Crusaders look to make it five wins in a row
Groton-Dunstable has been a terror of sorts in the Mid-Wach C Division this season. The Crusaders are in the midst of a four-game win streak. The Westford Academy Grey Ghost provided the only blemish on their record, and head coach Derek Asadoorian’s squad has rebounded quite nicely. Last Friday the Crusaders traveled to Littleton for what promised to be a close match-up, right? no- wrong. The Crusaders pummeled Littleton mercilessly 47-13. Thoroughbred fullback Matt Manning scored on runs of 69, 7, and 26-yards in the win. The defense showed up for the Crusaders as well, with a touchdown by Parker Blodgett on a fumble recovery that he returned 38-yards. Since the loss, the Crusaders have been taking one game at a time. Their opponent Gardner is coming off of a 34-13 win over Lunenburg at home last Friday. The Wildcats saw a stellar performance by Jamison Kelley and Brandon Williams.
Williams contributed two touchdowns on the ground in the win with distances of 35 and 7-yards. Kelley reeled in a 65-yard touchdown pass from Andy Guay in the second quarter, for the game’s longest scoring play. Expect to see the Wildcats play in a run-and-gun style offense based on the box score from last week’s win over the Blue Knights. Groton-Dunstable needs to keep feeding Manning and allow junior quarterback Mack Eberheart to roll outside the pocket where he becomes dangerous in the open field. Defensively, the Crusaders need to key their sights on Williams, who had a 100-plus yard rushing performance against Lunenburg last week.
If the Crusaders are looking for a good test, they found one in a feisty Wildcats bunch who are very much in the conference crown picture with just one loss.
Gardner:
* Williams rushed for two TD’s on 23 carries totaling 174-yards against Lunenburg last week.
* Ken Correa leads the Gardner defense with two interceptions on the season.
* Linebacker Devin Williams is among the leading tacklers in Central Mass. With 54 this season.
Groton-Dunstable:
* Matt Manning has been electric all season for the Crusaders, in last Friday’s game with Littleton he rushed for 3 TD’s and totaled 110-yards on just 11-carries.
* Groton-Dunstable is undefeated in Mid-Wach C play this season.
* The crusaders own a 2-1 record at home.
Patriots aim to get back to .500 in the Mid-Wach B
North Middlesex (3-5, 1-2 Mid-Wach B)@ Algonquin (1-7, 0-3 Mid-Wach B) 7 p.m.
North Middlesex travels out to Northborough to take on the Algonquin Tomahawks, whose lone win came against Burncoat on opening night, 26-0. Since then, Algonquin has been on a downward spiral losing six straight games. The Patriots haven’t won since week six when they downed Fitchburg 31-13. Head coach Sandy Ruggles noticed some signs of improvement in this years’ team, as the Patriots are starting to slowly rebuild themselves to their glory days of yesteryears. Last Saturday North Middlesex played host to Saint Peter Marian on homecoming, the Guardians steamrolled the Pats 22-6. North Middlesex’s leading rusher, Brandon Lambert had the lone touchdown in the second quarter from six-yards out. The Patriots need to mix up the run game, and passing game to wear down the T-Hawks. One thing North Middlesex has to be mindful of is that Algonquin is just as hungry for a win as they are. If the Patriots pick up the win tonight, they will bring themselves right back into the Mid-Wach B picture. Last time out for the T-Hawks they fell to CMass. powerhouse Holy Name at home 60-35. The T-Hawks shining light in the win was their senior running back Stephen Roy. Roy had three touchdowns in the loss to the Naps last weekend. The Patriots need to put Algonquin away early, and make a statement on the scoreboard in order to gain confidence going into the final two weeks of the season, where the opponents on the schedule get much stronger.
North Middlesex:
* In their last two games, North Middlesex has been outscored 49-13.
* The Patriots offense is led by senior running back Brandon Lambert with 664-yards rushing this season and 10 TD’s.
* Quarterback John Boutwell is 29-of-57 for 551-yards and 6-TD’s.
Algonquin:
* Roy paces the T-Hawks offense with 105-carries for 710-yards and 6-TD’s.
* Receiver Brendan Dagle has 12 catches totaling 117-yards and 2-TD’s.
* Defenses have limited the Tomahawks to just 84-points this season.
Ayer-Shirley(1-7, 0-3 Mid-Wach D)@ Narragansett (6-2, 1-2 Mid-Wach D) 7 p.m.
Panthers look to build off last week’s loss to Maynard
Ayer-Shirley showed some glimmers of hope last Friday night against the Maynard Tigers. Offensively Zak Walker and Justis Wallace played pitch-and-catch nicely. Wallace hauled in two long touchdown passes of 20, and 35-yards from Walker. The kick-return team showcased their skills in the loss as Wallace brought back a kickoff in the first quarter 81-yards for a touchdown. The passing game appeared to be coming together for the Panthers last Friday, so why not keep the ball in the air? Tight end Brian Richard had a great game as he highlighted the Panthers short-passing game. Ayer had their chances to put the game away in the third quarter, but a costly fumble was recovered by a Maynard player and returned for 70-yards. Ayer-Shirley is a team who has been peeking around the corner all season, all they need to do now is turn it. Their opponent Narragansett, is coming off a huge 60-34 win over Saint Bernard’s at home. The Warriors took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter over the Bernardians. They are a two-dimensional team, and Ayer-Shirley needs to be weary of the Warriors potent offense. Ayer-Shirley needs to take control of the game early, in order to have a chance on the road in Baldwinville against Narragansett. At this point in the season, the Panthers are playing for nothing more than their pride. Wallace, Walker and Richard may prove to be the difference in the game for Ayer-Shirley if they are able to match their performance from last week.
Ayer-Shirley showed some glimmers of hope last Friday night against the Maynard Tigers. Offensively Zak Walker and Justis Wallace played pitch-and-catch nicely. Wallace hauled in two long touchdown passes of 20, and 35-yards from Walker. The kick-return team showcased their skills in the loss as Wallace brought back a kickoff in the first quarter 81-yards for a touchdown. The passing game appeared to be coming together for the Panthers last Friday, so why not keep the ball in the air? Tight end Brian Richard had a great game as he highlighted the Panthers short-passing game. Ayer had their chances to put the game away in the third quarter, but a costly fumble was recovered by a Maynard player and returned for 70-yards. Ayer-Shirley is a team who has been peeking around the corner all season, all they need to do now is turn it. Their opponent Narragansett, is coming off a huge 60-34 win over Saint Bernard’s at home. The Warriors took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter over the Bernardians. They are a two-dimensional team, and Ayer-Shirley needs to be weary of the Warriors potent offense. Ayer-Shirley needs to take control of the game early, in order to have a chance on the road in Baldwinville against Narragansett. At this point in the season, the Panthers are playing for nothing more than their pride. Wallace, Walker and Richard may prove to be the difference in the game for Ayer-Shirley if they are able to match their performance from last week.
Ayer-Shirley:
* Walker was 18-of-39 from under center for 227 yards and three TD’s
* Wallace has 7 TD catches on the season.
* Ayer-Shirley is 1-3 in road-games this season.
Narragansett:
* Running back Joe O’Neil is among CMass’s leading rushers with 145 carries for 951-yards and 10 TD’s.
? Marcus Kitchen-45 tackles and Cam Savoy-44 tackles lead the Warriors defense.
? Receiver Scott Favreau has five catches for 150-yards and 2 TD’s.
