Due to the expected inclement weather, the Walpole-Natick football showdown, expected to draw thousands of fans Saturday, has been postponed to Sunday afternoon,  again at 1:00pm.

Tickets bought Thursday night or that will be purchased Friday night at the Walpole High athletic department office between 5:00pm and 7:00pm in advance, will be honored on the new date. Fans are advised to carpool if they can to help alleviate the parking situation and assure that getting in and out of the game will run smoothly for everyone.

Good luck to the Blue and Orange Rebels and the Natck Red and Blue!

Read the entire article on the Wicked Local Walpole website

In anticipation of a very large crowd, Walpole High Athletic Director Bill Tompkins has announced that WHS will be conducting pre-game sales of tickets for Saturday’s football game between the undefeated Walpole and Natick teams.

The pre-game sales are meant to alleviate any possible long lines at the game, whixch could cause fans to miss some of the game while waiting to get in.

Tickets for the 1:00 game will be sold both tonight (Thursday, Nov. 12) and Friday (Nov. 13) night at the athletic department office, between the hours of 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. With the unbeaten teams locked in a battle for the Bay State Conference title as well as the playoff berth that goes with it, and featuring two of the best players in the state in Walpole tailback Ryan Izzo and Natick quarterback Scott McCummings, the biggest crowd in many years could be on hand.

The move to sell pre-game tickets is only to alleviate possible problems and make it easier for fans and game personnel however, advises Tompkins. He notes that ticket prices for the game will be the same as they …

   More often than not, sequels to great productions are pretty average, and nothing to rave about. Just ask Hollywood.
   The idea will begin to sink in about what they mean by “formulaic” in Tinsel Town when one watches the second “Planet of the Apes” movie, and every “Apes” sequel after that.
   Then again, every now and then the second production is just as brilliant as the first, such as the second “Godfather” movie or the rematch of boxers Mohammed Ali and Joltin’ Joe Frasier.
   Add last week’s rematch between the Walpole Americans and Walpole Nationals to that list.
   Playing a game just as intense as, and even longer than, their first meeting in the district championship game Walpole’s two 12-year-old Little League teams battled to the last out in the semifinal showdown of the Surburban League’s Super 12 championship.
   Adding to the argument of which of the two teams is better – the defensive-minded Americans or the power-hitting Nationals, the Nationals …

   There was good news and bad news last Thursday for the Walpole National 12-year-old All-Stars.
   The good news is that they finally got the revenge on their American League counterparts who beat them in the District 11 championship game.
   The bad news is that they were not able to convert the hard-earned victory into a Suburban League Super 12 title as they were knocked off, 6-4, by Braintree American in the second game of a doubleheader played on Kelley Field in Norwood.
   The title game was a showdown between the league’s top two offensive juggernauts, and it showed as Braintree American and the Nats combined to hit five home runs.
   Braintree’s Americans came in swinging lethal bats, having rolled over Duxbury, Kingston and Newton East by 13-5, 10-4 and 9-2 scores in the first three games of the playoffs. They finished the first round unbeaten with a 5-3 victory over Westwood, and completed a 7-4 defeat of Quincy just …

   When the Walpole Americans and Walpole Nationals finally met in the District 11 12-year-old Little League championship game last month, it was expected by most to be a showdown between two diverse, yet equally matched squads.
   While the bigger Nationals are known for their prodigious hitting and the smaller Americans for their slick fielding and team speed, one thing both squads had in common was outstanding pitching.
   It was this mound work that helped the teams battle through one of the best Little League games in Walpole history, with the Americans outlasting the Nationals, 1-0, in a classic extra-inning duel, sending them on to the sectional championship and state’s Sweet 16.
   Following that game, witnessed by one of the biggest crowds ever at Norwood’s Kelley Field (nearly 1,000 spectators), the consensus was that a rematch between the two would bear similar results.
   The baseball pundits proved right Tuesday night, at least for three more innings, before torrential rains finally washed out the Suburban League championship semifinal. The contest is …

   All his Little League career, 12-year-old Lincoln Griffin has had a knack for coming up with big hits, and in his final week added one more before his Little League days ended.
   The hit, a three-run homer, came while the Walpole Americans were in an exciting duel with Newton East Tuesday night, trying to earn the right to face the Walpole Nationals in he Suburban League playoff semifinal game that followed.
   Griffin could not have timed his shot any better, as Newton had just taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third, and was busy trading hard hits with the Americans all game.
   Newton was forcing defensive-minded Walpole into a long ball battle, but the locals came out on top, 8-3, thanks to Griffin’s homer.
   Walpole had jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Bobby Ivatts (4-for-4) led off the game with a double, moved up on a fielder’s choice, and scored on an infield error with Rick Shea at the …

   It’s bad enough to lose a tough game. It’s worse when that team beats you at your own game, which is what happened to the Walpole 14-year-old Babe Ruth team in the state tourney last Saturday.
   To get into the state tourney Walpole seemed to have almost patented the come-from-behind last-second win, getting walk-off hits on do-or-die situation to assure a “tomorrow” twice in a row.
   The 14s, in fact, appeared to have conjured a third straight come-from-behind win at Balch Field Saturday when they fought off a 4-0 Weymouth lead and tied it at 4-all in the top of the seventh.
   That’s when Weymouth stole a page from their playbook, however, rallying for momentum in the bottom of the seventh and walking off with a hard-fought 5-4 victory.
   The loss seemed to take some of the starch out of Walpole, which struggled in the first round of the loser’s bracket against Newton Sunday night, falling behind 6-0 before a huge seventh-inning eruption left them …

   It was an unforeseen turn of events for the Walpole American Little League team this past weekend.
   After dazzling the district with its pitching and fielding, the team rolled into the sectional championship hoping its calling cards would help it survive into the next round, the state’s Final Four.
   The pitching and defense was still well above the average team in two games played at Norwood’s Kelley Field Friday and Sunday, unfortunately two strong pitchers and a pair of teams much bigger physically were the downfall as Walpole lost to Newton Central, 3-0, and then was eliminated by Everett, 3-1.
   Considering the size of the teams, especially Everett, whose starting pitcher DJ Lewis stood at least six feet tall, the locals certainly held their own. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite good enough to get into the next round.
   “We just didn’t hit, it’s that plain and simple,” offered Coach Lee Delaney after the Americans were eliminated early Sunday afternoon. “You can’t win many games with just one run. …

   For those of us locals who haven’t had enough Walpole baseball this weekend, there are still two more games to be watched Sunday before heading back to the 9-to-5 grind Monday morning.

  Sunday morning, the 12-year-old Walpole Americans will be trying to get back on track after having their Williamsport train slowed down Friday by Newton Central, 3-0.

   Newton Central had jumped out to an early lead in the second inning on a couple of fluke hits, one glancing off the top of pitcher Nick Falkson’s glove. Other than that Falkson was as good as ever, unfortunately counterpart Ben Porter was equally strong, carrying a one-hitter into the sixth before John Levenfeld took over and completed the shutout.

   Liam Kelliher, who played a solid short, got the one hit off Levenfeld, as he rocketed a line single to left to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Walpole’s other safety in the Newton two-hitter came in the sixth when James Newman lined a single through second …

   It’s that time of year again, when the best 12-year-old Little Leaguers around the world vie for a chance for Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to represent their state, country, territory or province in the fabled Little League world Series.
    Tonight starts the next round in regional play in Massachusetts, and there are few surprises as to which powerhouses are dominating their districts. Advancing, almost like clockwork, are Joe Schwartz of Worcester, Barnstable National, Everett and Peabody National.
    There are a couple of surprises, like the team representing the small bedroom community of Lynnfield.
    And then, there’s Walpole. It used to be that Walpole would be one of the surprises, but no longer. With dedicated coaching, strong fan base, talented kids and a pure love for baseball all around, Walpole has again become a highly respected baseball community, like the days when Joe Morgan and Johnny Turco played.
    Of course there was no Little League back then, and the chance now to play other …

   If not for one fluky play, last Wednesday’s classic District 11 championship between the Walpole Americans and Walpole Nationals could still be going on.
   The play came in the seventh inning of the six-inning showdown between the two District 11 powerhouses, and allowed the Americans to score the only run of the game. Until then the two Walpole teams finished regulation in a scoreless tie, as each played near perfectly throughout the game.
   “That was one of the best three or four games I’ve ever been involved in,” declared Walpole American assistant coach Chris Costello, who was drafted out of Walpole High School by the Dodgers and since then has coached Post 104 to a state final and is an assistant coach to WHS varsity mentor Bill Tompkins.
   Translation: Costy has seen quite a few impressive ball games.
   This, indeed, was a great one as both Walpole teams came to play and totally enthralled a packed house of hundreds of Walpole fans …

   While it was only drizzling at the time, the powers that be in the Little League sectional playoffs deemed wisely in the face of an impending deluge to make Walpole American, Newton Central and all others hoping to open the sectional round tonight wait a day to get their first game in.

   With the postponement of tonight’s game, scheduled for 8:00 at Kelley Field in Norwood, the Walpole Americans and their fans will have to wait 24 hours for their first game, rescheduled for 8:00 Friday night under the lights at Kelley.

   Should the Walpole Americans win Friday, they will move on to play the winner of the Everett-South Boston match at 2:00 Saturday afternoon in Charlesown; however if they lose, they will play a first game in the losers’ bracket at 2:00 Saturday at Kelley field.

A Walpole win Friday would send the team and fans to Ryan Field in Charlestown, which is located just off Rte. 99. It is located by the old Schrafts building and the field is the one closest to the Mystic River. To get there, take Rte. 93 to Rte. …