Community Update

D1 Trojans Wallop Waltham
 
The Woburn D1 Trojans, sponsored by The Woburn Police Superior Officers,
Local 528, were back on the field this Sunday, after last week’s forfeit win vs.
West Lynn.  Head Coach John Ferrone’s boys hadn’t taken a snap from
scrimmage in two weeks.  The Trojans, playing their final home game of the
regular season, hosted the Waltham Devil Dogs D1 team.
 
Play opened with the Trojan’s Riley Duran booming the kickoff all the way
down to the Waltham 12 yard line. The Waltham return team had to scramble back
to cover the ball.  The Devil Dogs QB dove for two yards on 1st
&10.  The 2nd and 8 handoff saw the running back burst up the middle to
the 32 yard line, a gain of 16 yards.  A holding call set Waltham back to
the 22, 1st and 20.  Woburn would give 5 yards back when a D-lineman jumped
offsides.  Now 1st and 15, Waltham’s runner, untouched, fumbled the ball
after two steps.  Cornerback Cash Kingstad covered the ball on the 24 yard
line, giving Woburn possession. 
 
Woburn had 1st and 10 from on the Waltham 24.  Two short carries up
the middle by Duran, and another from Dylan Thompson found Woburn facing 4th
& 4 from the 17 yard line.  QB Kingstad handed off to Duran, who made
two sharp cuts and darted in for the 17 yard touchdown.  Duran’s conversion
attempt failed.  Woburn led 6-0 halfway through the first quarter.
 
Duran’s next kick off sailed down to the 26 yard line, again there was not
a return.  The Dogs would try to prove that they still had plenty of fight
left in them.  1st & 10 saw the Waltham ball carrier stuffed by
linebacker Dylan Thompson and cornerback Colin Harkins, after a gain of 1
yard.  Second and 9 saw one Dog unleashed on Coordinator Tony Giglio’s
defense.  Taking a direct snap form center the runner broke a tackle and
gained 21 yards, out to the 47 yard line.  This run got a spirited Waltham
crowd up and barking for their Devil Dogs.  Waltham used a steady diet of
direct snaps for the next three downs, working their way down to the Woburn
21.  Woburn linebackers Thompson, Duran, Kris Chiary, Dylan Zolubos and
Will Mahoney would seemingly have their work cut out for them all day. 
Waltham was knocking on the door, 1st and Goal from the ten yard line.  A
first down run up the middle was stopped up by Thompson and Duran after a three
yard gain.  Second and seven saw Waltham try to sweep the ball wide. 
The duo of Thompson and Harkins would sniff the play out again, this time for a
four yard loss.  Third and goal from the thirteen saw a botched hand off
and a loss of three more yards.  As the first quarter drew to a close the
Devil Dogs faced 4th and Goal from the 15 yd line.  An incomplete pass
would force a turnover on downs.  This seemed to muzzle the rabid Waltham
followers.
 
The second quarter opened with the Trojans asserting their will on the Dogs
in the trenches.  Different combinations of the following players helped
control the game on both sides of the ball: Tyler Farren, Evan Vienneau, Seamus
McCaffrey, Matt McCabe, Tucker Hogeland, Jake Daniell, Eyan Russell, Rennie
Cyprian, Jack MacDonald, Owen Cypret, Jaden Russell, Matt Qualey, Angel Apaza,
Tim Freeley, Sean Lafferty, Robert Lafferty, Killian Hayes, Gage Svelty, Will
Mahoney and Alex Fishlin.  Coaches John Lafferty and Mike Morgan stressed
the importance of blocking technique this week in practice.  Their boys
would put their lessons to good use, pushing Dogs all over the yard.  The
O-line opened a huge hole on first down.  Dylan Thompson cruised on
through, taking the opening snap 60 yards down the left sideline.  The run
was called back to the Trojan 35, as they were flagged for an illegal block away
from the play.  RB Kris Chiary was not to be left out of the fun.  He
took a hand off from Kingstad and juked his way down the right sideline for a
long, 65 yard touchdown run. Duran would make the conversion kick and Woburn led
14-0. 
 
Duran executed a perfect onside kick to the Waltham 40 yard line. 
Woburn gunner Colin Harkins delivered a swift shoulder to a Waltham player while
diving on the loose ball.  Harkins gave Woburn possession on the Waltham 40
yd line.  The chance to pad the lead was lost, temporarily, as the snap was
fumbled, with Waltham recovering on the 43 yard line.  This Devil Dogs
possession would be brief.  Combined stops by Defensive End Matt Qualey,
Thompson and Duran forced Waltham to turn it over on downs again. 
 
    Woburn took over on the Waltham 49 yard line. 
Duran carried up the middle for four yards on 1st & 10.  A false start
pushed Woburn back to their own 49 yard line, facing 2nd and 11.  Riley
Duran would strike again.  He took off from the from the 49 and no Dog was
going to catch him… Duran cruised to a 51 yard TD, putting Woburn up 20-0. 
There was some excitement on the conversion attempt.  The hold was bobbled,
giving Waltham time to close in on Chiary’s point after kick.  Chiary
alertly scooped the ball up from the ground and lobbed it over the on-coming
defender’s outstretched arms and right to a wide open Duran.  Duran got
Woburn the point and the lead was now 21-0 with just 4:00 left in the half.

 
Waltham took the kickoff to their own 45 yard line.  Tackles by
Zolubos and Duran, and an ankle tackle for a sack by Matt Qualey forced Waltham
to punt on fourth down.  The punt only rolled as far as the Woburn 42,
giving Woburn possession with 1:28 on the clock.  It was 2nd and 11 from
the their own 41 when the Trojan’s would put the Devil Dogs down for good. 
Duran broke through the line, shifted by a couple Dogs and was long gone for the
score.  Woburn would go into the half with a commanding 27-0 lead. 

 
The balance of the game would be mostly played between the twenty yard
lines.  Coordinator Ryan Ferrone had his offense pound the ball into the
line the rest of the way.  Waltham eventually broke a long run for a 49
yard TD.  The game ended with Waltham looking up at the Big Dogs in the
division, the 6-0 D1 Trojans.  The D1 schedule this coming Sunday is still
undecided, as it may be shuffled to help clarify the playoff picture. 

 
Congratulations go out to the D2 Trojans, who also improved their record to
an impressive 6-0 this past Sunday.  A very special pom-pom wave goes out
to our very own D Squad Cheerleaders!  Our girls went out this last week
and whooped up on some teams themselves, claiming first place in their most
recent competition.  Great job!!