Dennis-Yarmouth vs. Marshfield a real numbers game
Dennis-Yarmouth coach Paul Funk may not know all the Marshfield running backs by name, but he certainly recognizes their numbers.
“Every one of them is good — 9, 24, 25, 29. They run hard and they are very athletic,” said Funk, whose team hosts the Rams in an Atlantic Coast League showdown tonight. “They are your typical Marshfield team in that they are physical and very well-coached.”
Funk isn’t exaggerating when he discusses the Marshfield ground game. Jack McNeil (18 carries, 344 yards) and Casey Phinney (19 carries, 385 yards) both average more than 20 yards per carry, while Eddie Kielty (45, 322) and Brendan Ward (18, 127) check in at more than 7 yards a pop.
Jackson Phinney has done a nice job at quarterback, balancing things off. He has completed 17-of-27 passes for 476 yards and six touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Dennis-Yarmouth is no shrinking violet when it has the ball, either. The Dolphins have scored at least 34 points in each of their five wins, including a 42-6 victory over defending ACL champion Falmouth last week.
Three-year starter Jacob McCarthy runs the show at quarterback, has three key targets in Geoffrey Jamiel, Daryan Thompson and Joe Tierney, and hands the ball off to feature back Rob Evans. Defensively, the Dolphins have been led by inside linebacker Sawyer Macdonald and defensive ends Adane Atkinson and Sam Kenny.
Marshfield’s offense (39.4 points per game) garners the headlines and understandably so, but the defense has been rock-solid, limiting the opposition to less than 10 points an outing. The linebacking quartet of Braden Killens, Casey Phinney, Nick Banks and Robby Violissi have excelled while defensive linemen Brody Reynolds and Tyler MacDonald have combined with McNeil in the secondary to be big-play performers.
“Marshfield is a great program, one of the best in the state year-in and year-out,” Funk said. “For us to beat them, we’ve got to be able to run the ball and tackle well. We also have to be able to match up to them physically.”
The Marshfield-DennisYarmouth game isn’t the only key game on the Cape today. Mashpee will be looking to avenge its only loss of 2016 when it hosts Nantucket in a non-league showdown.
Two key ISL games headline the Saturday schedule. Milton Academy hosts Belmont Hill in a battle of teams eyeing a NEPSAC Bowl bid, while Governor’s Academy visits St. Sebastian’s.