Although Old Rochester Regional football is the top seed in Division 6 South Section and won 27-22, No. 8 Bishop Stang was far from a cakewalk in the opening round matchup.
Bishop Stang’s dynamic quarterback, Justin Lopes, threw for two touchdowns and 255 on 16 for 30 passing. He also rushed for a touchdown and 51 yards, nearly willing the Spartans past the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter.
ORR held true, shutting down Bishop Stang on both two-point conversion attempts.
“A win is a win, but we have to clean up a lot,” linebacker Dylan DeWolfesaid. “We have to be a little tougher when it comes to passes. We have to jam more and get to our zones more.”
Offensively, ORR once again relied on the ground, scoring three of its four touchdowns via the rush. Jackson Cotescored one of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns, running for 159 yards on 29 carries. Desmond Diasalso scored once while running for 98 yards on 15 carries, and Cole McIntyrealso finished with a touchdown and 52 yards on seven carries. McIntyre also threw for a touchdown, finding Bryce Afonsofor an 11-yard score.
The one problem for the Bulldogs in the matchup (and maybe what kept things so tight): they turned the ball over four times (three fumbles and an interception). It’s something ORR fully acknowledges it cannot do going into the next round of the tournament.
“Bottom line, if we protect the ball, we should be able to have a larger margin of victory,” ORR coach Justin Kogler said. “I told them after the game, if we fumble, we’re going to go home next week. We almost went home tonight. We can’t afford to lose the ball. We’re a possession team. We grind it out.”
The Bulldogs (8-0) are looking to grind out another win to keep their postseason run alive. They’ll put their undefeated record to the test on Friday when they host No.4 Dedham (7-1) in a rematch of 2017’s first round game between the two, where Old Rochester won 34-21.
ORR girls soccer locked up the South Coast Conference title with a 3-0 shutout victory over SCC Small champion Seekonk. Jillian Kutashscored in the first half what would be the Bulldogs’ game-winner. Rachel Fantoniand Mary Butlerwould both score later, as well. Kinsley Dickersonsaved all four of the Warriors’ shots on net in the shutout.
Following an 8-4 win over New Bedford, ORR finished the season 15-2 after sweeping the entire SCC 14-0 and is gearing up for postseason play.
Old Colony
After suffering a loss at the hands of Upper Cape to finish the regular season, Old Colony was slated against the Rams again, this time in the first round of the MIAA Div. 8 South Sectional tournament, losing 17-7.
The 17 points were the most the Cougars allowed all season, but far from an insurmountable score to surpass. Old Colony simply could not maintain momentum on drives, despite having big plays throughout.
Phil Proctorfinished with 40 yards on the ground and scored Old Colony’s lone touchdown on an 11-yard run. Mitchell Wilsonfinished with 23 yards,Kyle Scholzwith 22, and Matt Bumpuswith 18 as Old Colony spread the ball out much more against the Rams.
Old Colony (4-4) will now play a non-playoff football schedule at host Atlantis Charter next.
Tabor Academy
Tabor Academy girls soccer improved to 9-1-2 on the year after a 2-0 win over Milton Academy, and a 4-0 win over the Groton School.
Sam Cohenscored the first of two Tabor goals in the win over Milton Academy. Cat Barrycontinued her strong season with the Seawolves’ second goal of the match. Barry would also score twice against Groton School, and assisted one of Jaydah Bedoya’stwo goals. Tali O’Learyassisted Bedoya’s other goal, while Brooke Ingemiset up Barry’s second goal in the win.
Tabor field hockey was also victorious against Groton School, winning 3-0 on Friday to improve their season record to 10-4.
Annie Berryscored Tabor’s first two goals to give the team a 2-0 lead at the half. Danielle Craig would finish things off for Tabor with a goal of her own in the second half.
High School Sports Update
By Nick Friar