Zach Maffeo, Dragons end up on right side
One brother was bound to have bragging rights at the dinner table after a battle between twins on Thanksgiving, and with a pair of scores in a win, quarterback Zach Maffeo got just that with Latin Academy. Behind two rushing touchdowns from Maffeo, as well as a dominant defensive performance in bone-chilling temperatures, the Dragons soared past Maffeo’s twin and O’Bryant starting quarterback, Luke Maffeo, for a 28-8 victory. The weather certainly limited what both teams could do, but that didn’t stop Latin Academy from having a blast closing out its season. “It was just like I expected; really fun in a great environment,” Zach Maffeo said. “At the end of the day, we came out with the win and that’s all I could ask for. (My teammates) played their hearts out, and I’m pretty excited because I just beat my brother.” Latin Academy came out with a lot of energy, forcing O’Bryant to a quick punt followed by an eight-play drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown run from Sedric Johnson. The Tigers responded soon thereafter as Onome Grell took an interception 65 yards for a touchdown and an 8-7 lead, but that’s all they got. O’Bryant picked up just 30 yards from scrimmage in the loss, while Johnson outran the opposition alone with 77 rushing yards. A chunk of those yards helped set up a 3-yard TD run from Zach Maffeo for a 14-8 lead in the second quarter. The Latin Academy defense forced a punt on the ensuing drive, which Ryan Nguyen returned for a 52yard score, and a Zach Maffeo 1-yard keeper TD in the third quarter helped seal the final score. “It’s good, we played well,” Latin Academy coach Rocco Zizza said. “They capitalized on a few of our mistakes, but we thought we were mostly dominant on both sides of the ball, so we’re happy. It’s a lot warmer when you win.”