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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Following a tough 9-0 loss to Bridgewater-Raynham in the MIAA D1A South Sectional semifinals, Wellesley High football coach Jesse Davis made it clear that his team was not done fighting in 2016 despite their Super Bowl hopes being dashed.
“We’ve got to get back to work,” said Davis. “We got more football left to go.”
Following their elimination from the South Sectionals, the Raiders (10-1) traveled to Brockton on Saturday, November 12, to play their consolation game. Davis stayed true to his word of having his team ready for Saturday’s tilt against the Boxers (5-5), and the Raiders got back on a winning note with a 27-20-comeback victory.
James Mastrianni (17) holds Brockton to little gain on a third-quarter play by wrapping up and bringing down the Boxer wideout right as the reception was made. Photos by Adam Richins Photography
After falling behind 14-0 after one quarter of play, Wellesley got their offense rolling on their first possession of the second frame with a long drive deep into Boxer territory, capped off by an eight-yard touchdown scamper by quarterback Jack Tishman to cut the deficit to 14-7 (PAT attempt by Brendan Dolan successful).
The Raider defense did its part to shut down the Brockton offense for the remainder of the half, and running back Grant Chryssicas’s three-yard touchdown snag via Tishman with 1:04 to play knotted the score at 14 at the half.
Both the Raiders and Boxers traded scoring drives at the end of the third quarter (55-yard run by Chryssicas) but neither team was able to convert the PAT and the game remained tied at 20.
Wellesley’s defense stood tall in quarter number four, keeping Brockton out of the end zone and getting the ball back to their offense in the final minutes of regulation for a chance to win the game.
Now that the Raiders are back on a winning note, Jesse Davis’s team will now turn their attention to preparing for their trip down the road to face arch rival Needham on November 24 in their annual Thanksgiving grudge match with the Rockets (5-5).
Amongst the group of seniors playing their final high school football game on Thanksgiving for Wellesley will be Brendan Dolan. In 2016, Dolan proved to be a major difference-maker for the Raiders as a star receiver, place kicker, and safety. Dolan’s ability to not only play, but also excel, in all three areas of the game is something that very few players in the state, let alone the Bay State Conference, can match.
Another player who will be turning in his jersey following the Thanksgiving matchup with Needham is Grant Chryssicas, who was utilized as one of the many workhorses in Wellesley’s high-powered offense in 2016. At times, the dynamic Chryssicas was utilized as both a running back and as a fullback due to his large 6-1, 215 body frame. Chryssicas was also a standout defensive player for Wellesley in 2016, and is coming off of a monster performance against Brockton last week in which he blocked both a punt and a PAT attempt to go along with several tackles for loss and a 55-yard touchdown run on the offensive side of the ball.
Also playing their final game for Wellesley on Turkey Day will be cornerback Isaac Weyker, who made a name for himself as one of the more elite cover corners in the Bay State Conference in 2016 with stellar man-on-man coverage and a keen ability to read a quarterback’s eyes and snag interceptions.
Wideouts Joseph Flaherty, Scott Westerman, Dylan Lindquist, and Dean Simpson, running backs Jamell Parks and Geo Raynaud, linebackers James Mastrianni, Jason Maiona, Michael DeAngelo, and Robert Leonhardt, defensive end Jon Refojo, offensive tackle Ben Burns, and defensive tackle Toby de Peyster, all of whom contributed greatly to the Raiders’ success in 2016, will also be playing their final game for Wellesley on Thursday.
It surely is not going to be easy to replace such a large group of dynamically talented players such as Dolan, Mastrianni, Chryssicas, Weyker, and Maiona. However, this current group of Raiders still has one more game to go out and give it their all, and there is no doubt that a game with as much history behind it as this one against Needham is going to get every Raider amped up to take the field on Thanksgiving.
