Barnstable rides big 2nd half over Brockton
BROCKTON — In what started out as barnburner, Barnstable and Brockton turned opening night into an offensive donnybrook.
The Red Hawks came into Boxer Country and literally ran away with a 52-35 victory with 21 unanswered points to open the second half of play in front of a capacity crowd at Marciano Stadium.
Eugene Jordan was just warming up in the first half as he ran for 124 of his team-high 170 yards in the second half alone to lead Barnstable after the Red Hawks trailed 2117 at halftime.
Jordan finished with 30 carries on the night and both of his touchdowns — one for 24 yards and another on a two-yard dive also came in the second half.
“We talk about it all the time and we believe we are a second half team and we win (these) games in July and August in the weight room and we condition and prepare to run the football,” said Barnstable head coach Ross Jatkola. “We know if we are within a score in the first half we are usually where we like to be.”
Jason Wonodi scored two of his four touchdowns on the ground to end the first half and give the Boxers a 21-17 lead into the locker room. Wonodi capped off the second quarter with an 87-yard highlight reel run as he went in untouched on a quarterback keeper off right tackle with 2:41 left to play in the half.
But Barnstable answered with an 11-play drive on the first series of the third to take the lead for good as Jordan scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns from 24 yards out.
Brockton was a quick three-andout on their first possession and Barnstable went back to the ground and pound game. Henry Machnik scored on a bootleg to end the second series in the end zone from 25yards out.
Machnik, who also had a pictureperfect double-reverse touchdown pass in the first half, called his own number again after Alec Joyce returned a 53-yard interception down to the Boxers’ one-yard line. Machnik’s third touchdown of the game gave Barnstable a 38-21 lead after three quarters.
The Red Hawks had 22 plays from scrimmage to Brockton’s seven in the pivotal third quarter.
“We knew their personnel and they were going to be physical with us and we just couldn’t match up physically — it’s as simple as that,” said Brockton head coach Peter Colombo.
Brockton finally got on the board in the second half with a 38-yard run from Wonodi, but a 15-yard pass interference penalty killed any chance of a comeback on the next series for the Red Hawks.
“It was an underthrown ball and I felt my guy played the ball the entire way, but we felt like if we get the ball back there, we are down to a one-score game,” added Colombo.
Barnstable capped off the decisive drive with Jordan’s second score after going for it on fourthand-five from the Brockton 11-yard line. The Red Hawks were three-for-three on fourth down conversions in the second half and proved to be too much for the young Boxers.
Wonodi finished with a gamehigh 188 yards on the ground off 12 carries and added 125 yards in the air on 8-for-15 passing.
“Eugene Jordan is just a heck of a football player. I mean we are fourth-and-five going in on our last touchdown and coach said, ‘what do you want’ and I said something to Eugene,” said Jatkola. “He’s just a hard worker and the epitome of a third-fourth quarter guy. He doesn’t start to shine until teams start wearing out and seems to get fresher and fresher and runs harder and harder.”