Academy in Plainville, day-dreaming the hours away about the upcoming weekend, when the phone rang across the hall in the principal's office.
Dominican Academy was a small school -- eight classrooms for eight elementary grades -- and my class was taught by the principal, Sister Mary Eugene, who had designated the class "validictorian," Joanne Hastings, to be the official phone answerer when class was in session.
So, Joanne dutifully sprinted out of the room to answer the phone. For the rest of us, class continued -- until she ran back into the room in tears, shouting four words that one never believes he or she will hear in his or her lifetime.
"The president's been shot!"
Immediately, Sister Mary Eugene turned on the black-and-white television at the front of the classroom, and for the next two hours, we sat with tear-filled eyes as the story of the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Dallas unfolded before us.
I'm not sure how many of my classmates understood the importance of what was happening before us. Indeed, I drew the ire of Sister Mary Eugene because I was focused more upon watching Walter Cronkite tell us the news from Dallas, and trying to understand it, than I was upon saying the rosary in a futile effort to ask God to spare the life of the first Catholic President of the United States.
As years passed, I've come to have a more adult understanding of the events of that day, and the effect it had upon American society over the following generations. But even as a 9-year-old boy, I had been aware of the youthful and dynamic direction that America had taken upon the election of the young senator from Massachusetts, and I knew even then that our lives would never be the same.
A few years ago, I finally visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas to get a feel for the site that I could see in 1963 only through a series of flickering black-and-white images on a television set. It gave me a greater sense of understanding, and perhaps closure, to a moment that will live on forever in my memory.
Now, on to the football.
Dominican Academy was a small school -- eight classrooms for eight elementary grades -- and my class was taught by the principal, Sister Mary Eugene, who had designated the class "validictorian," Joanne Hastings, to be the official phone answerer when class was in session.
So, Joanne dutifully sprinted out of the room to answer the phone. For the rest of us, class continued -- until she ran back into the room in tears, shouting four words that one never believes he or she will hear in his or her lifetime.
"The president's been shot!"
Immediately, Sister Mary Eugene turned on the black-and-white television at the front of the classroom, and for the next two hours, we sat with tear-filled eyes as the story of the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Dallas unfolded before us.
I'm not sure how many of my classmates understood the importance of what was happening before us. Indeed, I drew the ire of Sister Mary Eugene because I was focused more upon watching Walter Cronkite tell us the news from Dallas, and trying to understand it, than I was upon saying the rosary in a futile effort to ask God to spare the life of the first Catholic President of the United States.
As years passed, I've come to have a more adult understanding of the events of that day, and the effect it had upon American society over the following generations. But even as a 9-year-old boy, I had been aware of the youthful and dynamic direction that America had taken upon the election of the young senator from Massachusetts, and I knew even then that our lives would never be the same.
A few years ago, I finally visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas to get a feel for the site that I could see in 1963 only through a series of flickering black-and-white images on a television set. It gave me a greater sense of understanding, and perhaps closure, to a moment that will live on forever in my memory.
Now, on to the football.
Very good reason to be flying solo.
It's going to be a long day at Gillette Stadium, and I will be the only sports-side representative of The Sun Chronicle in the house, but it's for a very good reason.
Tonight in Worcester, long-time colleague Peter Gobis will be receiving the prestigious President's Award from the Mass. State Basketball Coaches Association for his contributions to the promotion and betterment of high school basketball in this state.
I was the recipient of that award in 1990 (just a year after my return to the Blue Ribbon Daily from two years at The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, in fact), and it's one of my most prized possessions. I'd like to think that it spurred me to do an even better job of covering the sport -- especially as we worked to equalize the coverage of boys' hoop and girls' hoop to reflect the improvement of the girls' game and the heightened interest in it locally.
Gobis' work ethic is legendary, and his respect for the game and those who play it is plainly evident in everything he writes. I couldn't be happier to see him honored in this way -- even if it means he'll be missing the game against the Jets tonight. Chances are his free meal is going to be better than mine, too.
Tonight in Worcester, long-time colleague Peter Gobis will be receiving the prestigious President's Award from the Mass. State Basketball Coaches Association for his contributions to the promotion and betterment of high school basketball in this state.
I was the recipient of that award in 1990 (just a year after my return to the Blue Ribbon Daily from two years at The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, in fact), and it's one of my most prized possessions. I'd like to think that it spurred me to do an even better job of covering the sport -- especially as we worked to equalize the coverage of boys' hoop and girls' hoop to reflect the improvement of the girls' game and the heightened interest in it locally.
Gobis' work ethic is legendary, and his respect for the game and those who play it is plainly evident in everything he writes. I couldn't be happier to see him honored in this way -- even if it means he'll be missing the game against the Jets tonight. Chances are his free meal is going to be better than mine, too.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Bonus thoughts from Tri-County.
Here are the stories behind the stories from the Tri-County-Old Colony game on the hilltop in Franklin today:
** What a difference from last year's game at Old Colony -- and I mean the weather. Last year, the temperatures were in the low 20s, possibly colder. This year, the temperature was pushing 60. This is the sort of global warming I can gladly accept.
Of course, I was overdressed -- long-sleeve polo, Martha's Vineyard sweatshirt, North Face fleece jacket. Felt as if I was sweating off those excess pounds by halftime.
The weather, however, did have a slight effect upon the game. Recent rains didn't drain too well from the Tri-County field, and because of its steep crown, the sidelines were soggy and slippery. Wisely, the Cougars avoided these muddy patches and gained the majorioty of their 296 rushing yards running right up the middle. And how often at this time of the year is the strategy the exact opposite, to take the running plays outside to get OUT of the mud and into grass?
** Tri-County didn't do too well in one key area of the game -- 1-for-6 in third-down conversions, or .167. So why didn't that thrust the Cougars into trouble?
** What a difference from last year's game at Old Colony -- and I mean the weather. Last year, the temperatures were in the low 20s, possibly colder. This year, the temperature was pushing 60. This is the sort of global warming I can gladly accept.
Of course, I was overdressed -- long-sleeve polo, Martha's Vineyard sweatshirt, North Face fleece jacket. Felt as if I was sweating off those excess pounds by halftime.
The weather, however, did have a slight effect upon the game. Recent rains didn't drain too well from the Tri-County field, and because of its steep crown, the sidelines were soggy and slippery. Wisely, the Cougars avoided these muddy patches and gained the majorioty of their 296 rushing yards running right up the middle. And how often at this time of the year is the strategy the exact opposite, to take the running plays outside to get OUT of the mud and into grass?
** Tri-County didn't do too well in one key area of the game -- 1-for-6 in third-down conversions, or .167. So why didn't that thrust the Cougars into trouble?
Tri-County 30, Old Colony 0.
The Tri-County Cougars clinched their second straight berth in the MIAA Division 4A playoffs with a win over Old Colony in the "Cougar Classic" in Franklin. Here's the box score, and bonus thoughts will come later:
Tri-County 30, Old Colony 0
OCR T-C
First downs 10 14
Total yardage 95 310
Rushing yardage 33 296
Passing yardage 73 14
Sacks-yds. 1-11 0-0
Comp.-Att.-Int. 9-22-2 3-5-0
Punts-Avg. 3-15.3 1-24.0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-1
Penalties-yds. 1-5 4-40
Old Colony 0 0 0 0— 0
Tri-County 0 22 8 0—30
Scoring summary:
Second quarter
T-C — Randy Hardy 10 run (Steve Hogan rush ), 9:53.
T-C — Chad Todesco 26 run (pass failed), 4:58.
T-C — Hardy 25 run (Hardy rush), 1:07.
Third quarter
T-C — Tyler Kaufman 1 run (S. Hogan rush), 0:51.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Old Colony — Steek 4-5, Mello 2-7, Blaise 1-3, Chongarlides 5-7, Solberg 1-10, Degrazia 1-1. Tri-County — S. Hogan 7-37, Hardy 11-95, Kaufman 6-25, Todesco 7-68, McLaughlin 4-58, Garrigan 3-8, Mussig 2-minus 3, Billington 1-8.
PASSING: Old Colony — Solberg 8-22-2—73. Tri-County — Hardy 3-5-0—14, Robinson 0-0-0—0, Mussig 0-0-0—0.
RECEIVING: Old Colony — Steek 6-54, Chongarlides 3-19. Tri-County — Kaufman 1-1, Keene 2-13.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Tri-County 30, Old Colony 0
OCR T-C
First downs 10 14
Total yardage 95 310
Rushing yardage 33 296
Passing yardage 73 14
Sacks-yds. 1-11 0-0
Comp.-Att.-Int. 9-22-2 3-5-0
Punts-Avg. 3-15.3 1-24.0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-1
Penalties-yds. 1-5 4-40
Old Colony 0 0 0 0— 0
Tri-County 0 22 8 0—30
Scoring summary:
Second quarter
T-C — Randy Hardy 10 run (Steve Hogan rush ), 9:53.
T-C — Chad Todesco 26 run (pass failed), 4:58.
T-C — Hardy 25 run (Hardy rush), 1:07.
Third quarter
T-C — Tyler Kaufman 1 run (S. Hogan rush), 0:51.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Old Colony — Steek 4-5, Mello 2-7, Blaise 1-3, Chongarlides 5-7, Solberg 1-10, Degrazia 1-1. Tri-County — S. Hogan 7-37, Hardy 11-95, Kaufman 6-25, Todesco 7-68, McLaughlin 4-58, Garrigan 3-8, Mussig 2-minus 3, Billington 1-8.
PASSING: Old Colony — Solberg 8-22-2—73. Tri-County — Hardy 3-5-0—14, Robinson 0-0-0—0, Mussig 0-0-0—0.
RECEIVING: Old Colony — Steek 6-54, Chongarlides 3-19. Tri-County — Kaufman 1-1, Keene 2-13.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Sad fact: No game on the islands.
The high school football landscape has changed a lot in the past 20 years or so, as many schools have lost traditional football rivals for one reason or another -- league affiliation, shifting enrollment figures, lack of interest, and so on.
Locally, we're fortunate that our football rivalries are stable and long-standing, save for Bishop Feehan's short-tenured holiday series with Sandwich. Elsewhere on the Cape, however, one of the better rivalries in the state ended -- most believe only temporarily -- when Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket failed to resume their "Island Cup" series.
The series between the two island schools dates back to 1953, with Nantucket leading 35-24-3. There were some oddities, however; the schools didn't play from 1954-59, and then played two games a season from 1961-71.
Nantucket dominated the series in the 1970s and '80s under legendary coach Vito Capizzo, but the Vineyarders have come on strong lately, winning nine of the last 10 meetings. One reason for MV's resurgence is a growing disparity in enrollment; according to the MIAA's latest enrollment figures, there are 388 boys in grades 9-12 at the school in Oak Bluffs, while Nantucket has 206. The Vineyard has also outgrown its neighbors on the Cape in terms of day-to-day competition, having joined the Eastern Athletic Conference as a full-fledged member this year.
Still, the "Island Cup" was something special -- special enough to be written up in national publications and showcased in television features on ESPN and elsewhere. Fans from the Islands made it a several-day celebration (The Boston Herald's Ron Borges is an alumnus of the game, by the way), and there seems to be a genuine sense of loss that it's not being played this year.
Martha's Vineyard is playing host to Brighton today, while Nantucket rescheduled a game with Cape Tech/Harwich for this weekend. But it's not the same, as the Cape Cod Times' Russ Charpentier writes in this article.
Some have blamed the expense of air travel between the islands; others miscommunication between new administrators at the schools. The sentiment seems to be overwhelmingly in favor of a resumption of the series next year. But it's a shame that this year's seniors will miss out on a true tradition because the adults couldn't get on the same page.
Locally, we're fortunate that our football rivalries are stable and long-standing, save for Bishop Feehan's short-tenured holiday series with Sandwich. Elsewhere on the Cape, however, one of the better rivalries in the state ended -- most believe only temporarily -- when Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket failed to resume their "Island Cup" series.
The series between the two island schools dates back to 1953, with Nantucket leading 35-24-3. There were some oddities, however; the schools didn't play from 1954-59, and then played two games a season from 1961-71.
Nantucket dominated the series in the 1970s and '80s under legendary coach Vito Capizzo, but the Vineyarders have come on strong lately, winning nine of the last 10 meetings. One reason for MV's resurgence is a growing disparity in enrollment; according to the MIAA's latest enrollment figures, there are 388 boys in grades 9-12 at the school in Oak Bluffs, while Nantucket has 206. The Vineyard has also outgrown its neighbors on the Cape in terms of day-to-day competition, having joined the Eastern Athletic Conference as a full-fledged member this year.
Still, the "Island Cup" was something special -- special enough to be written up in national publications and showcased in television features on ESPN and elsewhere. Fans from the Islands made it a several-day celebration (The Boston Herald's Ron Borges is an alumnus of the game, by the way), and there seems to be a genuine sense of loss that it's not being played this year.
Martha's Vineyard is playing host to Brighton today, while Nantucket rescheduled a game with Cape Tech/Harwich for this weekend. But it's not the same, as the Cape Cod Times' Russ Charpentier writes in this article.
Some have blamed the expense of air travel between the islands; others miscommunication between new administrators at the schools. The sentiment seems to be overwhelmingly in favor of a resumption of the series next year. But it's a shame that this year's seniors will miss out on a true tradition because the adults couldn't get on the same page.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Raffle to benefit the Van De Giesen family.
Once again, the hearts of two local communities will be opened to benefit the family of U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Kyle Van De Giesen.
On Thanksgiving morning at Beaupre Field in North Attleboro, the North Attleboro High School Gridiron Club will donate the proceeds of the 50/50 raffle to a scholarship fund for the two children of the former quarterback of the Red Rocketeers, who was killed in action piloting a helicopter in Afghanistan last month. On Nov. 7, fans at the North Attleboro-Mansfield game at Mansfield's Alumni Field were very generous and created a pool of more than $2,400, of which about $1,200 would go to the winner -- and the winning individual donated $600 of his booty back to the fund for the Van De Giesen family.
Raffles at the well-attended AHS-North holiday games usually fetch a pretty penny, so I hope fans of the Rocketeers and Attleboro High Blue Bombardiers will dig even deeper into their pockets and buy lots of tickets. I won't be going to that game (I've got King Philip at Franklin this year), but I'll give Gobis one of those bills that have a picture of the fellow that looks like Peter Gammons on it, and cross my fingers.
There's no better reason to play this 50/50 raffle, folks. As always, the AHS-North game will begin at 10 a.m., with the number likely to be drawn at halftime.
On Thanksgiving morning at Beaupre Field in North Attleboro, the North Attleboro High School Gridiron Club will donate the proceeds of the 50/50 raffle to a scholarship fund for the two children of the former quarterback of the Red Rocketeers, who was killed in action piloting a helicopter in Afghanistan last month. On Nov. 7, fans at the North Attleboro-Mansfield game at Mansfield's Alumni Field were very generous and created a pool of more than $2,400, of which about $1,200 would go to the winner -- and the winning individual donated $600 of his booty back to the fund for the Van De Giesen family.
Raffles at the well-attended AHS-North holiday games usually fetch a pretty penny, so I hope fans of the Rocketeers and Attleboro High Blue Bombardiers will dig even deeper into their pockets and buy lots of tickets. I won't be going to that game (I've got King Philip at Franklin this year), but I'll give Gobis one of those bills that have a picture of the fellow that looks like Peter Gammons on it, and cross my fingers.
There's no better reason to play this 50/50 raffle, folks. As always, the AHS-North game will begin at 10 a.m., with the number likely to be drawn at halftime.
What's next, Full Metal Alchemist?
I thought I'd heard most everything in a professional sports locker room over 30-plus years of covering the NFL, but today was the first time I've ever heard a player reference a Japanese anime cartoon to describe a position group.
Holding court by his locker, Laurence Maroney invoked the name of Voltron during Friday's media availability period.
"We're just missing Fred (Taylor), and I’m not going to feel complete until Fred gets back on the field," Maroney told reporters. "Slowly but surely, we’re reconnecting like Voltron."
Voltron is a cartoon robot that splits into five pieces and reconnects to fight evil and save the universe. It hasn’t been established as yet which of the Patriots’ five running backs — Maroney, Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis — are the head, arms, legs and torso of their version of Voltron, or if there might be a few screws loose in that assembly.
Maroney's mention of Voltron was probably prompted by the expectation that Morris may return to action Sunday, after a three-game injury (knee) layoff, when the Patriots entertain the New York Jets (4:15 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12). Taylor, who had ankle surgery after he was injured Oct. 4 against Baltimore, is expected back later in the season.
Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick didn’t admit to being a Voltron fan during his daily press conference, but he did say that getting the injured running backs back on the field couldn’t be anything but good, especially since worsening weather usually demands that teams be able to run the ball with confidence.
“It’s hard to go into the season without depth at that position,” Belichick said. “I have confidence in all of our running backs, but only one guy can carry the ball at any one time. They can all be successful in what we ask of them.”
Holding court by his locker, Laurence Maroney invoked the name of Voltron during Friday's media availability period.
"We're just missing Fred (Taylor), and I’m not going to feel complete until Fred gets back on the field," Maroney told reporters. "Slowly but surely, we’re reconnecting like Voltron."
Voltron is a cartoon robot that splits into five pieces and reconnects to fight evil and save the universe. It hasn’t been established as yet which of the Patriots’ five running backs — Maroney, Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis — are the head, arms, legs and torso of their version of Voltron, or if there might be a few screws loose in that assembly.
Maroney's mention of Voltron was probably prompted by the expectation that Morris may return to action Sunday, after a three-game injury (knee) layoff, when the Patriots entertain the New York Jets (4:15 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12). Taylor, who had ankle surgery after he was injured Oct. 4 against Baltimore, is expected back later in the season.
Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick didn’t admit to being a Voltron fan during his daily press conference, but he did say that getting the injured running backs back on the field couldn’t be anything but good, especially since worsening weather usually demands that teams be able to run the ball with confidence.
“It’s hard to go into the season without depth at that position,” Belichick said. “I have confidence in all of our running backs, but only one guy can carry the ball at any one time. They can all be successful in what we ask of them.”
Neal still absent from practice.
A rare Friday for me at Gillette Stadium, and guard Stephen Neal is still not practicing in the wake of a head injury he suffered in the Colts' game last week. Neal has been seen in the locker room, but teams take plenty of precautions when it comes to head injuries.
If Neal can't play against the Jets on Sunday, it's likely that the versatile Dan Connolly would get the nod at right tackle.
Defensive tackle Jarvis Green and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain were back on the practice field, which is good news.
If Neal can't play against the Jets on Sunday, it's likely that the versatile Dan Connolly would get the nod at right tackle.
Defensive tackle Jarvis Green and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain were back on the practice field, which is good news.
Friday Night Rights ... and Wrongs, Week 10.1.
That cutesy little reference to this week being "Week 10.1" is to note that there's only one game on the docket locally, although a very important one to the local team playing in it.
So let's get to the pick right away, with the home team in CAPS:
TRI-COUNTY 35, Old Colony 6 (Saturday, 1 p.m.): The two schools have dubbed this yearly game the "Cougar Classic," because both teams share the same nickname. Last year's game was played in bitter cold (but with warm hearts on both sides of the field, as seen in the post-game ceremonies that honor the athletes of both schools), with Tri-County clinching its first-ever berth in the MIAA playoffs. This year's game is for the same stakes, and behind the varied offensive sets of coach Dan MacLean and the versatility of QB/RB Randy Hardy, Tri-County will prevail handily, and I'll be chronicling it for the next day's paper.
It's been a fun race in the staff picks this year, and the standings won't change this week (we all picked T-C). Danny Crandall and James Schneider are in a tie for first at 67-22 (.744), I'm in the middle of the pack at 64-26 (.711) and Peter Gobis and Dale Ransom are nipping at my heels at 63-27 (.700). Thanksgiving should be fun.
So let's get to the pick right away, with the home team in CAPS:
TRI-COUNTY 35, Old Colony 6 (Saturday, 1 p.m.): The two schools have dubbed this yearly game the "Cougar Classic," because both teams share the same nickname. Last year's game was played in bitter cold (but with warm hearts on both sides of the field, as seen in the post-game ceremonies that honor the athletes of both schools), with Tri-County clinching its first-ever berth in the MIAA playoffs. This year's game is for the same stakes, and behind the varied offensive sets of coach Dan MacLean and the versatility of QB/RB Randy Hardy, Tri-County will prevail handily, and I'll be chronicling it for the next day's paper.
It's been a fun race in the staff picks this year, and the standings won't change this week (we all picked T-C). Danny Crandall and James Schneider are in a tie for first at 67-22 (.744), I'm in the middle of the pack at 64-26 (.711) and Peter Gobis and Dale Ransom are nipping at my heels at 63-27 (.700). Thanksgiving should be fun.
Jets-Pats get No. 1 broadcast team.
CBS will be sending its top broadcast team, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, to Foxboro for the Jets-Patriots game this Sunday at 4:15 p.m.
There's a site on the Internet that provides a lot of interesting information on the weekly broadcasts of all the games done by CBS and Fox, including color-coded maps to tell you where the games will be seen on over-the-air TV and who's doing the broadcasts. Here's a link to the NFL Distribution Maps site.
There's a site on the Internet that provides a lot of interesting information on the weekly broadcasts of all the games done by CBS and Fox, including color-coded maps to tell you where the games will be seen on over-the-air TV and who's doing the broadcasts. Here's a link to the NFL Distribution Maps site.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Mayo: Bruschi's not one of us any more.
You may recall that in the wake of the Patriots' 35-34 loss to Indianapolis, former Patriots Tedy Bruschi (now with ESPNBoston.com) and Rodney Harrison (now of NBC Sports) were both very critical of Coach Bill Belichick's decision to go for a first down on a fourth-and-2 situation at his own 28 with 2:08 to go.
Jerod Mayo proved Thursday that it doesn't take long for current players to forget the contributions of two of the best defensive players of the past decade or more. Centering upon Bruschi's comment that the decision to take the game out of the hands of his defense by not punting would have made his "blood boil," Mayo offered a fairly dismissive response to what one of his predecessors as defensive captain had to say.
"I have the utmost respect for Tedy and everything he's done for this organization, but he's not in this locker room at this point in time, so he doesn't know the feelings of this defense or that this team has," Mayo said. "We still have our confidence, we still have our (swagger), and we we're going out there Sunday and show the media, I guess."
Jerod Mayo proved Thursday that it doesn't take long for current players to forget the contributions of two of the best defensive players of the past decade or more. Centering upon Bruschi's comment that the decision to take the game out of the hands of his defense by not punting would have made his "blood boil," Mayo offered a fairly dismissive response to what one of his predecessors as defensive captain had to say.
"I have the utmost respect for Tedy and everything he's done for this organization, but he's not in this locker room at this point in time, so he doesn't know the feelings of this defense or that this team has," Mayo said. "We still have our confidence, we still have our (swagger), and we we're going out there Sunday and show the media, I guess."
Another league seeks to expand.
The principals of the South Coast Conference have voted unanimously to explore possible league expansion. What that means at this point isn't exactly clear.
The SCC is much like the Hockomock, in that it is currently a nine-member association of schools that are contiguous, from Seekonk to the west to Bourne just on the other side of the Cape Cod Canal. For the most part, competition has been fair and equitable in all sports over the years -- but as always, there are some inequities that might be alleviated if more schools were in the fold and the SCC could split into large-school and small-school divisions.
The SCC actually tried to expand a few years ago, accepting Martha's Vineyard as a provisional member. But after just one full season, the Vineyarders were cut loose and the school joined the Eastern Athletic Conference this year.
Which leads to an interesting question: Might the EAC be part of this plan? Somerset is a likely applicant to an expanded SCC, which would leave the Vineyard and three Catholic schools (Bishop Feehan, Bishop Stang, Coyle-Cassidy) to fend for themselves. But if the EAC was absorbed into the SCC, that would create a 14-school league likely to split into two seven-school divisions.
It's doubtful, however, that the SCC would be any more open to the acceptance of Catholic schools than other leagues that have faced the same choice. The possible outcome of that can't be good news for Bishop Feehan High School, which is significantly larger than Stang, Coyle-Cassidy, Sacred Heart in Kingston and the new Pope John Paul II in Hyannis. I've often suggested that the only remaining alternative for Bishop Feehan would be to create a Catholic South Conference, but I'm not so sure the competition would be equitable.
Here are the South Coast Conference schools and their enrollments according to the most recent figures being used by the MIAA to align its divisions, and a few possible applicants and their enrollment figures.
SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE
School...........................Boys 9-12 .......Girls 9-12............Total
Greater New Bedford Voke........1092............924...........2016
Dighton-Rehoboth.....................559............521...........1080
Apponequet................................455............427.............882
Wareham....................................433............426.............859
Old Rochester............................336............387.............723
Bourne........................................332............373.............705
Fairhaven..................................308.............344.............652
Seekonk.....................................328.............324..............652
Case............................................297.............269..............566
POSSIBLE APPLICANTS
School..............Boys 9-12 ....Girls 9-12.......Total......Current
Sandwich..................510..............507............1017.......Atl. Coast
Somerset..................482...............514.............996.........EAC
Bishop Feehan.........434...............548.............982.........EAC
Dennis-Yarmouth.....507..............474..............981....... Atl. Coast
Bishop Stang ...........401...............423.............824.........EAC
Martha's Vnyd. .......388 .............361..............749.........EAC
Coyle-Cassidy..........336..............397..............733.........EAC
Norton .....................353..............369............. 722........Tri-Valley
E. Bridgewater .......316.............355...............671........South Shore
Mashpee..................313..............306..............619.......South Shore
Carver ....................268..............294..............562........South Shore
Anyway, that's just speculation. The plan is that if the SCC does expand, it would do so in the fall of 2011. Any schools that are really interested should make their intentions known to the SCC, care of Michael Devoll, Principal, Old Rochester Regional High School, 135 Marian Road, Mattapoisett MA 02719. Application deadline is Monday, Feb. 1, 2010.
The SCC is much like the Hockomock, in that it is currently a nine-member association of schools that are contiguous, from Seekonk to the west to Bourne just on the other side of the Cape Cod Canal. For the most part, competition has been fair and equitable in all sports over the years -- but as always, there are some inequities that might be alleviated if more schools were in the fold and the SCC could split into large-school and small-school divisions.
The SCC actually tried to expand a few years ago, accepting Martha's Vineyard as a provisional member. But after just one full season, the Vineyarders were cut loose and the school joined the Eastern Athletic Conference this year.
Which leads to an interesting question: Might the EAC be part of this plan? Somerset is a likely applicant to an expanded SCC, which would leave the Vineyard and three Catholic schools (Bishop Feehan, Bishop Stang, Coyle-Cassidy) to fend for themselves. But if the EAC was absorbed into the SCC, that would create a 14-school league likely to split into two seven-school divisions.
It's doubtful, however, that the SCC would be any more open to the acceptance of Catholic schools than other leagues that have faced the same choice. The possible outcome of that can't be good news for Bishop Feehan High School, which is significantly larger than Stang, Coyle-Cassidy, Sacred Heart in Kingston and the new Pope John Paul II in Hyannis. I've often suggested that the only remaining alternative for Bishop Feehan would be to create a Catholic South Conference, but I'm not so sure the competition would be equitable.
Here are the South Coast Conference schools and their enrollments according to the most recent figures being used by the MIAA to align its divisions, and a few possible applicants and their enrollment figures.
SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE
School...........................Boys 9-12 .......Girls 9-12............Total
Greater New Bedford Voke........1092............924...........2016
Dighton-Rehoboth.....................559............521...........1080
Apponequet................................455............427.............882
Wareham....................................433............426.............859
Old Rochester............................336............387.............723
Bourne........................................332............373.............705
Fairhaven..................................308.............344.............652
Seekonk.....................................328.............324..............652
Case............................................297.............269..............566
POSSIBLE APPLICANTS
School..............Boys 9-12 ....Girls 9-12.......Total......Current
Sandwich..................510..............507............1017.......Atl. Coast
Somerset..................482...............514.............996.........EAC
Bishop Feehan.........434...............548.............982.........EAC
Dennis-Yarmouth.....507..............474..............981....... Atl. Coast
Bishop Stang ...........401...............423.............824.........EAC
Martha's Vnyd. .......388 .............361..............749.........EAC
Coyle-Cassidy..........336..............397..............733.........EAC
Norton .....................353..............369............. 722........Tri-Valley
E. Bridgewater .......316.............355...............671........South Shore
Mashpee..................313..............306..............619.......South Shore
Carver ....................268..............294..............562........South Shore
Anyway, that's just speculation. The plan is that if the SCC does expand, it would do so in the fall of 2011. Any schools that are really interested should make their intentions known to the SCC, care of Michael Devoll, Principal, Old Rochester Regional High School, 135 Marian Road, Mattapoisett MA 02719. Application deadline is Monday, Feb. 1, 2010.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Audio Blog 28.
Here's the 28th installment of the Audio Blog, in which Bill Belichick gets in touch with his feelings as the resumption of the Border War with the New York Jets approaches.
Tears of a clown, when there's no one around.
Because the football world is all a-buzz over reports that Jets' coach Rex Ryan cried in a talk to his team last week, it was inevitable that someone would ask Patriots' coach Bill Belichick if he had ever teared up in front of his team.
"I've coached 35 years, so I've probably covered most bases," Belichick said. "I think I swore once, too."
Those who've been around here for a reasonable amount of time have seen two obviously emotional moments out of Belichick -- one in the post-game press conference after a game with the Saints on Nov. 20, 2005, a day after the passing of his father, Steve Belichick, and the other during his farewell remarks to Tedy Bruschi at the press conference announcing his retirement earlier this year.
But a full-out bawl? Not likely.
"I can't ever imagine Coach Belichick doing that in front of us," Tom Brady said. "He coaches us pretty hard. Every coach has a different style ... it's an emotional game, so I think we all put a lot into it every week. You try to convey a message, and our coach always conveys a message of the truth: 'This is how I feel, this is the truth and this is what we need to do.' I think we always find a way to respond to that."
"I've coached 35 years, so I've probably covered most bases," Belichick said. "I think I swore once, too."
Those who've been around here for a reasonable amount of time have seen two obviously emotional moments out of Belichick -- one in the post-game press conference after a game with the Saints on Nov. 20, 2005, a day after the passing of his father, Steve Belichick, and the other during his farewell remarks to Tedy Bruschi at the press conference announcing his retirement earlier this year.
But a full-out bawl? Not likely.
"I can't ever imagine Coach Belichick doing that in front of us," Tom Brady said. "He coaches us pretty hard. Every coach has a different style ... it's an emotional game, so I think we all put a lot into it every week. You try to convey a message, and our coach always conveys a message of the truth: 'This is how I feel, this is the truth and this is what we need to do.' I think we always find a way to respond to that."
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Patriots fill practice-squad gap.
The Patriots have filled their open spot on the practice squad with a player who was there before, defensive lineman Adrian Grady. Here's the press release from the team:
-------------------
PATRIOTS SIGN DL ADRIAN GRADY TO THE PRACTICE SQUAD
FOXBORO – The New England Patriots signed DL Adrian Grady to the practice squad today. New England had an open position on the eight-man practice squad following the signing of QB/WR Isaiah Stanback to the 53-man roster last Saturday.
Grady, 6-1, 290 pounds, was originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as a rookie free agent out of Louisville on April 30, 2009. He was waived by the Colts in their final cuts and signed to the New England practice squad on Sept. 7. Grady was waived from the practice squad on Sept. 30.
-------------------
PATRIOTS SIGN DL ADRIAN GRADY TO THE PRACTICE SQUAD
FOXBORO – The New England Patriots signed DL Adrian Grady to the practice squad today. New England had an open position on the eight-man practice squad following the signing of QB/WR Isaiah Stanback to the 53-man roster last Saturday.
Grady, 6-1, 290 pounds, was originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as a rookie free agent out of Louisville on April 30, 2009. He was waived by the Colts in their final cuts and signed to the New England practice squad on Sept. 7. Grady was waived from the practice squad on Sept. 30.
B-R goes to playoffs.
According to my good friend Danny Ventura of the Boston Herald, Bridgewater-Raynham emerged the winner in the three-pronged coin flip that determined the Old Colony League's representative in the upcoming MIAA playoffs.
The flip, which was staged earlier this morning at a restaurant in the shadow of the Sagamore Bridge, was forced when Barnstable defeated Attleboro Sunday afternoon and B-R held off Taunton later that evening, creating a three-way tie at the top of the league standings.
With representatives of all three schools flipping coins, Barnstable's coin came up heads and the other two tails, eliminating the Red Raiders immediately. Then it came down to head-to-head competition between B-R and Taunton, and that was that.
I certainly hope someone bought a Happy Meal for the Barnstable reps ... given where that program had been in recent years and how far it has come, it had to be crushing for everything to be riding upon a coin flip.
Leagues have the responsibility of setting their own tiebreaking procedures. The Hockomock, for instance, would eliminate the school that had most recently represented the league in the playoffs in the event of a three-way tie, Other leagues use a mathematical formula similar to the old football ratings.
In any event, I don't think that anyone who saw B-R fend off Attleboro in the waning seconds would doubt the Trojans' credentials. There just has to be a better way to settle these things than pure chance.
The flip, which was staged earlier this morning at a restaurant in the shadow of the Sagamore Bridge, was forced when Barnstable defeated Attleboro Sunday afternoon and B-R held off Taunton later that evening, creating a three-way tie at the top of the league standings.
With representatives of all three schools flipping coins, Barnstable's coin came up heads and the other two tails, eliminating the Red Raiders immediately. Then it came down to head-to-head competition between B-R and Taunton, and that was that.
I certainly hope someone bought a Happy Meal for the Barnstable reps ... given where that program had been in recent years and how far it has come, it had to be crushing for everything to be riding upon a coin flip.
Leagues have the responsibility of setting their own tiebreaking procedures. The Hockomock, for instance, would eliminate the school that had most recently represented the league in the playoffs in the event of a three-way tie, Other leagues use a mathematical formula similar to the old football ratings.
In any event, I don't think that anyone who saw B-R fend off Attleboro in the waning seconds would doubt the Trojans' credentials. There just has to be a better way to settle these things than pure chance.
Bonus thoughts from Barnstable and McGrath.
Been a long football weekend, and I wasn't even in Indianapolis -- and glad, too, because I can just imagine how many times my game story would have been re-written on deadline.
Anyway, here are a few observations from the last two high school games I covered in this four-game weekend:
** Sunday at Barnstable High, I had a season "first" -- I had to use five pages of my custom-made scoresheets to chart the entire game. That may not sound like a big deal, but it is to me.
You see, over some 40-plus years of covering high school football, I've come up with my own system for recording the plays so I can complile a statistical summary in a short amount of time after the game. I use a clipboard, and in my earlier years of having professionally-printed scoresheets, I designed them to be horizontal on a sheet of 8 1/2-inch-by-14-inch paper.
Well, that was wasteful. I'd use anywhere from 8-10 pieces of paper for each game, and that doesn't lend itself to a quick review while writing, So about 15 years ago, I re-designed my scoresheets to be vertical, and most games require the use of only four pages, regardless of whether they're played in 10-minute or 11-minute quarters.
Anyway, here are a few observations from the last two high school games I covered in this four-game weekend:
** Sunday at Barnstable High, I had a season "first" -- I had to use five pages of my custom-made scoresheets to chart the entire game. That may not sound like a big deal, but it is to me.
You see, over some 40-plus years of covering high school football, I've come up with my own system for recording the plays so I can complile a statistical summary in a short amount of time after the game. I use a clipboard, and in my earlier years of having professionally-printed scoresheets, I designed them to be horizontal on a sheet of 8 1/2-inch-by-14-inch paper.
Well, that was wasteful. I'd use anywhere from 8-10 pieces of paper for each game, and that doesn't lend itself to a quick review while writing, So about 15 years ago, I re-designed my scoresheets to be vertical, and most games require the use of only four pages, regardless of whether they're played in 10-minute or 11-minute quarters.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Bishop Feehan 25, Somerset 24.
One of the best games to settle a league championship I've ever seen ... and I've seen quite a few of those. The Shamrocks battled back from a mistake-filled first half and an 18-7 deficit to win -- and set up the first round of the MIAA Division 3 playoffs against Dighton-Rehoboth in a couple of weeks.
Here's the box score, and the bonus thoughts will follow later.
Bishop Feehan 25, Somerset 24
Som BF
First downs 16 14
Total yardage 270 251
Rushing yardage 236 104
Passing yardage 34 154
Sacks-yds. 0-0 1-7
Comp.-Att.-Int. 3-5-1 9-13-2
Punts-Avg. 0-0 0-0
Fumbles-lost 2-2 2-1
Penalties-yds. 5-26 5-65
Somerset 12 6 0 6—24
Bishop Feehan 7 0 6 12—25
Scoring summary:
First quarter
BF — Mike Albert 41 pass from Tommy Romero (Stan Pacuk kick), 9:30.
Som — Seth Demello 2 run (rush failed), 0:59.
Som — Jaron Spear 59 interception return (rush failed), 0:00.
Second quarter
Som — Demello 9 pass from Adam Ledoux (pass failed), 1:08.
Third quarter
BF — Zack Schwieger 2 run (rush failed), 2:16.
Fourth quarter
BF — Albert 24 pass from Romero (rush failed), 10:24.
Som —Spear 69 run (rush failed), 10:05.
BF — Nick Cataldo 19 pass from Romero (rush failed), 5:18.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Somerset — Estrella 16-71, Spear 6-89, Ledoux 3-9, Demello 18-59, McGowan 3-8. Feehan — Boland 9-37, Schwieger 14-66, McHayle 1-1, Romero 4-0.
PASSING: Somerset — Ledoux 3-5-1—34. Feehan — Romero 9-13-2—154.
RECEIVING: Somerset — Demello 3-34. Feehan — Albert 4-88, Boland 1-minus 1, Cataldo 3-39, Beyer 1-28.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Here's the box score, and the bonus thoughts will follow later.
Bishop Feehan 25, Somerset 24
Som BF
First downs 16 14
Total yardage 270 251
Rushing yardage 236 104
Passing yardage 34 154
Sacks-yds. 0-0 1-7
Comp.-Att.-Int. 3-5-1 9-13-2
Punts-Avg. 0-0 0-0
Fumbles-lost 2-2 2-1
Penalties-yds. 5-26 5-65
Somerset 12 6 0 6—24
Bishop Feehan 7 0 6 12—25
Scoring summary:
First quarter
BF — Mike Albert 41 pass from Tommy Romero (Stan Pacuk kick), 9:30.
Som — Seth Demello 2 run (rush failed), 0:59.
Som — Jaron Spear 59 interception return (rush failed), 0:00.
Second quarter
Som — Demello 9 pass from Adam Ledoux (pass failed), 1:08.
Third quarter
BF — Zack Schwieger 2 run (rush failed), 2:16.
Fourth quarter
BF — Albert 24 pass from Romero (rush failed), 10:24.
Som —Spear 69 run (rush failed), 10:05.
BF — Nick Cataldo 19 pass from Romero (rush failed), 5:18.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Somerset — Estrella 16-71, Spear 6-89, Ledoux 3-9, Demello 18-59, McGowan 3-8. Feehan — Boland 9-37, Schwieger 14-66, McHayle 1-1, Romero 4-0.
PASSING: Somerset — Ledoux 3-5-1—34. Feehan — Romero 9-13-2—154.
RECEIVING: Somerset — Demello 3-34. Feehan — Albert 4-88, Boland 1-minus 1, Cataldo 3-39, Beyer 1-28.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Hots and nots and game notes from Pats vs. Indy.
I'll be quick with the hots and nots.
WHO'S HOT
NOBODY: They lost a game they should have won. You don't get rewarded for that.
WHO'S NOT
BILL BELICHICK: He told half of his team that he had no faith in its ability to stop a team from marching 70 yards to a score in the last two minutes, and instead forced them to try to make the stop from 40 yards closer. Clock management was a disaster, too. This one is solely on the Genius' shoulders.
GAME NOTES
NEW ENGLAND SCORES AGAINST STINGY COLTS DEFENSE.
The New England offense scored 34 points against an Indianapolis defense that entered the game ranked first in the NFL in fewest points allowed per game with 13.5 points per game. The most points they allowed in a single game was 23 by Miami.
WHO'S HOT
NOBODY: They lost a game they should have won. You don't get rewarded for that.
WHO'S NOT
BILL BELICHICK: He told half of his team that he had no faith in its ability to stop a team from marching 70 yards to a score in the last two minutes, and instead forced them to try to make the stop from 40 yards closer. Clock management was a disaster, too. This one is solely on the Genius' shoulders.
GAME NOTES
NEW ENGLAND SCORES AGAINST STINGY COLTS DEFENSE.
The New England offense scored 34 points against an Indianapolis defense that entered the game ranked first in the NFL in fewest points allowed per game with 13.5 points per game. The most points they allowed in a single game was 23 by Miami.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Where's Fearless? On that lovable old sandy spit.
I'll be watching the Patriots-Colts game here tonight, either at my hideaway or at Bobby Byrne's Pub in Mashpee (or both), so there will be no in-game blogging, which should come as a huge disappointment to some of my fans.
Indeed, I just heard from old friend Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal, who's in the press box at Lucas Oil Stadium and was having a problem connecting his computer to the wireless access there. Fortunately, the issue was quickly resolved. See, they DO miss me on the road!
I have to admit, I really missed the horseradish-laden shrimp cocktail and the New York strip sirloin at St. Elmo's Steakhouse, too. But I don't always miss the late games. I kind of like the idea of getting more than just three hours of sleep after the game and not having to race to the airport to catch a plane.
After the game, I'll provide final stats courtesy of NFL.com, and the game notes that are provided by the Patriots' media relations department. There may even be a few hots and nots, depending upon how much of the game I get to see.
Barnstable 43, Attleboro 24.
A nightmarish first half in the mist and fog in Hyannis as the Bombardiers fall behind 29-0 to one of the better no-huddle offenses you'll see in high school. Here's the box score of Attleboro's last Old Colony League game, and the bonus thoughts will follow later tonight.
Barnstable 43, Attleboro 24
AHS Barn
First downs 16 16
Total yardage 323 344
Rushing yardage 217 98
Passing yardage 117 262
Sacks-yds. 1-9 2-16
Comp.-Att.-Int. 8-21-4 15-21-0
Punts-Avg. 3-30.3 5-35.6
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yds. 6-35 8-75
Attleboro 0 0 8 16—24
Barnstable 8 21 0 14—43
Scoring summary:
First quarter
Barn — Dennis Reddy 3 run (D.J. Crook rush). 1:11.
Second quarter
Barn — Crook 4 run (Giorgio Dugani kick), 10:54.
Barn — P.J. Edmonds 4 interception return (Jordan Henderson pass from Matt Delaney), 5:47.
Barn — Joe Stanek 7 pass from Crook (kick failed), 1:24.
Third quarter
AHS — A.J. Hoose 36 pass from Nate Robitaille (Matty Campbell rush), 4:03.
Fourth quarter
Barn — Ralston Cameron 8 run (Dugani kick), 10:24.
AHS — Campbell 1 run (Campbell pass from Robitaille), 7:24.
AHS — Campbell 1 run (Abiola Aborishade pass from Robitaille), 3:35.
Barn — Henderson 53 pass from Crook (Dugani kick), 2:20.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Attleboro — Jalaoso 7-45, Campbell 23-128, Robitaille 9-41, Reading 1-minus 3, Grenon 1-6. Barnstable — Crook 10-20, Reddy 12-60, Cameron 5-19, Henderson 1-minus 1, Amato 1-0.
PASSING: Attleboro — Robitaille 8-21-4—117. Barnstable — Crook 15-20-0—262, Delaney 0-1-0–0, Dombrowski 0-0-0—0.
RECEIVING: Attleboro — Campbell 5-76, Reading 1-minus 3, Hoose 1-36, Aborishade 1-8. Barnstable — Reddy 2-5, Stanek 5-116, Smith 2-9, Delaney 2-24, Henderson 4-108.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Barnstable 43, Attleboro 24
AHS Barn
First downs 16 16
Total yardage 323 344
Rushing yardage 217 98
Passing yardage 117 262
Sacks-yds. 1-9 2-16
Comp.-Att.-Int. 8-21-4 15-21-0
Punts-Avg. 3-30.3 5-35.6
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yds. 6-35 8-75
Attleboro 0 0 8 16—24
Barnstable 8 21 0 14—43
Scoring summary:
First quarter
Barn — Dennis Reddy 3 run (D.J. Crook rush). 1:11.
Second quarter
Barn — Crook 4 run (Giorgio Dugani kick), 10:54.
Barn — P.J. Edmonds 4 interception return (Jordan Henderson pass from Matt Delaney), 5:47.
Barn — Joe Stanek 7 pass from Crook (kick failed), 1:24.
Third quarter
AHS — A.J. Hoose 36 pass from Nate Robitaille (Matty Campbell rush), 4:03.
Fourth quarter
Barn — Ralston Cameron 8 run (Dugani kick), 10:24.
AHS — Campbell 1 run (Campbell pass from Robitaille), 7:24.
AHS — Campbell 1 run (Abiola Aborishade pass from Robitaille), 3:35.
Barn — Henderson 53 pass from Crook (Dugani kick), 2:20.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Attleboro — Jalaoso 7-45, Campbell 23-128, Robitaille 9-41, Reading 1-minus 3, Grenon 1-6. Barnstable — Crook 10-20, Reddy 12-60, Cameron 5-19, Henderson 1-minus 1, Amato 1-0.
PASSING: Attleboro — Robitaille 8-21-4—117. Barnstable — Crook 15-20-0—262, Delaney 0-1-0–0, Dombrowski 0-0-0—0.
RECEIVING: Attleboro — Campbell 5-76, Reading 1-minus 3, Hoose 1-36, Aborishade 1-8. Barnstable — Reddy 2-5, Stanek 5-116, Smith 2-9, Delaney 2-24, Henderson 4-108.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Bonus thoughts from Holbrook, via other far-flung destinations.
I'm already on Cape Cod, preparing to see another high school football game in about 12 hours or so, but I figured it was time to put up some bonus thoughts from Saturday's 38-0 win by Tri-County over Holbrook-Avon:
** My impressions of Saturday's game have already been written -- for Sunday's newspaper, in my column. But I don't mind repeating them here because, in this case, first impressions were lasting ones.
In the event that anyone reads these comments, and somehow interprets them as insults directed at the student-athletes of Holbrook or Avon, let me state for the record right from the start of this post that I am not criticizing the kids who wore the uniforms Saturday. This is what I saw in a bigger-picture sense, and the comments you'll read (and I'm going to put the column parts in quotes) are not intended to have any hidden double meanings. It may sound a little harsh to some, but in no way do I intend to criticize any athletes in these observations -- just the adults who apparently don't care much about what the kids are doing.
In fact, it scares me that I even have to say that.
Anyway...
** My impressions of Saturday's game have already been written -- for Sunday's newspaper, in my column. But I don't mind repeating them here because, in this case, first impressions were lasting ones.
In the event that anyone reads these comments, and somehow interprets them as insults directed at the student-athletes of Holbrook or Avon, let me state for the record right from the start of this post that I am not criticizing the kids who wore the uniforms Saturday. This is what I saw in a bigger-picture sense, and the comments you'll read (and I'm going to put the column parts in quotes) are not intended to have any hidden double meanings. It may sound a little harsh to some, but in no way do I intend to criticize any athletes in these observations -- just the adults who apparently don't care much about what the kids are doing.
In fact, it scares me that I even have to say that.
Anyway...
Saturday, November 14, 2009
So much for Brandon Tate.
The Patriots put wide receiver Brandon Tate on injured reserve late Saturday, activating wide receiver/quarterback Isaiah Stanback to the 53-man roster from the practice squad to replace him. Tate, who had leaped into a role as co-third receiver and kick returner upon his activation from the reserve-non-football injury list (rehabbing an injury from college), injured a knee just two games into his pro career, and there you have it.
Stanback is the second player on the Patriots' roster who can play more than one skill position. Originally a quarterback (like Julian edelman), he's undergone the pro conversion to wide receiver but also has retained some of his claim to quarterback, and it's seen that he could be the No. 3 behind Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer while also filling a gap at receiver created by Tate's departure.
By the way, the Patriots tonight announced that Sammy Morris had been downgraded to "out" for the Colts game.
Stanback is the second player on the Patriots' roster who can play more than one skill position. Originally a quarterback (like Julian edelman), he's undergone the pro conversion to wide receiver but also has retained some of his claim to quarterback, and it's seen that he could be the No. 3 behind Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer while also filling a gap at receiver created by Tate's departure.
By the way, the Patriots tonight announced that Sammy Morris had been downgraded to "out" for the Colts game.
Tri-County 38, Holbrook-Avon 0.
Old-fashioned football in the mud in Holbrook today as Tri-County takes another step toward a playoff berth. Here's the box score, with bonus thoughts to follow late tonight.
Tri-County 38, Holbrook-Avon 0
T-C H-A
First downs 12 1
Total yardage 334 39
Rushing yardage 271 33
Passing yardage 87 11
Sacks-yds. 3-24 1-5
Comp.-Att.-Int. 2-6-3 4-10-1
Punts-Avg. 0-0 3-27.0
Fumbles-lost 2-0 4-2
Penalties-yds. 2-15 1-10
Tri-County 8 10 6 14—38
Holbrook-Avon 0 0 0 0—0
Scoring summary:
First quarter
T-C — Randy Hardy 5 run (Chad Todesco rush), 2:00.
Second quarter
T-C — Team safety (punt blocked by John St. Don out of end zone), 7:00.
T-C — Nate Keene 70 pass from Hardy (Todesco rush), 0:25.
Third quarter
T-C — Hardy 42 run (rush failed), 7:00.
Fourth quarter
T-C — Hardy 3 run (Matt Hogan kick), 9:00.
T-C — Hardy 96 run (M. Hogan kick), 0:40.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: T-C — Todesco 5-14, Hardy 21-231, S. Hogan 5-20, Robinson 1-minus 1, Kaufman 2-7. H-A — Rakutis 3-8, Joseph 6-27, Bollitier 3-minus 2.
PASSING: T-C — Robinson 0-0-0—0, Hardy 2-6-3—87. H-A — Bollitier 4-10-1—11.
RECEIVING: T-C — Todesco 1-17, Keene 1-70. H-A — Rakutis 2-10, Riordon 2-1.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Tri-County 38, Holbrook-Avon 0
T-C H-A
First downs 12 1
Total yardage 334 39
Rushing yardage 271 33
Passing yardage 87 11
Sacks-yds. 3-24 1-5
Comp.-Att.-Int. 2-6-3 4-10-1
Punts-Avg. 0-0 3-27.0
Fumbles-lost 2-0 4-2
Penalties-yds. 2-15 1-10
Tri-County 8 10 6 14—38
Holbrook-Avon 0 0 0 0—0
Scoring summary:
First quarter
T-C — Randy Hardy 5 run (Chad Todesco rush), 2:00.
Second quarter
T-C — Team safety (punt blocked by John St. Don out of end zone), 7:00.
T-C — Nate Keene 70 pass from Hardy (Todesco rush), 0:25.
Third quarter
T-C — Hardy 42 run (rush failed), 7:00.
Fourth quarter
T-C — Hardy 3 run (Matt Hogan kick), 9:00.
T-C — Hardy 96 run (M. Hogan kick), 0:40.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: T-C — Todesco 5-14, Hardy 21-231, S. Hogan 5-20, Robinson 1-minus 1, Kaufman 2-7. H-A — Rakutis 3-8, Joseph 6-27, Bollitier 3-minus 2.
PASSING: T-C — Robinson 0-0-0—0, Hardy 2-6-3—87. H-A — Bollitier 4-10-1—11.
RECEIVING: T-C — Todesco 1-17, Keene 1-70. H-A — Rakutis 2-10, Riordon 2-1.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Monday Night Football: Somerset at Feehan.
Bishop Feehan AD Paul O'Boy just called, and said that the Shamrocks' game against Somerset has been postponed to 6 p.m. Monday at McGrath Stadium.
The weather outside is frightful...
... but as far as I know at 8:20 a.m., today's two football games are still on.
Once I hear anything different, I'll pass it along. The only change I've seen so far is that Tri-County's game at Holbrook is now listed as 1 p.m. on highschoolsports.net, not 11 a.m. as on the original schedule.
Somerset is supposed to visit Bishop Feehan at 1 p.m. as well.
Once I hear anything different, I'll pass it along. The only change I've seen so far is that Tri-County's game at Holbrook is now listed as 1 p.m. on highschoolsports.net, not 11 a.m. as on the original schedule.
Somerset is supposed to visit Bishop Feehan at 1 p.m. as well.
Scores and bonus thoughts from East Bridgewater.
Here are Friday night's scores, and more postponement news:
Mansfield 41, East Bridgewater 17
King Philip 10, Foxboro 7
Dighton-Rehoboth 35, Old Rochester 13
Medway 33, Norton 0
Nauset 18, Seekonk 13
SATURDAY(still on as far as we know)
Tri-County at Holbrook-Avon, 11 a.m.
Somerset at Bishop Feehan, 1 p.m.
SUNDAY
Attleboro at Barnstable, 1 p.m.
Canton at North Attleboro, 1 p.m.
And now, for the bonus thoughts:
** Quick quiz time:
A) East Bridgewater had the ball Friday night for 24:27, and Mansfield 15:33. Who won the game?
Mansfield 41, East Bridgewater 17
King Philip 10, Foxboro 7
Dighton-Rehoboth 35, Old Rochester 13
Medway 33, Norton 0
Nauset 18, Seekonk 13
SATURDAY(still on as far as we know)
Tri-County at Holbrook-Avon, 11 a.m.
Somerset at Bishop Feehan, 1 p.m.
SUNDAY
Attleboro at Barnstable, 1 p.m.
Canton at North Attleboro, 1 p.m.
And now, for the bonus thoughts:
** Quick quiz time:
A) East Bridgewater had the ball Friday night for 24:27, and Mansfield 15:33. Who won the game?
Friday, November 13, 2009
Mansfield 41, East Bridgewater 17.
A change of travel plans for me, and it was almost a shocker. Mansfield trailed East Bridgewater 17-14 at halftime, but left no doubt in the second half. Here's the box score, and bonus thoughts will follow later.
Mansfield 41, East Bridgewater 17
Mans. EB
First downs 15 15
Total yardage 313 196
Rushing yardage 299 174
Passing yardage 14 24
Sacks-yds. 0-0 1-2
Comp.-Att.-Int. 1-3-0 3-7-0
Punts-Avg. 0-0 6-27.3
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-0
Penalties-yds. 3-32 2-10
Mansfield 14 0 15 12—41
East Bridgewater 7 10 0 0—17
Scoring summary:
First quarter
Mans — Shawn Doherty 4 run (Don Washburn kick), 5:18.
EB — Casey DeAndrade 65 run (Kyle O’Brien kick), 4:59.
Mans — Matt Zonghetti 17 run IWashburn kick), 2:40.
Second quarter
EB — William Britton 2 run (K. O’Brien kick), 0:56.
EB — K. O’Brien 24 field goal, 0:00.
Third quarter
Mans — S. Doherty 25 run (Washburn kick), 9:35.
Mans — S. Doherty 1 run (Washburn rush), 3:33.
Fourth quarter
Mans — Zonghetti 46 run (kick failed), 9:48.
Mans — S. Doherty 1 run (kick failed), 2:54.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Mansfield — S. Doherty 21-177, Marshall 4-25, N. Busharis 1-8, Zonghetti 3-85, Pennellatore 1-4. EB — DeAndrade 12-92, McLaughlin 2-12, T. O’Brien 13-57, Contre 2-9, Britton 1-3, DeBenedictis 3-6.
PASSING: Mansfield — N. Busharis 1-3-0—14. EB — T. O’Brien 3-7-0—24, P. O’Brien 0-0-0—0.
RECEIVING: Mansfield —Zonghetti 1-14. EB — McLaughlin 2-22, DeAndrade 1-2.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Mansfield 41, East Bridgewater 17
Mans. EB
First downs 15 15
Total yardage 313 196
Rushing yardage 299 174
Passing yardage 14 24
Sacks-yds. 0-0 1-2
Comp.-Att.-Int. 1-3-0 3-7-0
Punts-Avg. 0-0 6-27.3
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-0
Penalties-yds. 3-32 2-10
Mansfield 14 0 15 12—41
East Bridgewater 7 10 0 0—17
Scoring summary:
First quarter
Mans — Shawn Doherty 4 run (Don Washburn kick), 5:18.
EB — Casey DeAndrade 65 run (Kyle O’Brien kick), 4:59.
Mans — Matt Zonghetti 17 run IWashburn kick), 2:40.
Second quarter
EB — William Britton 2 run (K. O’Brien kick), 0:56.
EB — K. O’Brien 24 field goal, 0:00.
Third quarter
Mans — S. Doherty 25 run (Washburn kick), 9:35.
Mans — S. Doherty 1 run (Washburn rush), 3:33.
Fourth quarter
Mans — Zonghetti 46 run (kick failed), 9:48.
Mans — S. Doherty 1 run (kick failed), 2:54.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Mansfield — S. Doherty 21-177, Marshall 4-25, N. Busharis 1-8, Zonghetti 3-85, Pennellatore 1-4. EB — DeAndrade 12-92, McLaughlin 2-12, T. O’Brien 13-57, Contre 2-9, Britton 1-3, DeBenedictis 3-6.
PASSING: Mansfield — N. Busharis 1-3-0—14. EB — T. O’Brien 3-7-0—24, P. O’Brien 0-0-0—0.
RECEIVING: Mansfield —Zonghetti 1-14. EB — McLaughlin 2-22, DeAndrade 1-2.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Soccer postponements.
Fearing the worst, the MIAA has postponed most of its soccer tournament action to Sunday and, in the process, created a same-site doubleheader for local fans.
At Veterans Stadium in Quincy, the Bishop Feehan girls and King Philip boys will play back-to-back semifinal-round games.
Feehan will play Whitman-Hanson in a Division 1-South girls' soccer semifinal at 4 p.m.
King Philip will play Catholic Memorial in a D1-South boys' semifinal at 6:30 p.m.
Veterans Stadium has new FieldTurf but VERY limited parking. Here are the directions as listed on the MIAA's Web site:
Veterans Stadium -- corner of Route 3A and Hancock Street, Quincy
From the South: Take I-93 to Exit #8 - Furnace Brook Parkway/Quincy
Take a right at bottom of the ramp onto Furnace Brook Parkway. Stay on Furnace Brook Parkway for two miles
Take a left at Merrymount Parkway (There will be water on your left). Veterans Memorial Stadium will be down the street on the left.
At Veterans Stadium in Quincy, the Bishop Feehan girls and King Philip boys will play back-to-back semifinal-round games.
Feehan will play Whitman-Hanson in a Division 1-South girls' soccer semifinal at 4 p.m.
King Philip will play Catholic Memorial in a D1-South boys' semifinal at 6:30 p.m.
Veterans Stadium has new FieldTurf but VERY limited parking. Here are the directions as listed on the MIAA's Web site:
Veterans Stadium -- corner of Route 3A and Hancock Street, Quincy
From the South: Take I-93 to Exit #8 - Furnace Brook Parkway/Quincy
Take a right at bottom of the ramp onto Furnace Brook Parkway. Stay on Furnace Brook Parkway for two miles
Take a left at Merrymount Parkway (There will be water on your left). Veterans Memorial Stadium will be down the street on the left.
Attleboro-Barnstable postponed.
Word just in that the football game between Attleboro High and Barnstable in Hyannis has been postponed to Sunday, 1 p.m.
Weather observers on the Cape are reporting winds of 45 mph and more, and a look at the Weather Channel's regional map shows a big blob of rain about to make landfall on the Cape's south coast. In other words, a really nasty day.
With some luck, I might go to that game ... but my hand will probably be forced by other postponements. In the meantime, I'm looking for options for tonight. James Schneider will be at the KP-Foxboro game and Peter Gobis at the Old Rochester-D-R game, so I'll peruse the schedule and you never know where I might show up.
Weather observers on the Cape are reporting winds of 45 mph and more, and a look at the Weather Channel's regional map shows a big blob of rain about to make landfall on the Cape's south coast. In other words, a really nasty day.
With some luck, I might go to that game ... but my hand will probably be forced by other postponements. In the meantime, I'm looking for options for tonight. James Schneider will be at the KP-Foxboro game and Peter Gobis at the Old Rochester-D-R game, so I'll peruse the schedule and you never know where I might show up.
Friday Night Rights ... and Wrongs, Week 10.
It's going to be a long day on the road today, so I figured there was no time like "last night" (or early this morning) to get these picks on the record.
Looks like I'm going to finish in the middle of the pack this year, but how about that James Schneider? One good week and he leaped all the way from fourth place to a tie for first. Going to be a good battle over the last two weekends and the playoffs, while I'm probably going to be receiving the Friday Night Rights and Wrongs Home Version for my troubles.
Anyway, the print edition has our full records. I'm still batting at a .716 rate, so it's been a respectable year, and you never know what might happen.
On to this week's picks (home teams in CAPS):
Attleboro 24, BARNSTABLE 21: There are all sorts of reasons for the Bombardiers to lose this game, but I changed my pick at the last minute because I think Matty Campbell and the boys will want to leave the Old Colony League as winners. Good luck, guys.
DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 31, Old Rochester 7: What a season for the Falcons, who were seen in some corners as "rebuilding." The march back culminates tonight in a South Coast Conference championship and a playoff berth.
FOXBORO 35, King Philip 28: Much as I'd like to see Thanksgiving have more meaning for the green-clad Warriors, I just don't think they'll be able to stop the Foxboro running attack. Both teams will play to their offensive strengths, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the last team with the ball to come away the winner.
Mansfield 44, EAST BRIDGEWATER 8: Been a tough season for the Hornets, in that their two losses were the result of surrendering big leads in the fourth quarters of both. I don't suspect this non-league game will follow that script.
MEDWAY 24, Norton 14: It hasn't been a bad season for the Lancers, but this week they go up against a team fighting for a share of the Tri-Valley League title. Thanksgiving should be happier for them.
Seekonk 12, NAUSET 6: I thought I was going to be driving a long way, but it's another 45 minutes in the directon of Gibraltar for the Seekonk Warriors before they can play a game. Long way to go for a win, but the Warriors should get the job done.
Tri-County 24, HOLBROOK-AVON 7 (Saturday, 11 a.m.): Another trip to the playoffs for the Cougars could be earned Saturday (if West Bridgewater beats Nantucket and T-C wins), and given their graduation losses, who would have thought that would happen?
BISHOP FEEHAN 27, Somerset 20 (Saturday, 1 p.m.): Back to the playoffs for the Shamrocks, although Somerset is bigger and better than in the past. Not big enough, not better enough.
NORTH ATTLEBORO 33, Canton 13 (Saturday, 1 p.m. at Beaupre Field): Probably won't be as exciting and definitely not as emotional as last week's game, but it will be a satisfying climax to the Hockomock League campaign for the Red Rocketeers.
Looks like I'm going to finish in the middle of the pack this year, but how about that James Schneider? One good week and he leaped all the way from fourth place to a tie for first. Going to be a good battle over the last two weekends and the playoffs, while I'm probably going to be receiving the Friday Night Rights and Wrongs Home Version for my troubles.
Anyway, the print edition has our full records. I'm still batting at a .716 rate, so it's been a respectable year, and you never know what might happen.
On to this week's picks (home teams in CAPS):
Attleboro 24, BARNSTABLE 21: There are all sorts of reasons for the Bombardiers to lose this game, but I changed my pick at the last minute because I think Matty Campbell and the boys will want to leave the Old Colony League as winners. Good luck, guys.
DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 31, Old Rochester 7: What a season for the Falcons, who were seen in some corners as "rebuilding." The march back culminates tonight in a South Coast Conference championship and a playoff berth.
FOXBORO 35, King Philip 28: Much as I'd like to see Thanksgiving have more meaning for the green-clad Warriors, I just don't think they'll be able to stop the Foxboro running attack. Both teams will play to their offensive strengths, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the last team with the ball to come away the winner.
Mansfield 44, EAST BRIDGEWATER 8: Been a tough season for the Hornets, in that their two losses were the result of surrendering big leads in the fourth quarters of both. I don't suspect this non-league game will follow that script.
MEDWAY 24, Norton 14: It hasn't been a bad season for the Lancers, but this week they go up against a team fighting for a share of the Tri-Valley League title. Thanksgiving should be happier for them.
Seekonk 12, NAUSET 6: I thought I was going to be driving a long way, but it's another 45 minutes in the directon of Gibraltar for the Seekonk Warriors before they can play a game. Long way to go for a win, but the Warriors should get the job done.
Tri-County 24, HOLBROOK-AVON 7 (Saturday, 11 a.m.): Another trip to the playoffs for the Cougars could be earned Saturday (if West Bridgewater beats Nantucket and T-C wins), and given their graduation losses, who would have thought that would happen?
BISHOP FEEHAN 27, Somerset 20 (Saturday, 1 p.m.): Back to the playoffs for the Shamrocks, although Somerset is bigger and better than in the past. Not big enough, not better enough.
NORTH ATTLEBORO 33, Canton 13 (Saturday, 1 p.m. at Beaupre Field): Probably won't be as exciting and definitely not as emotional as last week's game, but it will be a satisfying climax to the Hockomock League campaign for the Red Rocketeers.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Audio Blog 27.
After a quick look back at Sunday's win over the Dolphins, the Audio Blog takes a look ahead to Sunday night's showdown between the Patriots and the undefeated Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Peyton Manning joins the blog as today's special guest (as if Tom Brady and Bill Belichick aren't special enough).
Gostkowski earns AFC honor.
The Patriots have just announced that kicker Stephen Gostkowski has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
Well deserved. Not only did Gostkowski's four field goals forgive the sins of the Patriots' red-zone offense (just 1-for-4 in scoring opportunities), his booming kickoffs kept Miami's Ted Ginn Jr. in check.
Here's the press release by the Patriots:
------------------
STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI NAMED AFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
FOXBORO – The New England Patriots announced today that K Stephen Gostkowski has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week by the National Football League for his performance in the Patriots’ 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. It is the first time that Gostkowski has earned the honor. He was named Special Teams Player of the Month for October last season.
Gostkowski is the first New England player to earn the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor since Chris Hanson earned the award for his performance in Week 17 of the 2008 season in the Patriots shutout win over Buffalo when he averaged 45 yards per punt while facing 60 MPH winds.
Gostkowski was a perfect four-of-four on field goals against Miami (30, 38, 34 and 40 yards), tying his career high with four successful kicks in a game. Gostkowski also had four field goals against Atlanta on Sept. 27 and had four successful boots in two games in 2008 (at N.Y. Jets on 9/14/08 and vs. Arizona on 12/21/08). In addition, Gostkowski kicked three of his six kickoffs into the end zone with two going for touchbacks to help limit Miami’s dangerous kickoff returner Ted Ginn, Jr.
With the four field goals against Miami , Gostkowski raised his career total to 94 field goals, passing Tony Franklin (93 from 1984-87) and moving into fourth place on the Patriots’ all-time field goals list.
Gostkowski is second in the NFL with 73 points and is on track to finish the season with 146 points. Last season, he had an NFL-best 148 points.
It is the fourth time in 2009, and the third straight game, that the Patriots have been honored with an AFC Player of the Week award. QB Tom Brady was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week following Week 1 and Week 6. S Brandon Meriweather was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week following Week 7. Brady was also named Offensive Player of the Month for October.
Well deserved. Not only did Gostkowski's four field goals forgive the sins of the Patriots' red-zone offense (just 1-for-4 in scoring opportunities), his booming kickoffs kept Miami's Ted Ginn Jr. in check.
Here's the press release by the Patriots:
------------------
STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI NAMED AFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
FOXBORO – The New England Patriots announced today that K Stephen Gostkowski has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week by the National Football League for his performance in the Patriots’ 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. It is the first time that Gostkowski has earned the honor. He was named Special Teams Player of the Month for October last season.
Gostkowski is the first New England player to earn the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor since Chris Hanson earned the award for his performance in Week 17 of the 2008 season in the Patriots shutout win over Buffalo when he averaged 45 yards per punt while facing 60 MPH winds.Gostkowski was a perfect four-of-four on field goals against Miami (30, 38, 34 and 40 yards), tying his career high with four successful kicks in a game. Gostkowski also had four field goals against Atlanta on Sept. 27 and had four successful boots in two games in 2008 (at N.Y. Jets on 9/14/08 and vs. Arizona on 12/21/08). In addition, Gostkowski kicked three of his six kickoffs into the end zone with two going for touchbacks to help limit Miami’s dangerous kickoff returner Ted Ginn, Jr.
With the four field goals against Miami , Gostkowski raised his career total to 94 field goals, passing Tony Franklin (93 from 1984-87) and moving into fourth place on the Patriots’ all-time field goals list.
Gostkowski is second in the NFL with 73 points and is on track to finish the season with 146 points. Last season, he had an NFL-best 148 points.
It is the fourth time in 2009, and the third straight game, that the Patriots have been honored with an AFC Player of the Week award. QB Tom Brady was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week following Week 1 and Week 6. S Brandon Meriweather was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week following Week 7. Brady was also named Offensive Player of the Month for October.
Fox billboard no longer "huge!"
Driving by the Fox Network Pre-Game Show billboard on U.S. 1 southbound in Walpole this morning on my way to the stadium, and guess what? That Oct. 4 game between Brett Favre and the Packers that was touted as "huge" is no longer so.
In fact, the billboard no longer touts the Fox show at all. It's been redone, and guess what show it's hyping now?
"Sports Jobs with Junior Seau," which debuts next month on the Versus network.
Funny, the billboard comes in the wake of a game in which Seau and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer were the only two Patriots on the active roster who didn't see a single snap in the game. Maybe we should be wondering if Seau will be looking for another "sports job" soon.
In fact, the billboard no longer touts the Fox show at all. It's been redone, and guess what show it's hyping now?
"Sports Jobs with Junior Seau," which debuts next month on the Versus network.
Funny, the billboard comes in the wake of a game in which Seau and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer were the only two Patriots on the active roster who didn't see a single snap in the game. Maybe we should be wondering if Seau will be looking for another "sports job" soon.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
High 5 in North Attleboro.
WCVB-TV sports anchor Mike Lynch informed me today that the Red Rocketeer football team will be the subject of this week's "High 5" segment. He taped the interviews earlier today, and the finished product will appear during the 6 p.m. Channel 5 newscast on Thursday, and repeated Sunday evening at 11:25 p.m.
The Red Rocketeers, of course, engineered a magnificent comeback to defeat Mansfield, 28-25, on Saturday.
Thanks for the heads-up, Mike.
The Red Rocketeers, of course, engineered a magnificent comeback to defeat Mansfield, 28-25, on Saturday.
Thanks for the heads-up, Mike.
When new isn't necessarily good ...
Sunday night, the Patriots will be playing in Indianapolis for the fourth time in a row (including the 2006 AFC Championship Game), and they will be playing in an enclosed structure. Even though Lucas Oil Stadium, seen in the photo above, has a retractable roof (and one of the end zones opens up to a courtyard as well), everything will be closed up tight for the 8:20 p.m. ET start of the NBC Sunday Night Football broadcast.
The Patriots played for the first time at Lucas Oil Stadium last Nov. 2, an 18-15 loss in which David Thomas (no longer a Patriot) drew a 15-yard penalty on what could have been a game-winning or game-tying drive.
The first thing I noticed about Lucas Oil Stadium -- aside from its resemblance to the Butler University field house that was immortalized in "Hoosiers" -- was how quiet it was compared to the Colts' former home, the RCA Dome.
Of course, many people believe that the Colts artificially stoked the crowd noise in their old home (seen at left) by either playing recorded crowd noise or turning on microphones to amplify what little noise there was in the place. Much as the Colts tried to generate a home-field advantage through whatever means, it was obviously artificial and not very effective.The loudest stadium I visited over 30-plus years of NFL coverage was obviously the old Mile High Stadium in Denver. The stands there were very steep, and the noise was focused downward into the enclosed end of the stadium. I was standing behind the end zone when Rulon Jones made his famous sack of Tony Eason, and the raised voices of 80,000 Broncos' fans made my bones vibrate, I kid you not.
The new Invesco Field? Pfft. Not even close.
Most folks seem to think that today's loudest NFL stadium is Qwest Field in Seattle, and I can see why. The stands are steep there and the footprint is smaller than many of the newer stadiums, and the noise travels down and stays there. Others cited on the many Internet sites I visited today were Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (more on the strength of the fans' leather lungs than the construction or design of the stadium) and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, which is another of those Teflon-covered domes
Gillette Stadium is universally regarded as a tough place to play, but more because of the quality of the Patriots and the elements, not anything the fans do. In fact, it was the general consensus that Sunday's game against Miami was one of the quietest in recent memory. Personally, I still think it was a big mistake by the Krafts to accept a design that centered all of the club seats in two big sections in the middle of the field. Those "fans" spend more time in the bars inside the clubhouses instead of outside in the elements watching the game. Those seats should have ringed the stadium instead.
Monday, November 9, 2009
And we wonder ...
Sometimes it's pretty clear why some readers, players or coaches hold those of us in the Fourth Estate in low regard. Case in point:
As I was driving back from running a few errands today, listening to the newer of two sports-talk radio stations in Boston, one of the hosts (you can probably guess which one) was ranting on and on about how the Patriots were unprepared to face Miami's "Wildcat" offense, and how the "Wildcat" resulted in big gains, and so on, and so on.
Except ... the plays about which the host was ranting WEREN'T the "Wildcat."
He was complaining about the performance of the Patriots against what the Dolphins call the "Pistol," or the insertion of backup quarterback Pat White behind center to run an option offense that you can find in any high school playbook in America.
White sets up in shotgun formation, and he's got three immediate options -- either to fake a handoff and run, to fake running and hand off or pitch the ball to a trailing running back, or to throw (which is usually the least-used option),
It may be a little similar to the "Wildcat," where running back Ronnie Brown takes the direct snap from center and has similar options, but White is still technically a quarterback playing a quarterback's role. If he had three running backs behind him, it would be the Wishbone. One way or another, the Wildcat and Pistol are two distinctly different approaches, and even Patriots' coach Bill Belichick admitted that he had not prepared for the Pistol plays that the Dolphins trotted out Sunday.
The option is quite effective in the high school ranks because defensive players aren't as skilled at recognizing the feints of the QB before he hands off or decides to keep and run, and not athletic enough to make the adjustments in mid-play.
It was probably effective against the Patriots because not a lot of them have seen that particular form of the option run since their high school days, although they caught up pretty fast the more they saw of it. Perhaps the well-coiffed host would have recognized that if he had ever covered a high school football game in his life, but I get the feeling that he considers that level of sports coverage beneath him -- at least he did one day in the press box at Gillette when he scolded Danny Ventura of the Herald and me for chatting about the previous weekend's exciting high school games.
Too bad. At least I didn't confuse one offensive approach for another and pass that along to my readers. And to be honest, you don't need to be Vince Lombardi or Amos Alonzo Stagg to recognize the differences.
As I was driving back from running a few errands today, listening to the newer of two sports-talk radio stations in Boston, one of the hosts (you can probably guess which one) was ranting on and on about how the Patriots were unprepared to face Miami's "Wildcat" offense, and how the "Wildcat" resulted in big gains, and so on, and so on.
Except ... the plays about which the host was ranting WEREN'T the "Wildcat."
He was complaining about the performance of the Patriots against what the Dolphins call the "Pistol," or the insertion of backup quarterback Pat White behind center to run an option offense that you can find in any high school playbook in America.
White sets up in shotgun formation, and he's got three immediate options -- either to fake a handoff and run, to fake running and hand off or pitch the ball to a trailing running back, or to throw (which is usually the least-used option),
It may be a little similar to the "Wildcat," where running back Ronnie Brown takes the direct snap from center and has similar options, but White is still technically a quarterback playing a quarterback's role. If he had three running backs behind him, it would be the Wishbone. One way or another, the Wildcat and Pistol are two distinctly different approaches, and even Patriots' coach Bill Belichick admitted that he had not prepared for the Pistol plays that the Dolphins trotted out Sunday.
The option is quite effective in the high school ranks because defensive players aren't as skilled at recognizing the feints of the QB before he hands off or decides to keep and run, and not athletic enough to make the adjustments in mid-play.
It was probably effective against the Patriots because not a lot of them have seen that particular form of the option run since their high school days, although they caught up pretty fast the more they saw of it. Perhaps the well-coiffed host would have recognized that if he had ever covered a high school football game in his life, but I get the feeling that he considers that level of sports coverage beneath him -- at least he did one day in the press box at Gillette when he scolded Danny Ventura of the Herald and me for chatting about the previous weekend's exciting high school games.
Too bad. At least I didn't confuse one offensive approach for another and pass that along to my readers. And to be honest, you don't need to be Vince Lombardi or Amos Alonzo Stagg to recognize the differences.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Miami-Pats hots and nots, and game notes.
Here are my print-edition hots and nots (we call it the Farinella Report, but that wasn't my choice), and the game notes as provided by the Patriots. And as a special bonus, I'll tack on the Miami game notes provided by the incomparable Harvey Greene and his PR staff...
WHO’S HOT
STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI: Booming kickoffs. Four field goals. He even had a special-teams tackle. From a game that just didn’t seem to have a high excitement quotient, it’s only fitting to pick the kicker as the No. 1 star.
TOM BRADY: His 27th 300-yard game (25-37, 332 yards) propelled him past Drew Bledsoe into the team lead in that category.
RANDY MOSS: He caught six of the 11 passes thrown at him for 147 yards, including a 71-yard TD pass in which at least 60 were yards after the catch.
DAN CONNOLLY: Solid work at center after Dan Koppen went out with a knee injury.
TULLY BANTA-CAIN: Nine tackles and three quarterback hits. In his second go-round as a Patriot (third if you cut the clerical release a few weeks ago), TBC is starting to make a mark for himself as a pass-rusher.
LAURENCE MARONEY: He had 82 yards on 20 carries and seemed to do a decent job in the old Corey Dillon mode, running out the clock at the end of the game.
ADALIUS THOMAS: A return to the positive side. He dropped Chad Henne for 11 yards on what could have been a Wildcat-based option pass, and added two tackles for losses.
WHO’S HOT
STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI: Booming kickoffs. Four field goals. He even had a special-teams tackle. From a game that just didn’t seem to have a high excitement quotient, it’s only fitting to pick the kicker as the No. 1 star.
TOM BRADY: His 27th 300-yard game (25-37, 332 yards) propelled him past Drew Bledsoe into the team lead in that category.
RANDY MOSS: He caught six of the 11 passes thrown at him for 147 yards, including a 71-yard TD pass in which at least 60 were yards after the catch.
DAN CONNOLLY: Solid work at center after Dan Koppen went out with a knee injury.
TULLY BANTA-CAIN: Nine tackles and three quarterback hits. In his second go-round as a Patriot (third if you cut the clerical release a few weeks ago), TBC is starting to make a mark for himself as a pass-rusher.
LAURENCE MARONEY: He had 82 yards on 20 carries and seemed to do a decent job in the old Corey Dillon mode, running out the clock at the end of the game.
ADALIUS THOMAS: A return to the positive side. He dropped Chad Henne for 11 yards on what could have been a Wildcat-based option pass, and added two tackles for losses.
Patriots, 27-17.
Here are the final statistics, courtesy of NFL.com.
DOLPHINS
Passing CP/AT YDS TD INT
C. Henne 19/34 219 0 0
R. Brown 1/2 1 1 0
P. White 0/1 0 0 0
Rushing ATT YDS TD LG
R. Brown 15 48 0 16
P. White 6 45 0 33
R. Williams 7 33 1 15
L. Polite 3 7 0 4
Receiving REC YDS TD LG
G. Camarillo 5 71 0 23
D. Bess 6 56 0 20
J. Haynos 3 29 1 21
A. Fasano 1 20 0 20
B. Hartline 1 18 0 18
R. Brown 2 16 0 9
T. Ginn 1 7 0 7
R. Williams 1 3 0 3
DOLPHINS
Passing CP/AT YDS TD INT
C. Henne 19/34 219 0 0
R. Brown 1/2 1 1 0
P. White 0/1 0 0 0
Rushing ATT YDS TD LG
R. Brown 15 48 0 16
P. White 6 45 0 33
R. Williams 7 33 1 15
L. Polite 3 7 0 4
Receiving REC YDS TD LG
G. Camarillo 5 71 0 23
D. Bess 6 56 0 20
J. Haynos 3 29 1 21
A. Fasano 1 20 0 20
B. Hartline 1 18 0 18
R. Brown 2 16 0 9
T. Ginn 1 7 0 7
R. Williams 1 3 0 3
Halftime stats.
Here's courtesy of NFL.com, are the halftime statistics from the Dolphins-Patriots game:
PATRIOTS
Passing
CP/AT YDS TD INT T.
Brady 18/29 224 0 1
Rushing CAR YDS TD LG
L. Maroney 9 38 1 10
K. Faulk 2 15 0 11
Receiving REC YDS TD LG
W. Welker 6 73 0 14
R. Moss 3 52 0 36
B. Watson 3 47 0 23
K. Faulk 4 35 0 14
S. Aiken 2 17 0 13
PATRIOTS
Passing
CP/AT YDS TD INT T.
Brady 18/29 224 0 1
Rushing CAR YDS TD LG
L. Maroney 9 38 1 10
K. Faulk 2 15 0 11
Receiving REC YDS TD LG
W. Welker 6 73 0 14
R. Moss 3 52 0 36
B. Watson 3 47 0 23
K. Faulk 4 35 0 14
S. Aiken 2 17 0 13
In-game blogging elsewhere.
Because of the time it takes to post to multiple sites, I'll be doing the in-game blogging only at the original site, which can be found at www.thesunchronicle.com/farinella. I'll be back here with halftime stats and post-game stuff. Thanks for stopping by.
Where's Fearless? High above Gillette.
We're in our accustomed position in the Gillette Stadium press box, awaiting today's game against the Miami Dolphins. The iced coffee is gone, lunch has been served, and here are the inactive players for the game:
PATRIOTS
WR Julian Edelman
RB Fred Taylor
CB Jonathan Wilhite
RB Sammy Morris
LB Eric Alexander
OL Rich Ohrnberger
OT Matt Light
DE Jarvis Green
Added to the Patriots' roster is No. 27, cornerback Kyle Arrington, signed off the practice squad.
DOLPHINS
QB Tyler Thigpen
RB Kory Sheets
LB Channing Crowder
OT Andrew Gardner
OT Lydon Murtha
WR Patrick Turner
LB Quentin Moses
DT Jason Ferguson
Added to the Dolphins roster is No. 59, J.D. Folsom, a linebacker signed off the practice squad.
Memo to Fox: It's not "huge" any more.
Problem is, that box hasn't been updated since Oct. 4. It refers to the first meeting of Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings and his former team, the Green Bay Packers, and says, "This one's huge!"
Well, the SECOND meeting of those teams has come and gone, and the same Fox blurb remains on the billboard.
Huge, indeed. I'd love to sneak up to that billboard in the dead of night and paste "We're just stupid." over the Oct. 4 plug.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A perfect day for football, turning at kickoff to the perfect night for football. Offensive drives run with precision. Defensive game plans executed with intensity. Big pass plays that made you gasp in awe. Bone-crushing hits that made you wince from the sight of them. Good, hard and -- above all -- clean play. Celebrations of success, and silent agony over what seemed to be costly mistakes.
Yes, there were mistakes -- but redemption, too. North Attleboro's Brett Mastropoll fumbled twice in the third quarter, and Mansfield seized upon both to mount an 11-point lead with 4:23 left to play. Yet when it came to make a play and keep his team alive, Mastropoll was there to smother a loose ball on an onside kick, giving the Rocketeers possesion with 1:17 to go and 51 yards to cover.
I saw all of the emotions that a football game can generate. I saw players from both teams celebrating wildly when touchdowns were scored, but I also saw Mansfield linebacker Matt Schafer -- a kid who left everything on the field Saturday -- walk silently by me with tears streaming down his face after a sweep by North's Dylan Rayburg barely made it to the left pylon of the end zone for the two points that rounded out the wild scoring frenzy of the last four minutes.
I also saw Ryan Van De Giesen, again in his familiar place along the sidelines, coaching the kids and imploring them to keep their spirits high. The young man had attended his brother's funeral the day before, yet everything he could muster in his heart and his soul was being devoted to the this generation of Red Rocketeers.
Indeed, all of these moments transpired under the backdrop of tragedy. The Rocketeers were present at the candlelight vigil for Ryan's brother, USMC Capt. Kyle Van De Giesen, former quarterback of the Rocketeers and helicopter pilot who lost his life almost two weeks ago while serving in Afghanistan. It was only slightly less than a year after Mansfield lost one of its own, Army Spc. Corey Shea, who died in Ithe service of his country in Iraq.
For generation after generation, Americans at home have had to go on with their lives after loved ones died half a world away in one conflict or another. Much as we wish the cycle would end, it never does. Perhaps we honor our fallen heroes best by continuing on, enjoying the freedom that they sacrificed themselves to preserve. I just hope we all appreciate the price that has been paid for that freedom.
This scene probably transpired in several American cities and towns today. But in this instance, it wasn't some faraway place. It was here, and now. And I will never forget what I saw Saturday because, even though some might have seen it as just another football game on another weekend in a long season, I saw it as another example of how precious our lives are -- and how amazing it is that others would sacrifice themselves to preserve what we sometimes find so easy to take for granted.
On to the football thoughts:
** There are times that I just have too much on my plate to be jotting everything down, much as I find I regret it later. So it was in the third quarter at Alumni Field when the winner of the 50/50 raffle was announced. As I reported during the week, the proceeds from the raffle were going to be donated to a fund that's been set up to help Capt. Van De Giesen's family, and as I and many others had hoped, the crowd was very generous and created a pool of more than $2,400, of which about $1,200 would go to the winner.
Understand, not even your best-attended Thanksgiving games create a four-figure 50/50 pot. So the winner was going to be a very lucky individual indeed.
Regrettably, I did not jot down the individual's name when it was announced after play resumed in the third quarter because I was busy charting plays. But I did hear that he donated more than $600 of his winnings back to the fund for the Van De Giesen family, thus putting $1,800 into the bank for them. My hat is off to that person, and I'm sorry I can't offer more recognition here.
** I know no one understands the NFL passer rating, and it would take me almost as long as what I've written already to explain it. But I have it stored away on my computers in spreadsheet form, and with a few imputs and clicks, I can tell you that both North Attleboro's Joe Kummer and Mansfield's Nik Busharis had games Saturday that most NFL quarterbacks would envy:
Joe Kummer -- 15 completions, 21 attempts, 265 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, 153.3 passer rating.
Nik Busharis -- eight completions, 15 attempts, 233 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, 120.8 rating.
Seriously, Google "NFL passer rating" and somewhere it will be explained how that number is derived.
** I guess what surprised me the most about the game was how well Kummer could pass against the Hornets, who had played near-perfect pass defense against Brandon Howard and the powerful King Philip passing attack. Especially with Danny Lang out of action, Kummer needed his receivers to run their routes to perfection and get separation.
So, Dan Johnson (four catches, 144 yards) played the Randy Moss role and stretched the field, and Ryan Flannery stepped into the role of a larger Wes Welker and ran the possesion routes. Flannery, a junior, had the game of his life -- seven catches for 94 yards, and three big catches of 9 yards apiece at the start of the Rocketeers' first fourth-quarter scoring drive.
** Let's look at third-down and fourth-down conversions, shall we?
Mansfield converted five of nine third downs (56 percent) and its only fourth-down try.
North converted four of seven third downs (57 percent) and both of its fourth-down tries. The big difference? Both of the North fourth-down attempts produced touchdowns.
I think that qualifies as "brinksmanship."
** There's a lot more I could put in here, but I'll sign off with a comment from a fellow who met up with me during the chase for post-game interviews. "This is why they should never get rid of the leagues," he said.
As you may be aware, there's a proposal before the MIAA that would eliminate football leagues to create a statewide playoff system, and a lot of traditional league rivalries would be eliminated if that comes to pass.
With games like this one, I wholeheartedly agree that I'd rather see more Hockomock League football over the next 20 years than some convoluted and soulless playoff system.
North Attleboro 28, Mansfield 25.
A fabulous game at Alumni Field that wasn't settled until the last pass had been thrown. Here's the box score, and I'll have some bonus thoughts later in the evening.
North Attleboro 28,
Mansfield 25
NA Mans
First downs 18 18
Total yardage 367 416
Rushing yardage 122 183
Passing yardage 265 233
Sacks-yds. 2-20 0-0
Comp.-Att.-Int. 15-21-0 8-15-0
Punts-Avg. 1-44.0 1-36.0
Fumbles-lost 2-2 1-1
Penalties-yds. 3-25 4-40
North Attleboro 0 14 0 14—28
Mansfield 7 6 6 6—25
Scoring summary:
First quarter
Mans — Matt Zonghetti 37 pass from Nik Busharis (Don Washburn kick), 6:17.
Second quarter
NA — Ryan Flannery 4 pass from Joe Kummer (Corey Wynn kick), 4:29.
Mans — Shawn Doherty 4 run (kick failed), 2:42.
NA — Dan Johnson 4 run (Wynn kick), 1:50.
Third quarter
Mans — S. Doherty 10 run (rush failed), 3:05.
Fourth quarter
Mans — S. Doherty 31 run (pass failed), 4:23.
NA — Evan Dean 4 pass from J. Kummer (pass failed), 1:17.
NA — D. Johnson 10 pass from J. Kummer (Dylan Rayburg rush), 0:41.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: NA — D. Johnson 3-13, Rayburg 3-2, J. Kummer 8-36, Moore 1-16, Mastropoll 9-55. Mansfield — Zonghetti 3-20, S. Doherty 16-93, Marshall 14-55, Rogers 1-minus 5, N. Busharis 1-20.
PASSING: NA — J. Kummer 15-21-0—265. Mansfield — N. Busharis 8-15-0—233.
RECEIVING: NA — Sellner 1-12, D. Johnson 4-144, Flannery 7-94, Rayburg 1-1, Mastropoll 1-10, Dean 1-4. Mansfield — Schafer 1-21, Zonghetti 3-114, S. Doherty 1-13, Marshall 1-48, Hill 1-15, Rogers 1-22.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: Mansfield — Washburn 25 (blocked).
North Attleboro 28,
Mansfield 25
NA Mans
First downs 18 18
Total yardage 367 416
Rushing yardage 122 183
Passing yardage 265 233
Sacks-yds. 2-20 0-0
Comp.-Att.-Int. 15-21-0 8-15-0
Punts-Avg. 1-44.0 1-36.0
Fumbles-lost 2-2 1-1
Penalties-yds. 3-25 4-40
North Attleboro 0 14 0 14—28
Mansfield 7 6 6 6—25
Scoring summary:
First quarter
Mans — Matt Zonghetti 37 pass from Nik Busharis (Don Washburn kick), 6:17.
Second quarter
NA — Ryan Flannery 4 pass from Joe Kummer (Corey Wynn kick), 4:29.
Mans — Shawn Doherty 4 run (kick failed), 2:42.
NA — Dan Johnson 4 run (Wynn kick), 1:50.
Third quarter
Mans — S. Doherty 10 run (rush failed), 3:05.
Fourth quarter
Mans — S. Doherty 31 run (pass failed), 4:23.
NA — Evan Dean 4 pass from J. Kummer (pass failed), 1:17.
NA — D. Johnson 10 pass from J. Kummer (Dylan Rayburg rush), 0:41.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: NA — D. Johnson 3-13, Rayburg 3-2, J. Kummer 8-36, Moore 1-16, Mastropoll 9-55. Mansfield — Zonghetti 3-20, S. Doherty 16-93, Marshall 14-55, Rogers 1-minus 5, N. Busharis 1-20.
PASSING: NA — J. Kummer 15-21-0—265. Mansfield — N. Busharis 8-15-0—233.
RECEIVING: NA — Sellner 1-12, D. Johnson 4-144, Flannery 7-94, Rayburg 1-1, Mastropoll 1-10, Dean 1-4. Mansfield — Schafer 1-21, Zonghetti 3-114, S. Doherty 1-13, Marshall 1-48, Hill 1-15, Rogers 1-22.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: Mansfield — Washburn 25 (blocked).
Scores and bonus thoughts from Robert T. Roy Field.
Friday night's scores:
Attleboro 26, Dartmouth 7
Bishop Feehan 27, Durfee 6
Blue Hills 12, Tri-County 8
Dighton-Rehoboth 29, Fairhaven 8
Foxboro 21, Canton 0
King Philip 35, Stoughton 0
Norton 22, Millis 12
Wareham 16, Seekonk 6
Now, for the bonus thoughts:
** I haven't seen a quarter's worth of excitement like the third quarter of the Falcons' win over Fairhaven since ... well, the Patriots' second quarter against Tennessee. In fact, let's compare them.
The Patriots scored five touchdowns in a span of 15 minutes, or one every three minutes.
The Falcons scored three in 10 minutes, or one every 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
Not bad at all.
** When it looked as if it was going to be a ground-based game, Fairhaven was going to extraordinary means to keep its drives alive. A breakdown of the third-down and fourth-down conversions proves how extraordinary.
In the first half, the Blue Devils converted only one of five third-down attempts, but were 3-for-4 on fourth down. For the game, the Devils were 1-7 on third down and 3-5 on fourth.
D-R, on the other hand, was 3-4 for the game on third down, and never attempted a fourth-down conversion. With Brian Espinosa catching four passes for 184 yards, the Falcons didn't need to.
** In case you were wondering, Brett Croteau's passing line (4-6, 184 yards, three TD, no interceptions) translates to 149.3 in the NFL way of calculating a passer rating, or fewer than 10 points below perfect. Not too shabby.
** Probably because of Fairhaven's surprising upset win over Hockomock League contender King Philip earlier in the season, a lot of the metro media types and even some of the locals picked Fairhaven to win the game. And if you believe that young people don't read newspapers any more, it certainly seemed like everyone in the D-R locker room knew exactly who picked what.
While there's nothing wrong with drawing some motivation from newspaper picks, I'd caution anyone against taking them too seriously. Most of us pick what we honestly believe will happen, and local writers should be a little more credible because we see the teams more often than the metros. And some metro papers don't take the picks seriously at all, which is why the Globe hasn't picked Everett to win a game in about a decade. But when a writer picks a team to win, or lose, it's kind of a "Godfather" situation -- it's business, not personal.
I might have been fooled by the win over KP, too, if I hadn't been told that the Warriors made a season's worth of mistakes (and had some curious penalties called against them) in the loss to Fairhaven. Give the ball away enough, and you'll lose to anyone.
Fairhaven certainly was a dangerous club, but D-R has been a steadily improving team all season long, and I had a feeling the Falcons wouldn't let down as the stakes became higher. Not exactly scientific, but at least for the first time this week, no one was upset with me!
** Nice job by the D-R band with its Star Trek-themed halftime show, complete with authentic sound effects, flashing lights and smoke. Live long and prosper, kids. Now, if only someone can come up with a good Shatner impression for the dialogue ...
I also like the atmosphere at the D-R games. It's been a while since I've made it to Roy Field, and it's very festive. Good food at the concession stands, too. About the only thing I'd alter slightly is the constant commentary from the well-meaning but gabby public address announcer.
Here's a situation from which I can actually speak from experience, having performed those duties in my high school days, and occasionally thereafter. I was told a long time ago that if I wanted to be a play-by-play announcer, I should go to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, But for high school football, what should suffice over the PA system is the ball-carrier's name (tackler, too, if I see it or a spotter can help), down, distance and yard line ... and that's it.
Now, some people have accused me of being mean-spirited when I make comments like this. However, some of those would probably be offended if I said, "the sky is blue," because I left out other colors and made them feel sad. In this instance, please understand that it's just a suggestion and not some sort of edict (one I couldn't enforce in any event). Take it for what it's worth.
See you at Mansfield Saturday afternoon. Remember, the 50-50 raffle proceeds will go to a fund to help the family of Kyle Van De Giesen, former North Attleboro quarterback and Marine helicopter pilot, who died in action last week in Afghanistan.
Attleboro 26, Dartmouth 7
Bishop Feehan 27, Durfee 6
Blue Hills 12, Tri-County 8
Dighton-Rehoboth 29, Fairhaven 8
Foxboro 21, Canton 0
King Philip 35, Stoughton 0
Norton 22, Millis 12
Wareham 16, Seekonk 6
Now, for the bonus thoughts:
** I haven't seen a quarter's worth of excitement like the third quarter of the Falcons' win over Fairhaven since ... well, the Patriots' second quarter against Tennessee. In fact, let's compare them.
The Patriots scored five touchdowns in a span of 15 minutes, or one every three minutes.
The Falcons scored three in 10 minutes, or one every 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
Not bad at all.
** When it looked as if it was going to be a ground-based game, Fairhaven was going to extraordinary means to keep its drives alive. A breakdown of the third-down and fourth-down conversions proves how extraordinary.
In the first half, the Blue Devils converted only one of five third-down attempts, but were 3-for-4 on fourth down. For the game, the Devils were 1-7 on third down and 3-5 on fourth.
D-R, on the other hand, was 3-4 for the game on third down, and never attempted a fourth-down conversion. With Brian Espinosa catching four passes for 184 yards, the Falcons didn't need to.
** In case you were wondering, Brett Croteau's passing line (4-6, 184 yards, three TD, no interceptions) translates to 149.3 in the NFL way of calculating a passer rating, or fewer than 10 points below perfect. Not too shabby.
** Probably because of Fairhaven's surprising upset win over Hockomock League contender King Philip earlier in the season, a lot of the metro media types and even some of the locals picked Fairhaven to win the game. And if you believe that young people don't read newspapers any more, it certainly seemed like everyone in the D-R locker room knew exactly who picked what.
While there's nothing wrong with drawing some motivation from newspaper picks, I'd caution anyone against taking them too seriously. Most of us pick what we honestly believe will happen, and local writers should be a little more credible because we see the teams more often than the metros. And some metro papers don't take the picks seriously at all, which is why the Globe hasn't picked Everett to win a game in about a decade. But when a writer picks a team to win, or lose, it's kind of a "Godfather" situation -- it's business, not personal.
I might have been fooled by the win over KP, too, if I hadn't been told that the Warriors made a season's worth of mistakes (and had some curious penalties called against them) in the loss to Fairhaven. Give the ball away enough, and you'll lose to anyone.
Fairhaven certainly was a dangerous club, but D-R has been a steadily improving team all season long, and I had a feeling the Falcons wouldn't let down as the stakes became higher. Not exactly scientific, but at least for the first time this week, no one was upset with me!
** Nice job by the D-R band with its Star Trek-themed halftime show, complete with authentic sound effects, flashing lights and smoke. Live long and prosper, kids. Now, if only someone can come up with a good Shatner impression for the dialogue ...
I also like the atmosphere at the D-R games. It's been a while since I've made it to Roy Field, and it's very festive. Good food at the concession stands, too. About the only thing I'd alter slightly is the constant commentary from the well-meaning but gabby public address announcer.
Here's a situation from which I can actually speak from experience, having performed those duties in my high school days, and occasionally thereafter. I was told a long time ago that if I wanted to be a play-by-play announcer, I should go to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, But for high school football, what should suffice over the PA system is the ball-carrier's name (tackler, too, if I see it or a spotter can help), down, distance and yard line ... and that's it.
Now, some people have accused me of being mean-spirited when I make comments like this. However, some of those would probably be offended if I said, "the sky is blue," because I left out other colors and made them feel sad. In this instance, please understand that it's just a suggestion and not some sort of edict (one I couldn't enforce in any event). Take it for what it's worth.
See you at Mansfield Saturday afternoon. Remember, the 50-50 raffle proceeds will go to a fund to help the family of Kyle Van De Giesen, former North Attleboro quarterback and Marine helicopter pilot, who died in action last week in Afghanistan.
Friday, November 6, 2009
D-R 29, Fairhaven 8.
An explosive third quarter for the Falcons, in which wide receiver Brian Espinosa scored three touchdowns of 38, 68 and 65 yards, has clinched at least a share of the South Coast Conference title for the Falcons, now 6-0 in league play.
Here's the box score, with bonus thoughts to follow.
Dighton-Rehoboth 29, Fairhaven 8
Fhvn D-R
First downs 10 15
Total yardage 184 321
Rushing yardage 181 137
Passing yardage 8 184
Sacks-yds. 1-5 0-0
Comp.-Att.-Int. 1-4-2 4-6-0
Punts-Avg. 0-0 1-27.0
Fumbles-lost 2-0 0-0
Penalties-yds. 2-20 1-10
Fairhaven 0 8 0 8— 8
Dighton-Rehoboth 0 8 21 0—29
Scoring summary:
Second quarter
Fhvn — Myles Perron-Sovik 2 run (Eric Stroud rush), 6:03.
D-R — Tyler Berry 4 run (Tom Harrington rush), 0:52.
Third quarter
D-R — Brian Espinosa 38 pass from Brett Croteau (Nate Sprague pass from Croteau), 6:47.
D-R — Espinosa 68 pass from Croteau (Mason Hinken kick), 4:16.
D-R — Espinosa 65 pass from Croteau (rush failed), 0:45.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Fairhaven — Motta 14-108; LeBlanc 8-15, Perron-Sovik 8-26, Stroud 4-32. D-R — Bettencourt 6-24, Berry 15-72, Harrington 1-5, Rocha 2-11, Caito 4-21, Benvie 1-8, Croteau 3-minus 4.
PASSING: Fairhaven — Motta 1-3-2—8, Perron-Sovik 0-1-0—0. D-R — Croteau 4-6-0—184.
RECEIVING: Fairhaven — Perron-Sovik 1-8. D-R — Espinosa 4-184.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Here's the box score, with bonus thoughts to follow.
Dighton-Rehoboth 29, Fairhaven 8
Fhvn D-R
First downs 10 15
Total yardage 184 321
Rushing yardage 181 137
Passing yardage 8 184
Sacks-yds. 1-5 0-0
Comp.-Att.-Int. 1-4-2 4-6-0
Punts-Avg. 0-0 1-27.0
Fumbles-lost 2-0 0-0
Penalties-yds. 2-20 1-10
Fairhaven 0 8 0 8— 8
Dighton-Rehoboth 0 8 21 0—29
Scoring summary:
Second quarter
Fhvn — Myles Perron-Sovik 2 run (Eric Stroud rush), 6:03.
D-R — Tyler Berry 4 run (Tom Harrington rush), 0:52.
Third quarter
D-R — Brian Espinosa 38 pass from Brett Croteau (Nate Sprague pass from Croteau), 6:47.
D-R — Espinosa 68 pass from Croteau (Mason Hinken kick), 4:16.
D-R — Espinosa 65 pass from Croteau (rush failed), 0:45.
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Fairhaven — Motta 14-108; LeBlanc 8-15, Perron-Sovik 8-26, Stroud 4-32. D-R — Bettencourt 6-24, Berry 15-72, Harrington 1-5, Rocha 2-11, Caito 4-21, Benvie 1-8, Croteau 3-minus 4.
PASSING: Fairhaven — Motta 1-3-2—8, Perron-Sovik 0-1-0—0. D-R — Croteau 4-6-0—184.
RECEIVING: Fairhaven — Perron-Sovik 1-8. D-R — Espinosa 4-184.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
Patriots release Simmons.
Kendall Simmons, a former starter for the Steelers on their offensive line who was given a three-year contract here, has been released. It's not a good year for personnel decisions at Patriot Place.
Here's the release from the team:
-------------------------
FOXBORO – The New England Patriots released G Kendall Simmons today.
Simmons, 6-3, 315 pounds, was signed by New England on September 6, 2009 He was inactive for six games and played in one game on special teams against Tennessee (10/18). Prior to joining the Patriots, Simmons spent seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after joining Pittsburgh as a first-round draft pick (30th overall) out of Auburn in 2002.
Here's the release from the team:
-------------------------
FOXBORO – The New England Patriots released G Kendall Simmons today.
Simmons, 6-3, 315 pounds, was signed by New England on September 6, 2009 He was inactive for six games and played in one game on special teams against Tennessee (10/18). Prior to joining the Patriots, Simmons spent seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after joining Pittsburgh as a first-round draft pick (30th overall) out of Auburn in 2002.
Friday Night Rights ... and Wrongs, Week 9.
I've pretty much fallen out of the race for the year's supply of Turtle Wax after everyone finished 7-1 last week, so I'm just trying to hang on and claim that gift certificate to the Spiegel catalog (and seriously, is there a Spiegel catalog any more? But I do remember when every game show gave gift certificates from the Chicago-based retailer as consolation prizes) and the latest home edition of the Weekly Picks Game.
As always, the complete staff standings can be found in the print edition. But I'm 52-20 for the season, down three from the lead with just two full weeks of picks and the playoffs to go. Not good.
Here are this weekend's picks, with home teams in CAPS:
Tri-County 18, BLUE HILLS 14: The Canton-based voke school is 2-6. But I hear Blue Hills has one heck of a plumbing department.
ATTLEBORO 35, Dartmouth 7: Should be no problem for the Bombardiers, who made a nice bounce back last week against Feehan. They will run the table as their brief tenure in the Old Colony League fades into history.
Bishop Feehan 24, DURFEE 13: The Hilltoppers ran pretty well against Attleboro earlier in the year, but they're a one-trick pony and can't defend against what the 'Rocks can bring offensively.
DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 16, Fairhaven 14: I'm still shaking my head over the Blue Devils' non-league win over King Philip. But with D-R (5-0), Fairhaven (5-1) and Seekonk (5-1) all bunched up at the top of the South Coast Conference standings, this is no time for the Falcons to let up and make the same mistakes that led KP to falter against what's apparently a good team.
FOXBORO 21, Canton 8: This would probably be the battle for the Hockomock League's Small School Division championship next year.
KING PHILIP 34, Stoughton 14: "Keep hope alive." That saying should be repeated over and over by the Warriors in their last home game of the season.
NORTON 20, Millis 6: Before the start of the season, Millis came perilously close to having to drop football because of a lack of warm bodies. Fortunately, the town of Hopedale came to the rescue with some strapping lads, and the result has been a 3-3 mark in the TVL. The Lancers should prevail, however.
SEEKONK 14, Wareham 13: I went back and forth on this one. Wareham didn't fulfill preseason expectations, but the Vikings are still formidable foes. Seekonk has gotten by with guts and grit when brute force hasn't been an option, and the Warriors will have to bring the "A" game tonight.
MANSFIELD 24, North Attleboro 21 (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.): Emotions will be running high in this game, and I believe that could serve as somewhat of an equalizer. From seeing both teams, I believe Mansfield to be more explosive offensively, and the Hornets' defense has made big strides since the start of the season. North won't be likely to pass successfully and will have to establish the run -- not just to move the ball, but to keep the Hornet offense off the field. Don't forget, proceeds from the 50-50 raffle will go to a fund to help the family of Marine Capt. Kyle Van De Giesen, who died in the service of our country last week. Dig deep.
As always, the complete staff standings can be found in the print edition. But I'm 52-20 for the season, down three from the lead with just two full weeks of picks and the playoffs to go. Not good.
Here are this weekend's picks, with home teams in CAPS:
Tri-County 18, BLUE HILLS 14: The Canton-based voke school is 2-6. But I hear Blue Hills has one heck of a plumbing department.
ATTLEBORO 35, Dartmouth 7: Should be no problem for the Bombardiers, who made a nice bounce back last week against Feehan. They will run the table as their brief tenure in the Old Colony League fades into history.
Bishop Feehan 24, DURFEE 13: The Hilltoppers ran pretty well against Attleboro earlier in the year, but they're a one-trick pony and can't defend against what the 'Rocks can bring offensively.
DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 16, Fairhaven 14: I'm still shaking my head over the Blue Devils' non-league win over King Philip. But with D-R (5-0), Fairhaven (5-1) and Seekonk (5-1) all bunched up at the top of the South Coast Conference standings, this is no time for the Falcons to let up and make the same mistakes that led KP to falter against what's apparently a good team.
FOXBORO 21, Canton 8: This would probably be the battle for the Hockomock League's Small School Division championship next year.
KING PHILIP 34, Stoughton 14: "Keep hope alive." That saying should be repeated over and over by the Warriors in their last home game of the season.
NORTON 20, Millis 6: Before the start of the season, Millis came perilously close to having to drop football because of a lack of warm bodies. Fortunately, the town of Hopedale came to the rescue with some strapping lads, and the result has been a 3-3 mark in the TVL. The Lancers should prevail, however.
SEEKONK 14, Wareham 13: I went back and forth on this one. Wareham didn't fulfill preseason expectations, but the Vikings are still formidable foes. Seekonk has gotten by with guts and grit when brute force hasn't been an option, and the Warriors will have to bring the "A" game tonight.
MANSFIELD 24, North Attleboro 21 (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.): Emotions will be running high in this game, and I believe that could serve as somewhat of an equalizer. From seeing both teams, I believe Mansfield to be more explosive offensively, and the Hornets' defense has made big strides since the start of the season. North won't be likely to pass successfully and will have to establish the run -- not just to move the ball, but to keep the Hornet offense off the field. Don't forget, proceeds from the 50-50 raffle will go to a fund to help the family of Marine Capt. Kyle Van De Giesen, who died in the service of our country last week. Dig deep.
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