WEEKEND WRAP UP
Bellingham coach Dan Haddad had a secret and wasn’t going to let anyone know about it. Five weeks into the football season, the rest of the Tri-Valley League Small learned the hard way.
The Blackhawks capped off a dominant run through the league by defeating Medway, 36-0, to earn the school’s first league since 2001 when record-setting Ricky Santos propelled Bellingham to a Div. 5 EMass Super Bowl title.
“As a coach you never want to sound cocky, but I just didn’t see a weakness,” Haddad said. “I wanted them to know that without telling them.”
Just that sort of thought process might have caused a casual outsider to chuckle. Bellingham hadn’t posted a winning season since 2007, a far cry from the days when Dale Caparaso was patrolling the sidelines and guiding the Blackhawks to four Super Bowl titles in an eight-year run (1993-2001).
An early indicator that things were about to change came before the start of the season. A pair of preseason scrimmages served as a harbinger.
“We scrimmaged Holliston and Ashland, two great teams in our league,” Haddad said. “The fact that we were able to stay with them, especially Ashland, made our kids start to believe.”
Once the season began, Bellingham flashed its high-powered offense, one which put up at least 30 points in all five games. Haddad knew he had a quarterback capable of throwing the ball in Gavin Elder as well as a deep receiving unit keyed by Ty Warren. What Haddad didn’t count on was the emergence of Blake Simpson as a legitimate go-to back.
“I honestly didn’t realize just how good Blake was going to be,” Haddad admitted. “I knew we were going to need to run the ball a little, but this guy has been dominant. He’s a power runner who really changed our offense. Teams just couldn’t focus solely on us throwing the ball anymore because he will punish you.”
When the offense is putting up 30 points a game and the defense is allowing seven, that’s a guarantee for victory. Linemen David Roy and Andrew Keeler, linebackers Brady Feola and Simpson along with defensive backs Akeem Wynn, Chris Domercant and Michael Spera have keyed a unit which posted a pair of shutouts on the season.
“We just have boys who play their positions well,” Haddad said. “They know their responsibilities on the field. We played good press man coverage and we get pressure on the quarterback. Those are things we lacked in the past.”
There’s not much lacking in Bellingham these days anymore.
DIVISION 1
Blake Ramos’ 43-yard field goal with 50 seconds left gave Lowell a 16-14 win over Milford.
James Guy ran for 263 yards and four TDs as St. John’s Prep handed Tewksbury its first loss, 49-27.
Carson Harwood had 18 carries for 172 yards and two touchdowns as Catholic Memorial held off Xaverian, 23-19.
Weymouth picked up its second straight win as James Cassidy ran for 170 yards and two scores in a 20-9 win over Braintree.
Scotty Brown ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing for 100 yards and a third score as Andover defeated North Andover, 38-0.
DIVISION 2
Nolan O’Brien returned two punts for touchdowns and also added a TD run as Lincoln-Sudbury clinched the Dual County League with a 49-0 win over Cambridge.
Shea Lynch threw for 267 yards and three scores as Peabody handled Gloucester, 41-0.
Eugene Jordan had 191 yards rushing and a pair of scores as Barnstable defeated Dennis-Yarmouth,
30-19.
Anthony Comer ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a punt return for a third score, as Mansfield rolled to a 34-0 win over Taunton.
Will Lederman threw for two scores and ran for two more, finishing with 227 total yards as Natick defeated Framingham, 41-8.
Preston Van Fleet ran for 150 yards and a touchdown as Marshfield beat Hingham 22-6.
DIVISION 3
Matt Festa threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns as Duxbury defeated Stoughton, 20-13.
Bill Oram had four solo tackles, two assisted tackles and one for a loss, while chipping in with two catches for 45 yards and a score in Bishop Feehan’s 22-10 win over Malden Catholic.
Chad Silva ran for 214 yards and two scores in Oliver Ames’ 12-0 victory over Sharon.
Christian Ais ran for 114 yards and two scores as Stoughton came from behind to defeat King Philip, 20-13.
DIVISION 4
Josh Robertson threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns as Marblehead remained unbeaten with a 28-6 win over Masconomet.
Casious Johnson ran for 248 yards and three touchdowns as Plymouth South defeated North Quincy, 27-24, to win the Patriot League Keenan title.
Chad Caramanna had three sacks as Nauset defeated Falmouth, 20-14, for its first victory.
DIVISION 5
Eric Miles ran for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Bedford defeated Waltham, 28-8.
Austin Sutera threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in overtime, as Lynnfield outlasted Triton, 30-22.
Cam O’Brien passed for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for a third, as Swampscott defeated Beverly, 22-6.
DIVISION 6
Jake Connolly caught four passes for 150 yards and four touchdowns, returned a punt 97 yards for a score, and also picked off a pass in Bishop Fenwick’s 55-6 win over Cardinal Spellman.
Paul Hammond completed 13of-22 passes for 220 yards and two TDs and ran for two more as Arlington Catholic defeated Cathedral/ Matignon, 27-14.
Chris Dragone ran for two scores and caught a TD pass as Stoneham defeated Wilmington, 40-21.
Nick Fish had three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime, as Ashland edged Medfield, 29-27.
Tim Crowley ran for 178 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing for a fifth score as Middleboro rolled to a 48-25 win over Abington.
DIVISION 7
Caesar Hendricks rushed for 122 yards, while Ryan Hendricks had three touchdowns and an interception as Mashpee defeated Rockland, 28-20.
Declan Doneghy caught three touchdown passes as Lowell Catholic handled Northeast, 42-24.
Charlie Hewitt threw for three scores and ran for two more as Cohasset defeated East Bridgewater, 40-14.
Gavin Elder completed 14of-20 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns as Bellingham clinched the TVL Small title with a 36-0 win over Medway.
Tyler Cooley ran 121 yards and two touchdowns, caught a TD pass and recorded 11 tackles as Archbishop Williams beat Austin Prep 36-14.
DIVISION 8
Gambino Melendez carried the ball 29 times for 202 yards and a touchdown in Lynn Tech’s 8-6 loss to Boston English/New Mission.
Dyriece Smith ran for 174 yards and four scores as Tech Boston defeated South Boston/Burke, 30-12.
Danyul Oluwasuyi rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown in KIPP’s 39-7 win over Essex Tech.