Meet BB&N’s new wrecking ball
DEDHAM — Leading by five points with under three minutes remaining, BB&N’s defense needed a stop.
Leave it to Jack Kelley, the man of the hour, to step up.
Kelley exploded through the line, wrestling down Nobles junior quarterback Devin Hunt for a 13-yard loss on third and 10. The 6-foot-2inch, 201-pound junior linebacker from Natick hopped to his feet, yelling in celebration before being engulfed by his teammates.
Kelley came up with two lategame, drive-stopping sacks and recorded a safety to propel BB&N to a 22-17 Independent Schools League win over Nobles.
“I was blitzing the edge, blitzing D-gap, so I hit a little fake inside, got him to open up a little bit, and then took the edge and was able to make it to the quarterback,” said Kelley.
Kelley plays with a nose for the football. With six minutes to play, he shot up the middle to drag down Hunt and force a turnover on downs with Nobles threatening in the red zone. Before halftime, Kelley teamed up with senior captain Jake Berglund, from Burlington, on a stunt over the center to record a safety.
“Jack is really coming into his own,” said BB&N coach Mike Willey. “He’s really a great player: He’s big, strong, physical, all of those things. He put it all together today and he was outstanding. A difference maker for sure.”
Sophomore Bo MacCormack churned out 85 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. The Westford native initiated contact, gaining extra yards by getting inside the pads of defenders. Senior quarterback Thomas Berentes, from Cambridge, finished 9 of 15 for 184 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in his first start.
Apponequet 16, Greater New Bedford 0 — A 13-yard touchdown run by Harrison Lemieux in the first quarter and an 8-yard scoring scamper by Jackson Gagnier in the second were all the Lakers’ (6-1) defense needed while recording a South Coast Conference shutout.
Arlington Catholic 20, Essex Tech 14 — Isaiah Osgood accounted for two scores, one through the air and another on the ground, to pace the Cougars (3-4) to a nonleague win.
Brockton 35, New Bedford 24 — Kole Osinubi (14 carries, 176 rushing yards) ran for four touchdowns, including a 63-yard dash in the fourth quarter, to carry the Boxers (6-1) to a Southeast Conference victory.
Dexter Southfield 35, New Hampton 23— Chase Halfkenny ran for two scores, Joe McCauley threw a pair of touchdowns, and both Takai Whitmore (12 carries, 107 yards, TD) and Quinn Carver (20 carries, 125 yards) surpassed the century mark on the ground as Dexter Southfield improved to 4-1.
Groton 59, St. George’s 48 — In a back-and-forth edition of the ClarkCongleton Bowl, it was Groton (2-2) who brought it home, as Sean Greene finished with three touchdowns, JP Charpentier scored on a 54-yard catch and a 7-yard run, and Salim Hill and Bensen Han each added a rushing touchdown.
Lowell Catholic 28, Manchester Essex 12 — For a second, it looked like the Crusaders (7-0) would lose their spot on the Globe’s Undefeated Bus, but Nick Sawyer (160 rushing yards, 2 TDs) ensured that didn’t happen. The senior went for 31 yards in the third quarter to tie the game and finished off the scoring with a 6-yard rush in the fourth as Lowell Catholic earned a Commonwealth win. Milton Academy 44, Roxbury Latin 13— Georgetown commit Jacob Holtschlag connected with Penn State-bound Andrew Rappleyea for passing TDs of 35 and 10 yards, Ben Waterman scampered for a 37-yard score, and Matt Childs found the end zone on a 70-yard run as Milton Academy (3-2) coasted to an ISL win. Scituate 41, Quincy 15 — Sophomore wideout Lawson Foley (5 catches, 96 yards) and junior quarterback Jackson Belsan (9 for 9, 120 yards, 4 TDs) showed off their chemistry as they connected for three touchdown passes. Senior running backs Colin Morley and Jamieson Hodlin each ran for more than 100 yards and a score to lead the Sailors (3-3) to a Patriot League Fisher win.
St. John’s Prep 41, BC High 20 — Joenel Aguero did what he does best on the day he was presented a No. 7 game jersey for the 2023 Under Armour Next All-American game. The St. John’s Prep senior and Georgia commit caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter and added a pick-6 in the fourth for the fourth-ranked Eagles (5-2).
St. Mary’s 42, Cardinal Spellman 8 — It was a game of big plays for the Spartans (5-2), who picked up a Catholic Central win, as Derick Coulanges took the first play from scrimmage 48 yards to the house. David Brown and Ernie Panias followed with 60- and 66-yard runs, respectively, Brown and Carlos De La Rosa each had a pick-6, and Nick Sacco finished the scoring with a 69-yard TD reception from Tyler Guy in the third quarter.
Woburn 54, Lexington 12 — Bryan Ferreira dominated the ground attack for the Tanners (4-3) in a Middlesex win, scoring touchdowns of 1, 6 and 40 yards during Woburn’s 40point second quarter.