WEEKEND WRAP UP
Second-year Norwood football coach Manny Lopes felt pretty confident his team was ready to turn the corner. If no one else believed it, they do now.
The Mustangs stamped themselves as a Tri-Valley League contender by stunning Holliston, 19-14, Saturday afternoon. Christian Sales ripped off a pair of touchdown runs in the second half and the Mustangs’ defense was able to hold down the fort.
“It was awesome, the kids were through the roof,” Lopes said. “A lot of them were hanging around in the parking lot after the game. They’ve been through a lot of losing in the past.”
Norwood opened the season with a 20-7 win over Medfield before facing perennial power Holliston. The Panthers had little trouble with the Mustangs in the past two meetings, rolling to 41-18 and 42-7 wins.
While few expected the script to change this time around, Lopes wasn’t willing to roll over and he made sure his troops shared the same sentiments.
“From the start of the season, we talked about taking on a tougher mentality,” said Lopes, who starred on Norwood’s last Super Bowl championship squad in 2000. “Norwood has always been about having tough kids. We knew Holliston is a real good team with very good players, so we told our kids we were going to have to be as physical to have a shot.”
The first few minutes looked like it was going to be a repeat of 2019 where Holliston led 28-0 in the first quarter. The Panthers blocked a punt and returned it 80 yards for a quick score and a 7-0 lead.
“We pulled them together and told them we said something bad would happen at some point in the game, It was going to be up to them to do something about it,” Lopes said. “In the past, Norwood teams would have gone away, but Robbie (Wladowski) ripped off a long touchdown run (72 yards) and our kids started to believe they could go toe to toe with them.”
The Holliston win was one of many things going Lopes’ ways these days. He received a phone call from athletic director Jonathan Longley Friday night saying that kids could go the games, music to the ears of his daughter Callie and son Trip, who were on the field after the game.
Oh, and there’s one other little tidbit – his wife Laura is due with the couples’ third child in the next week. So if the call comes during next Saturday’s game with Westwood?
“I haven’t thought about that,” Lopes said with a laugh. “Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”
1. CATHOLIC MEMORIAL (2-0): Knights treated the football like a hot potato at times, but when they held on it, a lot of good things happened.
2. CENTRAL CATHOLIC (3-0): At times, the Raiders’ defense was their best offense against Methuen.
3. XAVERIAN (3-0): Hawks dominated on both sides of the ball in handling a dangerous Brockton squad.
4. MANSFIELD (2-0): Hornets hope to get back on the field this week.
5. NATICK (2-0): Point-a-minute offense was too much for Milton to deal with Thursday.
6. READING (2-0): Would love to see this team play a full 11-game schedule to see the kind of numbers sophomore quarterback James Murphy would put up.
7. BC HIGH (1-1): Eagles head outside the conference to face No. 2 Central Catholic this weekend.
8. LINCOLN-SUDBURY (3-0): Warriors pulled away in the second half against Westford Academy.
9. MELROSE (2-0): Is there anything Brendan Fennell can’t do on a football field? Actually, is there anything the multi-sport standout can’t do on an athletic field.
10. BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM (3-0): Good luck to teams who have to deal with Anthony Morrison.
11. BROCKTON (2-1): Boxers were simply overmatched against Xaverian at Marciano Stadium.
12. ST. JOHN’S PREP (1-2): Eagles certainly had their issues slowing down the Catholic Memorial running game.
13. TEWKSBURY (3-0): Redmen established themselves as the team to beat in the MVC Small with an impressive win over Billerica.
14. MILFORD (2-1): Strong defensive effort propel the Scarlet Hawks to one of their biggest wins in recent years.
15. DUXBURY (2-0): Will the Dragons return to the field this year after the program was rocked by controversy over the previous seven days?
16. NORTH ATTLEBORO (3-0): Red Rocketeers will get a true test of how far they’ve come this week when they face Stoughton.
ON THE SIDELINES: Stoughton (3-0), Andover (2-1), Marblehead (3-0), Wayland (3-0), Acton-Boxboro (3-0), Methuen (2-1), Wellesley (2-1), Marshfield (2-0), Framingham (2-0), King Philip (2-1)
DIVISION 1
■ Michael Berluti completed 19-of-24 passes for 286 yards and two TDs, while adding a TD run as Xaverian cruised to a 42-7 win over Brockton.
■ Akye Boston ran for 179 yards and three TDs on 17 carries as Framingham defeated Wellesley, 24-21.
■ Carson Harwood ran for 143 yards and two TDs as Catholic Memorial coasted to a 49-24 victory over St. John’s Prep.
■ Aaron Morris rushed for 142 yards and two TDs on eight carries as Lowell picked up its first win of the season, 24-0, over Lawrence.
DIVISION 2
■ Playing with a heavy heart after the passing of a high school fiend, Jalyn Aponte rushed for 155 yards and four TDs on 30 carries as Natick defeated Milton, 48-26.
■ Anthony Morrison ran for a career-high 312 yards and three touchdowns as Bridgewater-Raynham defeated New Bedford, 29-7.
■ Nolan O’Brien caught six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, while returning a punt for a second score as Lincoln Sudbury defeated Westford Academy, 42-14.
■ James Murphy threw for 324 yards and three TDs, while Dan DiMare hauled in four passes for 141 yards and a score as Reading beat Woburn, 35-7.
■ Jason Hall ran for 253 yards and four scores as Durfee defeated Dartmouth, 28-7.
DIVISION 3
■ Andrew Falzone did a little of everything, amassing 200 allpurpose yards and a touchdown as Walpole defeated Newton North, 17-7.
■ Nick Yanchuk ran for 164 yards and a pair of scores as Bishop Feehan raced to a 31-14 win over Austin Prep,
■ Isaiah Bragg rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns as Maldem Catholic rallied to defeat North Andover, 32-21.
■ Tyler DeMattio threw four TD passes as North Attleboro improved to 3-0 with a 41-12 win over Oliver Ames.
DIVISION 4
■ Norwood picked up its biggest win since joining the Tri-Valley League as Christian Sales ran for 123 yards and two TDs in beating Holliston, 19-14.
■ Jaison Tucker ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns as Wayland rolled to a 38-7 win over Bedford.
■ Casious Johnson ran for 135 yards and two scores as Plymouth South shut out Dennis Yarmouth, 35-0.
DIVISION 5
■ Henry Gates was letter perfect, completing all eight passes he attempted for 170 yards and three TDs as Scituate stormed past Pembroke, 42-6.
■ Trevor Ward caught five passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns as Newburyport doubled up on Hamilton-Wenham, 28-14.
■ Sam Carpenter kicked three field goals and added a pair of extra points as Foxboro defeated Canton, 37-0.
DIVISION 6
■ Kevin Hughes turned in a dominant performance as he rushed for 298 yards and three TDs as Apponequet rolled to a 45-7 win over Greater New Bedford Voke,
■ Julien Acevedo-Torres ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns as Whittier opened its season with a 42-26 win over Essex Tech.
■ Matt Childs ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns as Medway defeated Norton, 42-21.
■ Tim Crowley completed 17of-23 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 38 rushing yards and three more scores as Middleboro beat East Bridgewater, 34-8.
DIVISION 7-8
■ Malcolm Crispin rushed for 153 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 12 tackles as Latin Academy outscored Brighton, 44-30.
■ Aamir Johnson ran for 212 yards and two touchdowns as East Boston remained unbeaten with a 32-6 win over O’Bryant.
■ Malik Bodden completed all eight passes he attempted for 212 yards and two TDs, while rushing for 58 yards and a third score as Nantucket defeated Randolph, 38-12.
■ Joe Carrara ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing for a fourth score as Bourne rolled to a 47-14 win over Wareham.
■ Jakob Flores amassed 200 yards of total offense for the second straight week, hitting the endzone three times as Lowell Catholic beat Atlantis Charter, 27-14.
■ Mike Silvestro ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries as Bishop Connolly defeated Atlantis Charter, 27-14.