Ferrara leads Wellesley to victory over Longmeadow

WELLESLEY — The opening weekend of high school football had no shortage of thrillers. Friday night’s slate, which featured 82 games, was littered with outstanding battles.

Saturday was no different, and thanks to a fantastic performance from Vincent Ferrara, Wellesley fans were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief when the final whistle sounded.

The junior quarterback completed 15-of-24 passes for 246 yards and a trio of touchdowns, and the Raiders made a last-second defensive stop to defeat Longmeadow, 30-22, in front of a packed house at Wellesley High School.

“Nobody worked harder than (Ferrara) this offseason,” Wellesley coach Jesse Davis said. “He’s the heart and soul of the offense. Our offense runs through him, and we have a lot of faith and trust in him.”

As soon as the second quarter got underway, so did the offensive tempo. Wellesley (1-0) would jump in front, 10-6, off a 23-yard touchdown run by Tom Burton with 9:45 to go in the first half. Less than 90 seconds later, Ferrara tossed a short pass over the middle to Jack Poirier, who sprinted past multiple defenders on his way to a 49yard touchdown reception. Suddenly, Wellesley was up 16-6.

“My offensive line made maybe the biggest hole I’ve ever seen,” Poirier said. “Great blocking, great play. I was able to see all of the green grass ahead of me.”

But each time it seemed like the Raiders were on the verge of taking over the game, Longmeadow responded. Just a few minutes later, senior Wyatt Tallaksen took a handoff, then appeared to be taken down by a series of Wellesley defenders, as he rolled along the turf. The whistle never sounded, however. So after a brief pause, Tallaksen leaped back to his feet, then sprinted into the end zone from 14 yards out. After a brief conference, the referees awarded the Lancers a touchdown, stunning the crowd on hand. Robbie Harrington ran in a two-point conversion and Longmeadow had trimmed the deficit to 16-14.

With just 30 seconds left in the half, Ferrara fired a screen pass to his left, then watched in horror as Harry Stratton jumped the lane for an interception. The Longmeadow sophomore then sprinted uncontested 61 yards back to the house, as the Lancers took a 22-16 lead into the break.

Midway through the third quarter, Ferrara dropped back to pass, then connected with a wide open Poirier in the back of the end zone to put Wellesley back in front, 23-22.

With 10:14 left in regulation, Ferrara lobbed a Hail Mary pass down the sideline to Tyler Yen, who hauled in the catch, then took off for a 70-yard touchdown. Webb connected on the following point-after try, and Wellesley seized a 30-22 lead.

Longmeadow would stage a long drive late, reaching Wellesley’s 23. Facing a 4th and 8 situation with 1:19 remaining, Longmeadow’s junior quarterback Bryant Lopes fired an off-balance pass behind his intended target, and the Lancers turned it over on downs.

Yet, even when it seemed like the game was essentially over, Longmeadow was provided new life just seconds later.

As Wellesley attempted to bleed out the clock, Ferrara and Max Poirier mishandled a snap. The ball tumbled to the turf, only to be swallowed by a series of Longmeadow players. Suddenly, the Lancers found themselves just 29 yards away from the end zone, with a chance to tie the game.

“Every win’s a big win for us, for sure,” Knight said. “We did about everything we possibly could to try to give ourselves as much adversity as possible. That was a very sloppy football game, and that’s a good football team. (Longmeadow) is a very well-coached team.”

With 12 seconds left, and the game on the line, Lopes rolled to his left on fourth down, then tossed a last-ditch pass. The ball landed just out of his receiver’s reach, and Wellesley survived.

Jack Poirier finished with five receptions for 117 yards in addition to his pair of touchdowns in the effort.

“After that fumble, we were all scared on the sideline,” Poirier said. “But we had faith in our defense. Right when that happened, we were all just so happy to see that it was an incomplete pass. Our defense had been fighting the entire second half. Shoutout to great players, and the great secondary we have. It was just an amazing game all around.”