Archive for November, 2008

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

Vicki Higgins of the Norwood High color guard performs with the rest of the marching band during halftime of the annual Norwood versus Dedham rivalry game. Norwood High won 47-14. In other Transcript area Turkey Day games, Westwood High thumped Holliston 42 to 18, Walpole beat Weymouth 20-6, and Xaverian defeated St. John’s Prep 24-17

Read “Local Teams Shine” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Right now, the Weymouth Wildcats are probably thinking the same thing everyone has been thinking all year: how do you stop the Walpole High football team?
   So far, no one has figured it out, and the Rebels hope it stays that way as they try to complete a perfect regular season at Weymouth High on Thanksgiving (10 a.m.), and look forward to Tuesday’s first-round match-up with Middlesex League champion Reading.
   But, first things first, and that means taking care of business on Thanksgiving.
   Weymouth had high hopes coming off last year’s Bay State Carey championship, but ran into trouble as soon as the Wildcats were beaten by Carey champion Framingham, 41-6, on September 18. They barely survived Milton and Newton North after that, and come into the game with unbeaten, fifth-ranked Walpole while in the midst of a four-game losing streak. It’s hard to figure out what happened to the ‘Cats, except maybe the fact that they have been burned a few times too often in the air. They gave up three passing touchdowns and a rushing one to Flyer Dan Guadagnoli, whose 22 TD strikes makes him this year’s most prolific public school quarterback in Eastern Mass.
   That may have been expected, but Dedham’s John O’Connell duplicated that feat as he led the Marauders to their only win of the year, 25-7 over the Wildcats.
   Thus, on the face of it, a battle between the Rebels, who are averaging 33.9 per game coming in and the Wildcats, scoring 13.9 a game and only 14 points over the last three, looks like a cake walk.
   But don’t bet on it. There are a couple of big reasons why the Wildcats should not be overlooked, beginning with the fact the game’s on their turf and they would really like revenge for the Rebels spoiling their own unbeaten season a year ago. One is that at 4-6, and with Braintree taking away a chance at a winning season, this is their Super Bowl, and they come in with nothing to lose.
   Another is that this is the featured showdown between two of the best running backs in the state, Walpole junior Ryan Izzo and Weymouth’s Royce Terrell, who has 13 touchdowns and 78 points, more than half the team’s.
   On the other hand, the Rebels are focused and are on a mission. They would like more than anything to get another crack at the Super Bowl, which Bishop Feehan barely won last fall. They would like to go into the Reading game with continued momentum.
   What makes this team so dangerous is that they come in wit more weapons than the Pentagon. People who think the Rebels are all Ryan Izzo are sadly mistaken, because tailback Troy Salvatore is even faster, fullback Mat Nee rips off 7-yard runs when he gives Izzo a breather and Sonny Mastromatteo is one of the best, steadiest quarterbacks around.
   Throw in a plethora of wide receivers, including dangerous seniors Ryan Collins and T. J. Kelliher, and an offense going even more to tight ends, and every defense has its hands full. Notable is that when the Wildcats held Izzo to just 107 yards in 2007, the Mastromatteo completed eight passes in 13 tries for 133 yards.
  Then there is the line play on both sides of the ball which has been great and is a key tomorrow.
   “Blocking, tackling and turnovers, and the time of possession will decide this game, especially with 10-minute quarters making it shorter,” says Coach Danny Villa. The team with the ball the most will probably win.”
   While Terrell is special, Villa isn’t planning anything special for him, just relying on previous success.
   “We’ll try to do what we do best. We don’t play our game based on the opponents.”
Right now what they do best is everything.
   The bad news in this game is that senior Captain Mitch Savini, an outstanding two-way player for two seasons after taking over at linebacker last year, is out for the season. The good news is that the Rebels have gotten back starting cornerback Ryan O’Keefe, who makes an excellent secondary that much better. How good is Walpole’s pass defense? In the opener with Framingham, the Flyers jumped out to an early lead on a TD strike, and Guadagnoli threw one more the second quarter.
   The secondary led by O’Keefe then shut him totally down, and the Rebels surrendered 13 points to a tram that never scored fewer than 20 any other time and is averaging 48.5 points over the last two games.
   O’Keefe went down with an ankle injury right after, though, and only Walpole depth kept them going without missing a beat. He returned to play against Dedham and in the next game, the showdown with Natick, he led the Rebels in tackles.
   O’Keefe isn’t the only Rebel who has stepped up. Leo Ajemian, who missed most of last year has been great on both sides of the ball, and sophomore Mike Milien has stepped in nicely at tight end for Savini. Matt Sweet, Nick Villante, Chris Tetreault and Dave Parkinson have stepped up in the trenches, and Kyle Morris has come on like gangbusters on the line as well.
   If the Wildcats do win this one, they deserve it and it would go down in history as one of Weymouth’s biggest wins ever. If the Rebels prevail, it was be just another in a long line for a team still on a mission.
 

Read “Rebels one win from perfect 11-0 year” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

Following a party last week involving underage drinking, school officials have started the process of disciplining high school students who were involved.

At about 8 p.m. on Nov. 10, police broke up a drinking party on Lincoln Road, taking 17 high-schoolers into custody, said Deputy Police Chief Scott Bushway.

No arrests were made, he said, but police notified the parents of the 17 teens.

School was not in session the next day, which was Veterans Day.

In speaking with students involved in the matter, Walpole High Principal Alan Bernstein said he believed 30 or more students attended the party. According to police reports, several students ran from the scene of the party and got away.

Officials said administrators and police worked together in a weeklong investigation on the matter but could not identify any of the students who fled the party.

Even though no arrests were made, school Superintendent Lincoln Lynch said the School Department has the authority to discipline students who were involved.

"It’s troubling the amount of teenage drinking going on," he said. "It’s a continuous battle."

The schools conducted a weeklong investigation into the matter with the help of police, Walpole High’s Bernstein said. This past Monday he sent letters home to the parents of the 17 students, informing them of the school’s disciplinary actions.

Under the high school’s current current chemical health policy, athletes involved in the incident could lose playing eligibility for 25 percent of their games.

Students involved in extracurricular activities will be unable to participate in 25 percent of their organizations’ meetings.

Those students who don’t take part in sports or other activities can be banned from a social event such as a prom or homecoming and could lose any school executive office he or she holds.

"It mostly affects the athletes," Bernstein said, because of strict Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association guidelines.

Several football players, basketball players and cheerleaders attended the party, Bernstein said.

Names of those athletes and the other students involved could not be released because of student confidentially rules.

Bernstein said the School Department added the extracurricular and social event clauses to the handbook out of fairness.

Extracurricular events differ depending on the activity, he said, and there is some gray area on what the punishment should be.

"It’s not as clear cut," he said. "We have to weigh that in."

Bernstein said at least one student, who doesn’t play sports or participate in extracurricular activities, will face losing his or her privileges of attending school-sponsored social events.

That matter will continue to be evaluated, said Bernstein, who added the schools will decide what specific events the students in question will be denied admittance.

The clause enacting the loss of a social event is new to the school’s chemical health policy this year, the principal said.

Last year, Bernstein worked with the School Committee to add the clause and rewrite the policy. There had been some clarity issues in previous years, he said.

"Now it’s very, very clear what we’re going after," Bernstein said, explaining that students must make the right decisions – they cannot say they were simply at a party and not drinking or that they were a designated driver.

Anyone found to be at a party with underage drinking, Bernstein stressed, will be disciplined by the school.

In a survey conducted earlier this year, 98 percent of parents of athletes reported they were clear about all of the alcohol policies, said Bernstein.

For the most part, he said, parents have been supportive and understanding, but some still avoid responsibility and search for loopholes.

"We’re serious about the chemical policy," said Bernstein. "I’m hoping this sends a message to the kids: ‘Don’t do it"’ and to the parents to monitor what their children are up to.

Although he is taking the matter seriously, Bernstein said things could have been worse.

"There were no drunk driving arrests. No one smashed up a car," he said. "No one was hurt, thankfully."

With the letters to parents issued, the incident has been just about closed, Bernstein said.

"We know we didn’t get everyone, but we got a pretty good haul," said Bernstein. "We got who we got and that’s that. This isn’t a witch hunt either."

Read “School to punish 17 for drinking party” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   One can most certainly throw a game and lose, but the Weston Wildcats showed the world how to “throw” a game and win.
   The throw in question came right after the Walpole High field hockey team had scored a goal to tie the Eastern Massachusetts Div. 1 championship game at Wayland High at 1-all.
   Almost all the time when a field hockey player scores a goal, she scurries over to the net, picks up the ball and brings it back to the 50-yard line, or midfield, where play is resumed by the officials.
   Then officials whistle the play to resume and the teams go back into action.
   Something went horribly wrong with 18:32 left in the game, however. After the Walpole goal Weston goalie Olivia Piccione, the team’s second goalie of the night, took the ball and heaved it toward midfield.
   The Porkers were looking the other way, and a pair of Porkers was still on the field as two teammates were coming up to trade places with them. No one on the Porker bench heard the whistle (it was hard to hear much with the crowd) but the Wildcats, without missing a beat, grabbed the ball, brought it straight up and let senior Alanna Capasso put it past a startled Cori Cisternelli.
   “I don’t think that my girls even heard the whistle,” offered Walpole coach Marianne Murphy after. “We were still trying to get subs in, my wing forwards, and all of a sudden they are in our cage. You are supposed to wait until everybody is set. You hate to lose on a goal like that.”
   With the one-goal lead back the Wildcats continued playing the outstanding defense that had gotten them the one-goal lead in the first place, eliminating the Porkers by a 2-1 verdict. The Wildcats then went on to win the Div. 1 state title with a 3-2 victory over rejuvenated Notre Dame of Worcester, which eliminated two unbeaten teams en route to the title bout.
   The loss stung the Porkers, who had beaten the Wildcats in Weston a month before and were playing some of their best ball of the season at the time.
   Weston was possibly also playing its best field hockey of the season at the time, having shut out its first three opponents of the tourney. The game started with all-star Maria Posa stealing an Amanda Waldron pass and bringing it all the way up to the circle and moments later senior back Lauren Mackey also pilfered the ball from the Porkers.
   It didn’t take long for Waldron to get revenge as she picked off a pass herself, and the first shot of the game came from out of a scrum in front of Weston’s net, by Shelby Guisti, with a little over 25 minutes left in the first half.
   From there a classic defensive battle ensued throughout the first half, with the only score coming on a penalty shot.
   There was one 10-minute stretch in the beginning of the period where the Wildcats actually dominated play, but other than that Walpole had the edge for the game.
   Weston had its major run to break the game open with about 20 minutes left in the first half, getting a series of corners and forcing a Walpole timeout with 20:40 on the clock.
   Weston went back on the offensive when Capasso stole a clearing pass and moments later Claire Reidel intercepted a Walpole pass meant to set up senior forward Sue Conroy in the circle.
   Senior captain Emily Painten flew in to take the ball off Reidel’s stick, however, and blasted a shot on net. The ball went off a defender’s stick, but Painten had stolen a lot of momentum back.
   The last 15 minutes of the period the Porkers were in control, but could not get their first goal. They had excellent chances, but met strong resistance and excellent defense. A shot by Captain Taylor Silvestro was batted away by Posa and a flurry of five corners in a matter of minutes also didn’t put the Porkers on the board because of a couple of nice kick saves by junior goalie Julia Bernstein.
   Walpole finally got the ball in the net with 1:08 left in the stanza, but that was a hit from the outside by junior Kellie Duffy, meant to be tipped, and it was called back.
   Weston got its chance with 2:40 left when awarded a penalty shot. Posa, a junior captain, took it up top and blasted it past Cisternelli’s right side, high just inside the post.
   Weston was off and running to start the second half as well. Capasso went through three defenders as she carried the ball up the left side to the circle, and only stopped her rush when broken up by Walpole’s Kelly Burke.
   Walpole regrouped and started getting opportunities, including a Steph Frye shot set up by Liz Malone five minutes into the period.
   Moments later Caroline Malone dribble the ball up left wing and dished to Frye out front, but when the Frye-a-lator went for it Piccione boldly ranged far out of the net to kick it away.
Walpole finally cashed in with 18:47 left in the game.
   Bernstein had made a kick save on a Painten offering set up by a corner, but the ball stayed alive in Weston’s end. Walpole gained another corner and this time Sue Conroy sent it out to Liz Malone on the left part of the circle. Malone’s shot was also stopped by Bernstein and the rebound went all the way out to Guisti on the opposite perimeter. Guisti then slammed the ball back on net and this time the shutout was spoiled.
   The ball came right back up field, however, and moments later, with 18:32 on the clock, Capasso put Weston back on top for good.
   Walpole went down fighting. The best opportunity came with 9:35 left when Jen Walsh sent a corner to Taylor Silvestro, but her shot was stemmed by Bernstein’s blockers. Cisternelli made a nice kick save with 4:14 left to keep Walpole in the game, and Walpole had one more shot off Picciones’s pads with 20 seconds to go. The game ended on a Walpole corner.
   Walpole outshot Weston, 19-7 and outcornered the Wildcats, 12-3.
   It was the final high school game for Cisternelli, Walsh, Jess Caron, Conroy and Jordan DaSilva, as well as captains Painten, Silvestro and Kellie Sullivan. Considering all who graduated last year forcing the closest thing to a rebuilding year for the Porkers, a 19-3-1 season and four straight Div. 1 South titles was not too shabby.
   “We’ve got a young team with a lot coming back next year,” said Murphy. “They accomplished a lot this year. But we’ll miss the captains, Taylor, Emily and Sully. They’ve been a rock, and they’ve been there for the young kids.”
 

Read “Loss to Weston very unsettling” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   One quick look at the box score of Friday night’s game, when the Walpole High football team clinched the Bay State Herget title and a playoff berth by beating Natick, 21-9 in front of at last 5,000 fans, and one might assume that it was the Ryan Izzo show again.
   Ryan Izzo, 13-yard touchdown run. Ryan Izzo kick. Ryan Izzo 7-yard touchdown run. Ryan Izzo kick. Ryan Izzo 3-yard touchdown run. Ryan Izzo kick. Ryan Izzo 173 yards on 33 carries.
   That might have been what the Red and Blue thought it was going to be before the game, but not so.
   First, Coach Danny Villa and Offensive Coordinator Billy O’Connell had the offense masterfully spread out, going to their tight ends a lot earlier than usual and getting everyone in on the ball movement. Second, the blocking of both the line and backfield was exceptional, including a devastating, crunching hit by senior Kyle Morris in the first quarter that flattened Tommy Brandt and sprung Izzo for a 12-yard pick-up.
   And finally there was the defense, especially an outstanding job in the secondary by Ryan Collins, Peter Bowes, Michael Connors, Leo Ajemian and others. Throw in the outstanding effort on defense by sophomore Dave Conroy and you have the second-most prolific offense in the Bay State Conference being held to one touchdown and a late field goal, giving the Red and Blue a brief 9-7 lead over the visitors.
   To be fair, Natick quarterback Scott McCummings was injured during the third quarter, limiting his effectiveness. But also to be fair, when Peter Bowes got his fourth interception of the year and Leo Ajemian also picked off an aerial, it was in the first half when McCummings was healthy.
   While the defense shut down the Red and Blue the Walpole offense also did its part. When they knew Izzo was going to be handling the ball at the end of the game in a bid to control the clock, the Red and Blue could not stop him. In fact he had three straight first downs in the final period and may have had a fourth if not for a penalty.
   When Izzo scored his third touchdown, the Rebels had tripled Natick’s points against average of 6.1.
   “That last drive was huge,” offered Izzo. “We needed to waste the clock and were able to do it.”
Walpole had the ball most of the final quarter. They got it after a punt, starting on their 20 with 8:15 left. When they scored with just 1:50 on the clock, 6:25 later, there was little chance for the Red and Blue to retaliate.
   The game started out as a barnstormer, appearing destined for overtime. Early on the red and Blue handled Izzo fairly well, and McCummings and back Brett Farrell were doing an effective job of moving the ball.
   McCummings’ problem though was the secondary and the pass rush, both of which were quite effective. One lineman who tortured Natick the first quarter was senior defensive end Matt Sweet. His pressure on Natick’s fist drive helped set up the pick-off by Bowes on third and 10.
Even then the Walpole offense struggled to get to pay dirt. The Rebels didn’t score until their third possession, with 2:14 left in the first. That one was set up by Ajemian’s pick-off, leaving the ball on the Natick 15 for the hungry offense.
   Two plays later Izzo was in the end zone following a 13-yard sweep around left end.
Ajemian got his hands on the ball once more in the first when he batted away a McCummings pass to C. J. Dawson.
   Nick Romaine nailed Farrell for a five-yard loss and Walpole quarterback Sonny Mastromatteo (8-for-15, 92 yards) connected with tight end Mike Milien for a 31-yard completion in the second, but it was Natick that scored next.
   With 1:04 left in the first half McCummings snuck over the middle, just making it over the line. He set up the score with an 11-yard connection to Brett Flutie in the right flat, followed by a 13-yard Farrell burst, taking it to the two.
   McCummings recovered nicely after being forced into a fumble by Conroy, which was recovered by Bennett Greismer, and a holding call that left the Red and Blue at third and 26 on the Walpole 43.
  Natick was held to a 30-yard Tim DeMaio field goal with 5:13 left in the third. The defense shut down two Walpole drives in the second quarter with interceptions by Brian Lewis and Kevin Duffy.
   The second half started with a McCummings bootleg and a facemask call against the Rebels, allowing the Red and Blue to start moving the ball.
   With the help of a 17-yard strike dug out of the ground by Erik Wellhoff, Natick marched to Walpole’s 18. Then they stalled thanks to hits by Adam Reigel, Romaine and Conroy, forcing a field goal on fourth and five.
   The kick was good for a 9-7 Natick lead, but Walpole marched right back. Vinnie Lee started the drive with a 33-yard kickoff return, bringing the ball to the Natick 49.
   Izzo then had consecutive sweeps of seven, 18 and 12 yards to bring the ball to the Natick 12. Matt Nee plunged five yards up the middle, setting up a seven-yard Izzo run behind Nee’s blocking. The PAT gave the Rebels a 14-9 lead with 15 minutes to play.
   By this time Flutie was in the slot and was rudely welcomed by a Reigel sack in the third. Two plays later he was sacked by Bowes.
   The teams traded possessions to start the fourth and Walpole took over for good. Starting from the 20 Izzo kept hammering away, shrugging off an illegal procedure call that put them at first and 15. O the very next play Izzo plowed 14 yards up the middle. The next play was also a 14-yard Izzo plunge up the middle and following a seven-yard Nee carry, Izzo simply marched the Rebels downfield.
   The final play was a three-yard sprint around left end with 1:50 left after the rebels considered a field goal and changed their minds.
   Conroy ended a great night by recovering a fumble on the ensuing kick-off, and the offense simply ran out the clock.
Walpole (10-0)  7   0   7    7  -   21
Natick (9-1)       0   6   3   0  -     9
At Natick
First quarter
W – Ryan Izzo 13 run (Izzo kick) 2:14
Second qarter
N – Scott McCummings 2 run (kick failed) 1:04
Third quarter
N – Tim DiMaio 30 field goal 5:13
W – Izzo 7 run (Izzo kick) 3:00
Fourth quarter
W – Izzo 3 run (Izzo kick) 1:50
 

Read “Defense sends Rebels back to division playoffs” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

The Natick defense hoped to at least contain Walpole running back Ryan Izzo going into Friday night’s showdown for Bay State Conference Herget Division supremacy.

As it turned out, Izzo contained the Red and Blue offense by keeping it off the field in the second half, as he slowly bled the clock in the fourth quarter with one carry after another to lead the Rebels to a 21-9 win.

Walpole (10-0) clinched the Herget title with the win and with it a Division 2 playoff spot. At 9-1, Natick now can only look forward to a Thanksgiving date with Framingham.

"They wore us down," said Natick coach Tom Lamb. "Our goal was to wear them down late and they wore us down late."

"They just grinded us out on defense," said Natick linebacker Tom Brandt. "Offense couldn’t really get it going. It’s a tough one to swallow."

Izzo finished with 173 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries, pushing him over the 2,000-yard mark for the season and 4,000-yard barrier for his career. The standout junior had 111 of his yards after halftime, much of them coming on a 15-play, 80-yard drive that sapped 6:25 off the clock in the fourth quarter and ended with his 4-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2. The drive completed the scoring with just under two minutes to play.

"I think his passion and vision for football is second to none," said Walpole coach Danny Villa of Izzo. "But we have a lot of that on our team."

Down 7-6 at the half, Natick took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and drove 72 yards on 13 plays to set up a 30-yard Tim DeMaio field goal. Hobbled junior quarterback Scott McCummings (53 yards passing, 62 rushing) led the Red and Blue on the ground and in the air, completing a pair of passes to Erik Wellhoff that led to the 9-7 lead.

But Walpole answered quickly, as senior Vinnie Lee ran the ensuing kickoff back 34 yards to the Natick 48-yard line. The Rebels went exclusively to the ground, and Izzo finished off a five-play drive with a 7-yard burst over right tackle. He booted the extra point to make it 14-9 with three minutes remaining in the quarter.

Natick’s next drive fizzled after one first down, but Walpole’s next one did as well to set the Red and Blue up near midfield with 10:26 to play.

Junior Pat Grady came on in relief of McCummings behind center, but Natick managed just one first down and Brett Flutie’s punt went out of the end zone for a touchback with 8:15 to play.

Natick never touched the ball again.

Walpole fed Izzo over and over, and while his longest run on the march was just 12 yards, Natick’s defense couldn’t stop him. After Izzo finished the drive with his third touchdown of the game, Walpole’s Ryan Collins fell on the following kickoff at the Natick 12 to help seal the Red and Blue’s fate.

"It’s always huge to beat Natick, especially because they’re one of our biggest rivals," said Izzo. "It’s just a phenomenal win for the whole team."

The first half was marred by turnovers, as Leo Ajemian’s interception of McCummings set up a 12-yard Izzo jaunt to help put the Rebels up 7-0 with 2:14 left in the first quarter.

Natick returned the favor when Brian Lewis intercepted Walpole quarterback Sonny Mastromatteo to put the Red and Blue in Rebel territory. McCummings completed passes to Wellhoff and Flutie that moved the ball into the Walpole red zone before McCummings dove in on a sneak to make it 7-6, as DeMaio’s point-after kick sailed wide left.

That’s how it stayed until halftime and after Natick briefly took the lead, Izzo and Walpole took control.

"It was a matter of who wanted it more and we couldn’t get in our rhythm," said Brandt.

"We’ve got to take it out on Framingham, there’s no doubt about it," said Lamb. "Luckily we’ve got another game. You don’t have to end with this taste in your mouth. Framingham’s real good, Framingham’s an excellent team, so it will be interesting."

Read “Walpole 21, Natick 9: Rebel yell” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Walpole High football was celebrating senior day at Turco Field Saturday, but don’t accuse its 12th-grade players of suffering from senioritis. The senior Rebels were extremely focused, especially on offense as they helped the junior tandem of quarterback Sonny Mastromatteo and tailback Ryan Izzo lead the home team to its ninth win against no losses with a 35-20 win over diehard Needham.
   The Rockets, who took Natick to the limit in a 7-0 loss last week, overcame a 21-0 first-half rebel lad on the arm of junior quarterback Eric Bertino, who got them back in the game with two touchdown strikes. Bertino was intercepted three times, twice by junior Peter Bowes and once by senior Vinnie Lee, but finished with four TD passes and 150 yards on 13-of-24 accuracy, not bad for a signal caller playing the whole game from behind and constantly needing quick strikes.
   The reasons he had to play the whole game from behind were varied, since the Rebels took turns victimizing the Rockets on defense, killing one momentum swing after another. The main tormentor on defense however was senior Captain Chris Cameron, whose efforts included numerous tackles, a solid pass rush, a 15-yard sack and a blocked extra point. A fine all-around day included three receptions for 46 yards, a first down and a touchdown, the first of the game.
   All the seniors seemed to be zoning in on the Rockets. There was fine blocking by the offensive line, led by Captain Adam Reigel and Kyle Morris. Tight end Rory Quinlan sacked Bertino for a 13-yard loss in the first quarter. The senior moments included a 90-yard interception return by Lee for a score and a nifty 13-yard reception on a fake punt by holder Michael Connors, tossed by kicker Izzo. Despite some difficulty on coverage in the secondary, the Rebels banded together for a win that ushers in a showdown with Natick this week for the Herget title and accompanying playoff berth.
   “We just do what we have to do to win,” offered Reigel. “We all have our jobs, and when we do it we succeed. We wanted to do it on senior day. To think you’ll never come back to play on that field again, you want to go out with a win.”
   The seniors got a lot of help from the underclassmen as well, especially Mastromatteo and Izzo. For the second straight week Mastromatteo set the pace by completing 6-of-9 passes in the first half alone for 114 yards. That augmented Izzo, who got off to a slow start in the first quarter (3 carries, no yards), but ended with 204 yards on 25 carries, two for touchdowns and 10 for first downs.
   “When we needed it, we played well up front,” offered Coach Danny Villa. “Our offensive unit stood out real well, although our defense was a little spotty today. But when they needed to fight, they went after it.”
   Basically, the Rebels spent the game staying ahead of Needham and its passing game.
After going nowhere after the opening kickoff – wasting a 39-yard Izzo return, the Rebels jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead. Quinlan’s sack forced a punt but when the hike went off Kevin Cray’s hands, he was immediately pushed out of bounds by an alert Bowes at the Needham 28.
   One play later the Rebels were up 7-0, Mastromatteo tossing one down the gut to Cameron.
Walpole score again with 58 seconds left in the quarter. The Rockets were marching the ball downfield well on Bertino’s passing and alternated runs by Jean Baptiste and Brandon MacKinnon
   They got as far as the Walpole 18 when a Bertino offering fell short and into the arms of Lee, who raced back 90 yards for a second score.
   Walpole hiked its lead to 21-0 with 10:06 let in the half. The Rebels appeared pinned in their end at the 14 on first ad 20 following a penalty to start the period, but Izzo ripped off a 48-yard run through a hole opened by Reigel and Morris.
   Two plays later an 18-yard pass brought the ball to the red zone , and then Mastromatteo fond Tro Salvatore all alone in the left flat for a 17-yard scoring strike.
   Needham started to rally late in the half though. The Rockets got on the board with 2:11 left when Bertino connected with Brady Dow for a 19-yard score, and with 5:54 left in the third quarter they closed the gap to 21-14 on a 31-yard touchdown catch by Kerry Hecker.
   As they often do the Rockets steeled themselves and played a tougher second half against the Rebels, forcing a lot of heroics.
   With 2:22 left in the third Bowes picked off a pass at the Needham 27, setting up a three-yard Izzo run to pay dirt. Then, when a Baptiste TD catch closed the gap to 28-20 with 9:30 left, Nick romaine came up big, blocking the extra point kick.
   Walpole went on the offensive once more, chewing up a lot of clock before Izzo ripped up the middle for a 16-yard score, and when Bertino tried one last round of heroics, he was sacked by Cameron and then picked off again by Bowes.
   One last round of heroics came for Walpole when Izzo lined up to puny and suddenly threw a screen to his left, hitting Connors with a 13-yarder that kept the ball in Walpole’s hands.

Needham (5-4)   0   0   7   13  -  20
Walpole (9-0)   14   7   7    7  -   35
At Turco Field
    First quarter
W – Chris Cameron 7 pass from Sonny Mastromatteo (Ryan Izzo kick) 7:54
W – Vinnie Lee 90 interception return (Izzo kick) :58
   Second qarter
W – Troy Salvatore 17 pass from Mastromatteo (Izzo kick) 10:06
N – Brady Dow 17 pass from Eric Bertino (Allen Bailey kick) 2:11
   Third quarter
N – Kerry Hecker 31 pass from Bertino (Bailey kick) 5:54
W – Izzo 3 run (Izzo kick) 1:30
   Fourth quarter
N – Jean Baptiste 26 pass from Bertino (kick blocked) 9:30
W – Izzo 14 run (Izzo kick) 6:09
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: N, Jean Baptiste 21-85, Brandon MacKinnon 16-99, Eric Bertino 4-(-23). Totals 41-161; W, Ryan Izzo 25-204, Matt Nee 2-9, Jean Medard 3-4, Brian    Cronin 1-0. Totals 31-217.
PASSING: N, Eric Bertino 13-24-3 for 150; W, Sonny Mastromatteo 7-12-0 for 127, Ryan Izzo 1-1-0 for 13.
RECEIVING: N, Brady Dow 7-66, Kerry Hecker 3-56, Brandon MacKinnon 2-1, Jean Baptiste 1-26; W, Chris Cameron 3-46, Ryan Izzo 1-33, Leo Ajemian 1-18, Troy Salvatore 1-17, Michael Connors 1-13.
 

Read “Rebels ground Rockets, 35-20″ on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

  The Walpole High boys’ soccer season ended in the MIAA Div 2 South tournament quarterfinals at Canton High’s Memorial Field Tuesday night, but probably more from what was done to the Rebels in a 2-0 win in Kingston Saturday than the 4-1 loss to the Bulldogs.
  A disputable call with just 40 seconds left when Silver Lake trailed 2-0 left the Rebels without one of their first-team all-stars, Captain Dave Hoag, when they played Canton.
  Hoag got whistled after a ref heard an exchange following a Hoag rush on net that had him tumbling over Silver Lake’s goalie. A couple of things are said, the referees warn the players on both sides and they move on, right?
  Not quite. A ref cited taunting but opted to give Hoag a yellow card instead of red. Most times the referees stop to confer privately and decide which course of action to take – in this case, he didn’t feel it deemed a red card, which would bench him for the next two games. Instead, they were interrupted and told that Hoag be red carded and the referees, caught in the middle of their call, were forced to comply.
  What that did was send the Rebels in with two thirds of their all-star front line (Mike Quintanilla, Davis Butts) and without the second-leading scorer in the Bay State Herget. In effect, the attack went from Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance (the most famous double play combination ever) to Tinkers and Chance without Evers. No double play, and no Rebel offensive juggernaut.
  “It was difficult,” admitted Butts, another senior captain. “We have a core of six players who are senior veterans playing with a lot of younger players. If we play minus one, there is a major problem, a big hole on the field.”
  Coach Lee Delaney wasn’t happy with the card, but wasn’t surprised either.
  “We didn’t expect any breaks down there and we didn’t get any,” offered Delaney of the game hosted by Silver Lake. “The officials were trying to make a decision, and he chose to stick his nose in it.”
  The Silver Lake game was extremely physical and tight, although most of the time the Rebels seemed to get the better of the Lakers as SL relied a lot on the impressive skills of seniors Tucker Fairbanks and Derek Barone, as well as the excellent netminding of senior all-star goalie Nick Hanss.
  Their biggest scare came at the end of the first half in which the Lakers had a couple of corners and point-blank shots. Walpole’s Mike Gallivan (9 saves) made a sensational stop on one that brought a roar from the crowd and then made another moments later to preserve the shutout.
  “He made three spectacular saves in the game; it was his best game of the year,” said Delaney.
  Walpole scored the game winner only nine minutes in off the foot of Mucciarone. It was a smooth play that beat Hanss as a loose ball bounded into the box from the Silver Lake side toward senior Chris Donovan. Donovan deftly let it go by to an open Mucciarone at the 18; he then ripped a shot in.
  Strong defense led by Captain Mike Freiberger kept the ball away from the net, but with about 10 minutes left in the half the Lakers started making a move. With about five minutes left Fairbanks went for just under the cross bar but was turned back by a jumping Gallivan.
  With 2:04 left in the half Gallivan made a spectacular dive to his right, and a few seconds later he stopped the Lakers once more.
  An uncalled push by Silver Lake allowed the Lakers to penetrate deep into Walpole territory again, but JP Lawton made a nice stop of a shot in front of the net.
  Walpole started controlling play about five minutes in, leading to the insurance. About eight minutes in Butt and Quintanilla worked a give-and-go, but when Butts got the ball back he was stopped by Fairbanks and Zack McHale.  Walpole again got the ball back and a minute later Hoag set up Butts.
  With Fairbanks being closely hounded Barone played a great second half. His best play was a reverse scissors kick that kept a ball inbounds and in Laker hands.
  Walpole foiled a give-and-go with 25 minutes left and senior Kyle Meredith broke up an attack a minute later. But with 23:34 left Lawton got a yellow card, and it wasn’t over yet. A great effort by Laker Alex Turcotte with 20 minutes left got a ball on net but Gallivan handled that and a minute later Gallivan stopped a bullet by Turcotte from 20 yards out.
  As time ran down Walpole’s Alan Garry played excellent defense in the right corner and Quintanilla stripped Barone of the ball in the zone and brought it back to Silver Lake territory. The game ended with Hoag’s card turning it into a Pyrrhic victory.
  Walpole actually led Canton Tuesday and played the Bulldogs even into the second half before the hosts piled in three more goals. The 4-1 loss represented the most goals allowed by Walpole. Freshman Tim Sullivan took over for Hoag.
  The problems with Canton were multiple, one being that they were not afraid to go after the 50-50 balls, and another that the team was balanced without the one superstar teams often look to. There was no weak point on the field to attack and they had depth.
  Walpole scored in the second minute. Meredith made a strong throw-in, but it was intercepted by a Bulldog. Before he could settle it and clear, however, it was striped again by Mucciarone. Quintanilla then put it past goalie Devin O’Gorman.
  Walpole kept the lead until the 14th minute with Canton pressing to score. They didn’t have to press for the goal, however, as they were awarded a penalty shot that Captain Matt Murray ripped past Gallivan.
  The score remained tied until 36:32 left, when Bobby Saraf set up a Chris Murray header.
The third goal, with 29:25 left, came when Matt Murray ripped it from the corner into the middle for Javier Hurtado, and Hurtado put it past Gallivan’s right side.
  The final score came with 26:06 to go. After one of Gallivan’s six saves the ball bounded out to Igor Perun, and he pounded it toward the right post. Ramon Ambrosio then deflected it in.
With 24:40 left Butts ripped a shot after bringing it up right wing but O’Gorman made an excellent stop. That followed two nice defensive plays in a row by Meredith.
  With 20 minutes to go senior Marc Anthony Koukoulas went into Walpole’s net, and the “Jersey Barrier” made three saves, two of them while coming out to left wing and sliding into an attacker, knocking the shot away from him.
  Butts had one more shot from the left corner but it was also stopped by O’Gorman.
“The game was sitting there for the taking the second half,” offered Delaney. “Canton went out and took it. We came out flying like we usually do, but they were a little quicker than us tonight. That team is complete; they’ve only had one loss for a reason.”
  The game marked the end of the careers for 13 seniors, including second-team all-stars Freiberger and Mucciarone, first-team all-stars Hoag, Butts and Quintanilla, Tom Hall, Colin McDonough, Meredith, Donovan, Bobby Fitzgibbon, Zach Waple, Koukoulas and Gallivan.
 

Read “Canton soccer puts down Rebels” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

  They’re back…
  Who? The Walpole High Porkers, that’s who.
  Long the scion of Massachusetts field hockey, the program with the most state titles ever looked awfully mortal when a Framingham team with a losing record beat them for the first time ever and Notre Dame of Worcester gave them a two-loss season for the first time since who knows when.
  But eight games after the Flyer Flaying and seven after the 2-1 loss to the Rebels, they are once again Div. 1 South champions, having knocked off Hingham and Dennis-Yarmouth as warm-ups and, last week, Wellesley and Somerset.
  Suddenly when Bay State hockey seemed upside down, Notre Dame is the Central champion, Walpole the South champion, and each are hoping for yet another crack at each other in the state title game this Saturday at Worcester State College.
  Last Wednesday the Porkers frustrated the Wellesley Raiders even more as they shut them out, 2-0. It was the third win of the season against a very good opponent and the Porkers found a way to skewer that old adage about beating the same team three times in one year.
  They followed that with a 3-1 win over Somerset in Taunton Saturday afternoon, creating a Wednesday night rematch with Weston (after deadline) and a Saturday match against the winner of the Notre Dame-Agawam bout, assuming they get that far.
  Having trouble finishing all year, the Porkers decided to make sure that wouldn’t happen last week. They got a boost from Coach Marianne Murphy, who took a look at an ad in the Porker program book and related to them what it said about perseverance.
  “It was a great quote,” said Murphy. “It said that hard work is working hard after the job is done and doing it all over again when you’re tired.”
  Sophomore Caroline was the epitome of that, coming off the bench to score both goals and taking a shot to the face in between, leaving just long enough to get seen to by trainer Mike Belanger.
  The game at Wellesley got off to a good start with senior goalie Cori Cisternelli making a couple of early stops. Then, at 11:36, Malone got the Rebels on the board when she scored on a rebound off the goalie’s pads out of a scramble on the left side of the net.
  After that the defense got even tighter with a nifty steal by senior Captain Kellie Sullivan, and the beginnings of a game-long left side midfield shutdown engineered by the combined efforts of Kelly Burke and Shelby Guisti. With Liz Malone also playing an effective midfield, there was not much pressure on Cisternelli (7 saves).
  The second half started with a Raider corner, but as soon as Sally Snickenberger got the ball up top she was stopped cold. A second corner produced a shot that hit the left post, but eventually Liz Malone made an excellent clear, carrying the ball up the right side into Wellesley territory.
  Shortly thereafter Liz Malone was hit by a stick on the nose, joining sister Caroline among the walking wounded.
  With 15 minutes left a ball got to left wing and midfielder Amanda Waldron tracked it down. Seeing Stephanie Frye coming up behind her Waldron passed to her, and Frye pushed it toward the circle.
  Once there Frye blasted a shot that was stopped by goalie Lauren Docktor, but Caroline Malone was there. This time she got her stick on the ball while falling sideways and put a shot screened by Frye and senior Captain Taylor Silvestro into the far corner of the net.
  With time winding down the Raiders tried to get on the board, but the pressure was lifted after a nice Sullivan steal off Raider Captain Chloe Bashian. Walpole outshot Wellesley 18-8 and outcornered the Raiders, 6-3.
  “The defense stepped it up, and Cori was fantastic today,” offered Murphy. “She had a terrific game.”
  Without a superstar to rally around the Porkers have played smothering team defense and it worked again in the title game Saturday with Somerset, which Walpole hadn’t see since losing to them in 2000.
  Senior Captain Emily Painten, Liz Malone and Jen Walsh, with her first postseason tally, scored.
  After a nearly scoreless first half between two teams throwing goose eggs at everyone in the tourney, Painten put Walpole on the board first when by tipping a Silvestro shot with 4:04 left in the first half.
  A second half push started right away and the Porkers capitalized just two minutes in. It came off the stick of Malone, just throwing it in front from the top of the circle.
  Instead of a teammate picking it up, however, the ball somehow worked its way through everyone to nestle into the net.
  A flurry of Somerset corners fell by the wayside as senior Jordan Dasilva and others fronted Cisternelli effectively, and the Porkers clung to the 2-0 lead. It climbed to 3-0 with 7:58 to go on Walsh’s tally as she converted a Silvestro pass off a corner.
  The Blue Raiders eventually spoiled Cisternelli’s shutout with 1:21 left, but by then the damage was done as another team of Raiders was sent home.
  Whether she planned it or not, Painten reiterated the Porker theme this year afterward, when she said, “I think we can go all the way. We have the perseverance and the desire, we want it really badly.”
 

Read “Porkers win sectional title” on the Wicked Local Walpole website