Mashpee Pulls Away from Cohasset for 10th Win in a Row

By Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports)

COHASSET - For the duration of the contest, it appeared as though the Mashpee High football team would win a one-score contest. Wrong.

Although the Falcons (4-0) were up by a touchdown for about 30 minutes worth of the game, they surged late and were able to come up with a 33-15 win over the Cohasset Skippers (1-3) on the road on Friday afternoon. The win was also Mashpee’s 10th in a row dating back to last season.

"We were in a battle all game," Falcons head coach Matt Triveri said. "I really don't think the score is indicative of how this one went down. Cohasset is a very well-coached team, so it felt good to get a win on their turf."

The Falcons entered the second half up 14-6 and although they did not score in the first 13 minutes of the second half, their day was far from over as the clock started to dwindle down.

Kendall Rose (eight rushes, 47 yards), ran a 13-yard counter for a touchdown with 6:57 remaining in the game to put his team up 20-7. From there, the Falcons went off.

About two minutes later, Camron Kergo picked off Skippers quarterback Matt Lund as the home team was working on a respectable drive. Just a couple of plays later, the Falcons found the end zone once again.

This time, quarterback Jacob Johnston lateraled to tight end Xavier Gonsalves, who then hit a wide open Michael Barrows for a 72-yard touchdown pass to put the Falcons up, 26-7.

The Falcons then squib kicked and recovered the ball, but they did not score on that drive. They did, however, put the Skippers in poor field position on their punt--which technically set them up for their next score. That is because Kevin Childs had a 10-yard pick six with 2:38 left in the game. A successful PAT attempt put the Falcons up by 26 points.

Against the Falcons' second defense, Cohasset’s starters were able to add another touchdown with about a minute remaining in the contest. This time, Lund connected Clifford Ward on a 58-yard touchdown pass. Their 2-point conversion was good, but not enough time was left for them to make a comeback.

The fourth quarter might be when Mashpee played their strongest football, but they got momentum early in the game from their strong start. Gonsalves tackled a Skippers receiver on a screen pass for a four-yard loss to start the game.

When the Falcons got the ball for their first possession, they established their run game early. Tyler Cuozzo put his team on the board, on a 7-yard counter run for a touchdown with 5:02 left in the first quarter. Rose then ran in the 2-point conversion, giving the team an 8-0 lead.

Cohasset responded quickly to the Falcons score. Clifford Ward returned the kick following the touchdown to the Falcons’ 35-yard line. On the first play of the Skippers drive, Noah Froio (eight rushes, 61 yards), who is also a standout lacrosse player, ran a trap for a 35-yard touchdown. A successful PAT made it an 8-7 game.

The Falcons extended their lead in the middle of the second quarter thanks to some penalties. They got the Skippers to go offsides to gain five yards and a couple of plays later, a pass interference call put them in the red zone. On third-and-10, Johnston (4-for-8 passing, 46 yards) hit Barrows with 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Falcons a 14-6 lead.

Just before the first half ended, the Falcons came up with a major stop to preserve their lead. With five seconds remaining, the Skippers were three yards out from the end zone on fourth down. Lund ran a waggle right and got his throw off, but Kergo broke up the pass, preventing the Skippers from scoring.

"Our guys just fought hard and until the last whistle," Triveri said. "I give a lot of credit to our seniors for the way they battled. It started with them and they were able to get our younger guys going too.."

Triveri also noted Ian Ahern played tough defense on the line in the win.

Mashpee moves on to face Hull on the road next week.