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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Following a dominant 27-7 victory over Plymouth North in the Division I South quarterfinals, the No. 2 Walpole Rebels hosted No. 3 Hingham on Friday with a spot in the Division III South finals on the line.
Despite marching down the field for a touchdown on their opening possession, the Rebels were unable to keep pace with the high-octane offense of Hingham, falling 30-19.
Pat Kearns (44) celebrates a tackle-for-loss with teammate Antonio Servello (56) late in the first quarter.
Junior quarterback Will Jarvis hooked up with Drew von Klock and Andrew White for long completions to set the Rebels up deep in Hingham territory on Walpole’s opening drive before finding senior captain and wideout Chase Conrad for a 35-yard catch and run to make it 6-0 Walpole with 9:36 left in the first quarter (PAT no good).
The teams then exchanged punts before Hingham took an 8-6 lead with 2:13 to play in the opening quarter when Zach Kelleher punched the ball in from a yard out, followed by a successful two-point try.
With 5:57 to play in the half, Kelleher added his second touchdown of the night, followed by a successful two-point try by Christian Julian to give the Harbormen a two-score lead at 16-6. Jarvis responded for the Rebels, capping off an eight-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run to make it a 16-12 game with 3:27 remaining in the half (two-point try no good).
Chase Conrad (2) gets a step and dashes past a Hingham defender for a first quarter touchdown.
Hingham responded right back, however, as a long run by Egan set the Harbormen up deep in Rebel territory before Julian rushed one in from 17 yards out to make it a 22-12 game at the half (two-point try no-good).
The Harbormen extended their lead to 30-12 with 5:47 to play in the third quarter when Egan rushed one in from 44 yards out, followed by a successful two-point try by Julian.
Jarvis hooked up with White for a 24-yard touchdown with 3:24 to play to make it an 11-point game at 30-19. Walpole’s onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, however, and the Harbormen were able to run out the remainder of the clock and advance with the 30-19 victory.
For funny and incisive sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter at @fLAno0.
