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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
It was just that kind of night for the Walpole High football team in the Division II South Sectional Playoffs on Friday, as the Rebels (3-5) fell 28-7 to a strong Dartmouth team in a hard-fought defensive effort.
Defense was the name of the game in this one with both the Rebels and Indians (8-0) causing multiple turnovers throughout the game. The difference in the match ended up being Dartmouth’s ability to consistently win the battle for field position and capitalize off of the turnovers that they produced with points, all while the Rebels were unable to generate any points off of turnovers on the night.
The seventh-seeded Rebels got out to a strong start defensively with a Mark Nicholson interception on the third play from scrimmage. Nicholson returned the ball 20 yards to the Dartmouth six-yard line to set the Rebels up with a first and goal. Walpole was unable to gain positive yardage on their ensuing possession despite the great field position and ended up coming away empty handed due to an unsuccessful field goal attempt, as the game remained 0-0.
Tim Hayes (11) says ‘I’ll take that’ and strips the Dartmouth quarterback and gets the football back for the Rebels during the second quarter. Photos by Tim Hoffman
Dartmouth would jump out to a 7-0 lead with 1:02 left in the first quarter after a 52-yard touchdown run. A Charlie Auditore interception put a halt to the next Rebel possession deep in their own territory, but the Walpole defense stood up to the challenge and forced a turnover on downs thanks to solid tackling by linebackers Dan O’Leary and Zach Conrad, holding the deficit at just seven.
Both teams played lockdown defense throughout the remainder of the first half, including some solid pass rushing by outside linebacker Kyle Smith. With just under four minutes to go in the first half, a strong set of tackles by the Indians forced the Rebels to punt around midfield. Dartmouth blocked the Rebel punt attempt, recovered the ball, and returned it down to the Walpole 17-yard line. The Indians punched the ball in for a touchdown three plays later to extend the lead to 14 at the half.
The Rebels received the second half kickoff but again had an empty possession after an interception deep in their own territory, giving Dartmouth the ball inside the red zone. Walpole’s defense carried their strong play from the first half into the second and forced a turnover on downs to keep it at a two-score deficit.
Dartmouth put together a nine-play drive towards the end of the third quarter, capped off by a 19-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21-0. The Rebels fumbled on their ensuing possession and the ball was returned for a Dartmouth touchdown, putting the Rebels in a hole they would be unable to climb out of at 28-0.
Wideout/cornerback Tim Hayes, who also had a forced fumble during the contest, played the role of spoiler with Dartmouth’s shutout bid after hauling in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Auditore late in the fourth to make it a 28-7 game, a score that would turn final.
Walpole will battle Whitman-Hanson next week in a consolation game before traveling to Weymouth on Thanksgiving to close out their season.
