March 28, 2024

Dighton/Rehoboth - Seekonk Sports Report

Posted

Dighton-Rehoboth wins Thanksgiving Football Rivalry
SEEKONK - If Thanksgiving morning was any indication, the rest of the South Coast Conference better be on alert for the Falcons and Warriors next year.
Junior quarterbacks John Marcille and JT Moran combined for almost 500 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns Thursday morning, but in this matchup of 2020 contenders, it was the D-R defense that made the biggest plays at the biggest moments.
The Warriors had two drives late in the fourth quarter down one score and with momentum on their side and failed to score both times. Moran was strip-sacked with 5:21 left with D-R senior linebacker Aidan Botelho recovering the fumble, and the Warriors’ final drive stalled a few minutes later as the Falcons held on for a 27-20 rivalry victory in front of a large, loud crowd at Connolly Field.

“It was nerve-wracking at the end,” D-R coach Dave Moura said. “That strip-sack was huge. We were on our heels and they smelled blood. We’re a young team, they’re a young team, but we made a play when we had to.”
The D-R defensive effort thwarted a stellar second half for the Warriors. Down 21-6 at halftime, Seekonk opened the second half with senior Robert Sheahan intercepting Marcille on the first play. The Warriors then marched 79 yards on 13 plays with Moran scoring from 3 yards out on an option keeper.

Moran directed another scoring drive early in the fourth quarter, running for 23 yards and throwing for 50 on the 12-play, 82-yard scoring drive that ended with a 20-yard touchdown to an open Nathan Clarke up the middle of the field.

Seekonk had two more possessions but came up empty as the Falcons hoisted the trophy in victory. “Our guys battled. It was a hard-fought game,” Seekonk coach Vernon Crawford said. “I’m just so proud of the kids and the coaches who got them ready to play today. We made a lot of mental mistakes and just couldn’t come out with the win today.”

Thanksgiving morning was the final game for seven Falcons: Marcus Moss, Ishmael Christmas, Aidan Botelho, Ashton Boyle, Miguel Garcia, Evan Gleason and Zach Larrimore. It was an extra-special ending for Moss, Gleason and Botelho as the three are the only Falcons to play all four years. “It’s been a long season with its ups and downs but this team has stayed together. We’re a family and we stick together, and (the victory) is the result,” Gleason said after the game. His words were echoed by Moss and Botelho. “Everyone stepped up,” said Moss, who injured his knee earlier in the season and couldn’t suit up for the finale. “I’m so proud of these boys right here. They played hard the whole game.” “We busted our butts every day since freshman year,” Botelho said. “So we feel like we deserve this. It feels amazing.” Moura said the group has been through a lot. “Those three guys, Botelho, Moss and Gleason, who have been here since freshman year, they’re persevered through everything. They were here two years ago when we lost on Thanksgiving, got embarrassed. Then they were here last year at Gillette Stadium (in the MIAA Super Bowl), and then they were able to win their last football game. They’ve seen the ups and downs. And the other four guys, they’re all contributed significantly throughout the year. It’s a great group, I’m really happy for them.”

Thanksgiving morning was also the final game for nine Warriors: Robert Sheahan, Julian Mendes, Miguel Jorge, Jack Murphy, David Pedro, Brendan Morales, Casey Brown, Austin Blanco and Jacob McKitchen. “They’re my brothers,” Murphy said of his fellow seniors. Crawford added that the seniors brought a lot of leadership to the Seekonk sideline. “They’re a great group,” Crawford said. “Our seniors showed the rest of the kids how to be a Warrior and do things our way. I’m so happy for them. I hope they stick around and come back around and keep supporting us.”

DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 27, SEEKONK 20
Dighton-Rehoboth 0 21 6 0-27
Seekonk 0 6 6 8-20
Scoring
Second Quarter
DR: Ishmael Christmas 2 pass from John Marcille (Adam Pereira kick), 5:52
DR: Jaren Ramos 23 pass from John Marcille (Adam Pereira kick), 1:22
S: Nathan Clarke 35 pass from JT Moran (kick failed), 28.6
DR: Jaren Ramos 28 pass from John Marcille (Adam Pereira kick), 7.9
Third Quarter
S: JT Moran 3 run (pass failed), 6:19
DR: Aidan Botelho 55 pass from John Marcille, 4:47
Fourth Quarter
S: Nathan Clarke 20 pass from JT Moran (JT Moran run), 7:36
Statistics
Rushing
DR: Brady Walsh 11-69, Jaren Ramos 9-43, John Marcille 3-2, Aidan Botelho 3-12.
S: JT Moran 19-76, Jack Murphy 5-23, Robbie Lebeau 7-27, Nathan Clarke 1-7, William Smith 1-(-5).
Passing
DR: John Marcille 9-16-166-4-2
S: JT Moran 21-41-229-2-0
Receiving
DR: Ishmael Christmas 4-55, Brady Walsh 1-4, Jaren Ramos 2-51, Aidan Botelho 1-45, Wes McQuillan 1-11.
S: Nathan Clarke 9-95, Robbie Lebeau 3-14, Robert Sheahan 4-47, Jack Murphy 4-43, William Smith 1-30.

Unified Basketball
Seekonk and Dighton-Rehoboth met on the basketball court early last month, and there were plenty of fast-break layups, jump shots, assists, steals, rebounds, 3-pointers and even some blocked shots.
But more importantly, there were plenty of hugs, high-fives, celebrations, smiles and encouragement.
The Falcons and Warriors met in unified basketball action, and the two teams split the two games with Seekonk winning the first and Dighton-Rehoboth taking the second. Unified sports are an inclusive program that matches students with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team. So it’s fitting that on an afternoon in which both the Falcons and the Warriors each won a game, that everyone was truly a winner. “Win, lose or draw, it’s always fun when the kids are out there giving their best effort,” Dighton-Rehoboth coach William Garcia said in the D-R gym after the games. “We got good sportsmanship from both sides. It’s just a fun afternoon. Hopefully the kids learned and had fun.”

Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School
Girls Soccer
The Falcons won their first playoff game in style at home at Bliss Field early last month, downing Archbishop Williams 1-0 in front of a large crowd on a sunny afternoon. Senior Julianna DaCosta scored the only goal of the game early in the first half, and senior goalie Meg Reed preserved the shutout with several big saves. The Falcons fell in the Quarterfinals to second-seeded Dover-Sherborn on the road on penalty kicks after scoring twice in the final minutes to force overtime. Coach Trish Madsen’s squad finished the successful season 14-6.

Cross Country
Dighton-Rehoboth had some solid performances in the Eastern Mass. Championships in Wrentham last month. Running in the Div. 4 race, Alex Violette led the pack with a 23rd-place finish in 17:23.78. Not far behind him were Jason Ruta in 52nd (18:05.27) and Ben Alves in 68th (18:28.54). Isabel Murdock was the top finisher for the D-R girls team, crossing the finish line in 61st place in 22:07.27. She was followed by Kiara Abrantes in 84th (22:46.66) and Kristin Corvi in 100th (23:18.74).

Seekonk High School

Girls Soccer
The Warriors’ stellar season ended with a 4-2 playoff loss to Cardinal Spellman earlier this month. The game was the last one for Seekonk seniors Charlotte Drainville, Madison Meyer, Meredith Riordan, Page Fecteau, Mia DiBiase and captain Allison Houle. “They’re an awesome group,” coach Fil Fontes said after the game. “I don’t like to pick favorites, but they were one of my favorite groups to work with. They worked hard all season long, and as long as they can look in the mirror and say ‘I gave all I could’ I’m happy.” Seekonk finished the season with a school-record 15 wins.

Boys Soccer
Colin Peterson scored on an assist from Jeff Michaud, but the goal wasn’t enough as the Warriors fell in the preliminary round of the playoffs, 2-1, to Martha’s Vineyard. Coach Matt McCartin’s team battled hard all season long and made a huge push at the end of the season to qualify for the tournament. The Warriors finished the season 5-7-7.

Cross Country
Andrew Cabral and Abigail Tenreiro saved their best for last. The stellar Seekonk runners had outstanding showings at the All-State Championships in Gardner last month with Cabral finishing fifth overall among the boys and Tenreiro placing 13th. The meet combined the best from all divisions across the Bay State. They got to All-States after both posting top-three showings at the Eastern Mass. Div. 5 meet the week before.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

Share!
Truly local news delivered to every home in town