Dracut captures emotional win in opener
The Middies made a great first impression on the gridiron.
Sophomore quarterback Ryan Cole went 9-for-13 passing for 206 yards and three touchdowns, as the Dracut High football team defeated Boston English/ New Mission, 38-0, in Friday’s season opener.
It was an emotionally charged moment for the squad, which nearly had its season cancelled due to low enrollment numbers before a last-ditch co-op agreement with Innovation Academy Charter School saved the program.
“It’s a great first win,” said Dracut coach Jermaine Mckenzie. “It’s good for these guys after where we’ve been. They stuck through all the ups and downs that we had, so I’m just super proud of the guys and happy that we were able to get here.”
Cole aired things out early and often. He hooked up with Ben Dejesus for the first touchdown of the season, before going deep connecting with senior Andre Bouras on a mammoth 72yard haul, setting things in motion.
Defensively, Bouras also came up big, intercepting an English pass before jetting 50 yards to paydirt on the TD return. He also scored on all four two-point conversion runs his team had.
The Middies had no problems backing each other up. Even when senior running back Robbie Troung fumbled the ball in the red zone, teammate Ben Baoteng was there to recover the pigskin for the score.
Cole capped his electric first half by finding senior Sean Bosia with another bomb right before the half, building the 38-0 lead at halftime.
Dracut’s defense took it from there. Manny Farly, Drew Richardson, Kuelz Cabrera-golzales and Ben Baoteng did an effective job muzzling the Bulldogs’ offense throughout the second half.
“They did a really good job squeezing the gaps down,” said Mckenzie. “It was total team defense.”
Dracut defensive back Bruschi Mcmanus picked up an interception, as well as two fumble recoveries, to seal the deal.
“Our defense played lights out,” said Mckenzie. “They played really well. They wanted to keep them out of the end zone. I think they stepped up to the challenge on that.”
The Middies 36-man roster currently sports 16 Innovation players. None of the new recruits saw game action in the opener, still under a mandatory practice requirement before they play a game.
The victory was especially satisfying for the Middies’ returning cast who never lost faith in the process.
“Throughout this whole time, they’ve stayed steadfast and understood what was going on,” said Mckenzie. “They always believed it would happen. They were overjoyed with emotion and happy they were able to get on the field and show what they’ve been working on.”
Dracut next plays Whittier Tech on Thursday in its home opener. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
“We’re riding some momentum going into this game,” said Mackenzie. “Whittier Tech has been doing some really good things.