Needham traveled to Newton for week two this past weekend and went 2-1 in the competitive brackets, with C and D squad each picking up key victories.
B Squad – Newton 40, Needham 12 – B squad (1-1) fell to a very strong and physical Newton team on Saturday. Owen Scholz and Josh Melia played some tough defense but Needham was gashed by several big plays. The Needham offense scored two touchdowns, one on some hard running up the middle by Colin Sullivan. However, Newton controlled the line of scrimmage and Newton’s potent offensive attack proved to be too much to handle.
C Squad – Needham 24, Newton 6 – C Squad (1-1) had a decisive 24-6 win over Newton, led by a potent ground attack and a stout defensive effort. Tate Hoffmeister, Jase Hannigan and George Addona each had rushing touchdowns, accompanied by the strong running of Spencer Chapman, Andrew Spezzano and Cam Schreiber. Michael Hegarty, Sean Murphy, PJ Hartley, Connor Dempsey and Gabe McCarthy controlled the line of scrimmage creating many big plays including Lyle Corwin's 20-yard sideline catch on a tough fourth down and long.
Fourth grader Yariel Lara (35) runs hard for Needham.
Special teams highlights include Spencer Chapman's three extra-points, set up by Josh Morant's excellent snaps, and James Young's kickoffs, which included a perfect onside kick. The defensive line was anchored by Charlie Fondo, Gabe McCarthy, Sean Murphy and Will Kizer, each having several key stops, many for big losses.
D Squad – Needham 14, Newton 12 – The Needham D Squad (1-1) picked up their first win in thrilling overtime fashion Sunday against a very tough Newton squad. Needham tied the game up in the fourth quarter with a power-running touchdown by FB Dom Funke after several long runs by wing back Brandt Bickford behind the blocks of wideouts Nolan Joyce and Killian Tennis, and tight end Will Connelly.
The rest of the game was a back and forth defensive effort highlighted by great tackling from safety Charlie Cianciolo, inside linebacker Denis O’Donovan, and middle linebacker Travis O’Brien, who was all over the field making big hits all day long. In overtime – on fourth and 12 – quarterback Jack Barrett dropped back and hit a streaking Ben Schreiber for a touchdown. The game was won on the extra point by kicker Alex Rufo on a perfect snap from long-snapper Charlie Simeone.
E1 Squad vs. Newton – In E1’s match with Newton, a tough game with a lot of great sportsmanship, each team scored one touchdown. Tenoch Mendez did great on the line. Dean Mostafa showed his versatility playing on both sides of the ball in multiple positions. Emerson Wilson probably ran 400 miles in the safety position getting involved in almost every play on defense. Shaun Villa and Daniil Landau shot the gap and disrupted the backfield multiple times. Kenneth Ronchinsky, Brian DeGrandis, Will Sacher and Rory Kizer kept the secondary secure with some great tackles. Jake Heckman and Tyler Langford had solid hits on defense.
Jake Heckman (32) picks up great blocks form Shaun Villa and Tyler Langford.
On offense AJ Scholz scored a touchdown with Yadiel Lara providing a key block. Aiden Mack was great at center and Brady Bloch made sure no one got into the Needham backfield to disrupt the offense.
E2 Squad vs. Newton - Matthew Mullaney ran for an early touchdown and Needham was off to the races. His fellow running back Will Young also scored with some key blocking from Robert Mahar. Rory Funkes. Two late scores would not have been possible without the help of center Grayden Loeb, kicker Giovanni Virgilio and Joza Wang.
Once again, the defense was stellar stifling Newton all day, led by Nicholas Hebert, Collin Corbett, Dash Mendez, Cedric Steele, and Sam Drayer. J.T. Ciccone saw his first action of the season and was a big contributor all day on the offensive side of the ball.
Note that scores are not kept for the E1 and E2 instructional levels of AYF Football.
