By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)
WRENTHAM - One year after being the staples of a Division 1A state title run, the tandem of Brendan Lydon and Shane Frommer proved they have not missed a beat.
Behind a pair of touchdown passes from Lydon, and a game-clinching 57-yard touchdown run from Frommer, King Philip held on for a 24-14 win over North Attleboro in a Hockomock League crossover matchup at King Philip Regional High School on Friday night.
The win is King Philip’s 14th consecutive victory, dating back to Thanksgiving Day in 2015.
Trailing 17-14 and under five minutes to play, stud quarterback Chad Peterson led the Red Rocketeers down inside the Warriors 30 yard line with a chance to knock off the defending champions.
King Philip’s defense, as it did all night, came through in the clutch.
Peterson dropped back to pass, was flushed out to his right by a slew of Warrior defenders, and fired down the field towards the goal line.
Warriors’ defensive back Luke D’Amico read the play to perfection, crossing over the middle, going up and intercepting the pass at the two-yard line to quell North Attleboro’s hopes of a comeback.
D’Amico said he knew right away he had a chance to make a play.
“I knew that (Peterson) was on the run so he probably could not make the deep throw,” said D’Amico. “I just undercut the route and was able to step up.”
The Yale bound running back in Frommer put the game on ice just moments later as he busted free for a 57 yard touchdown run right up the gut to give the Warriors a commanding 24-14 edge with less than a minute to go.
All evening long the Warriors’ defense matched pound-for-pound whatever the Red Rocketeers threw their way.
The unit forced five North Attleboro turnovers, recovering three fumbles, and coming away with five sacks.
King Philip coach Brian Lee highlighted his group’s defensive prowess.
“We pride ourselves on being a good defensive team,” said Warriors head coach Brian Lee. “We made plays when we needed to. That was the big thing.”
North Attleboro held a 7-3 lead midway through the second quarter and looked on their way to seizing control of the game forcing the Warriors into a third-and-15 situation on their own 29 yard line.
Lydon, however, connected with Aidan Bender on a seam route over the middle for a 71-yard touchdown to immediately push King Philip in front, 10-7.
On North Attleboro’s ensuing possession, the Warrior’s defense came through with one of those fabled takeaways as Dylan Leonard recovered a fumble to put King Philip deep in Red Rocketeers territory.
Lydon (6-for-9, 145 yards, 2 TDs) made sure the Warriors capitalized as he delivered a beautiful throw into the back corner of the end zone for David Morganelli who hauled it in to put King Philip up 17-7 at the half.
“The wideouts caught some really good balls for us,” said Lee. “Sometimes you have to changeup what you’re doing. We weren’t running the ball the way we wanted to and our guys responded.”
In the third quarter North Attleboro came out in control, preventing King Philip from generating a running game.
The Red Rocketeers seized on some momentum as Jason Mceany pounced on a fumble to halt a potential Warriors’ scoring drive.
The fumble left the door open for a North Attleboro come-from behind victory and Peterson inched his team closer.
He capped off a 10 minute drive with a 27 yard touchdown pass to Marion Bresko on fourth down that cut King Philip’s lead to just three, 17-14.
King Philip’s championship resolve rooted in the return of Frommer proved insurmountable.
“Last year was an amazing run but we know what we did last year no longer matters,” said Frommer. “We are a different team, and we can’t depend on last year's leaders if we want to do big things year. New guys need to step up and that started tonight with a huge win.”
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