Boys' soccer

Division 1 > St. John's (S) 1, Framingham 0 (penalty kicks)

Perkins saves St. John's

By Conor Nevins, Globe Correspondent

BROCKTON - It seemed fitting that the MIAA Division 1 boys' soccer state championship game was played in Rocky Marciano Stadium, as the game between Framingham and St. John's of Shrewsbury had all the trappings of a heavyweight fight.

After 1 hour 50 minutes of regulation and overtime both teams were deadlocked at 0-0, neither team being able to deliver the knockout blow.

But there were no scorecards, no judges' ruling to determine the winner.

It's an unfortunate, and often-cruel reality in soccer that sometimes the only way to separate evenly matched teams is through the dreaded penalty shootout.

This wasn't news to Framingham after eliminating Weymouth in this fashion to punch its ticket to the finals. But the Flyers found themselves on the other side of penalty kick gods yesterday afternoon, as the Pioneers rallied behind midfielder turned shot-stopper extraordinaire, Chris Perkins, who made three saves in a 3-2 shootout win.

"You live by the sword, and die by the sword," said Framingham coach Dan Avery.

St. John's opted to send Perkins, a sophomore, to face Framingham's five shooters, all of whom converted their kicks against Weymouth - despite senior starter George Drouillard turning in a shutout performance.

It's the kind of decision that can make a coach seem like a genius or something very different. Coach Jon Brunell was happy it was the former.

"We had a good idea going in," he said on the decision to use Perkins in the shootout. "He's quick and has a very good first step."

That was evident in the shootout's second round, when he guessed correctly to block John Goncalves's shot, giving the Pioneers a 2-1 lead. Framingham's Ronaldo Viera and St. John's Joe Buckley each made good on their efforts with the third shot, followed by Perkins and Flyers goalkeeper Luca Pignatiello denying the fourth shooters to preserve St. John's one-goal advantage heading into the final round.

The fifth kicker for St. John's wasn't needed after Perkins used a strong hand to keep out Jon Ward's effort for the win.

***

Division 2 > Hampshire 2, Sharon 1

LaBonte comes up big in OT

By Rob Greenfield, Globe Correspondent

WESTBOROUGH - An entire season comes down to one play. One missed assignment, one bad bounce, one great play, and it's all over.

In the MIAA Division 2 boys' soccer state championship game yesterday at Westborough High School, Hampshire defeated Sharon, 2-1, with a sudden-victory goal by midfielder Sam LaBonte with one minute to go in the second overtime.

"For Sam LaBonte to get the winning goal after getting the winning head ball in the Western Mass. state championship last year, he's just a gamer," coach Daniel Moynahan said.

"He's probably one of the smallest kids on the field and he comes out of that pile and gets his foot on it first."

Brian Patterson also scored for Hampshire, and John Kazan posted Sharon's lone score.

The teams were on the fast track toward penalty kicks after 13 minutes of the second overtime had passed. Hampshire had many chances to put the ball in the net and had come up short. The winning possession didn't look any different.

Patterson threw the ball from the right sideline about 25 yards from the goal. The ball bounced into the middle of the keeper's box almost untouched, and it found LaBonte in prime scoring position with just one defender to beat.

The senior, after a little hiccup getting by the first defender, used his left foot to complete Hampshire's 20-0-1 season.

***

Division 3 > Bromfield 2, Lynnfield 1

Lyvers catapults Bromfield in OT

By Matt Porter, Globe Correspondent

LOWELL - Leading up to yesterday's MIAA Division 3 boys' soccer state final, Mike Kennedy was making some serious noise. The Lynnfield senior had scored an astounding 11 of his team's 15 tournament goals.

But Bromfield had silenced all opposition, outscoring opponents, 25-0, in their run to the championship game.

In the end, Bromfield (18-2-2) was the one doing the shouting.

Trojans captain Josh Lyvers scored in overtime for a 2-1 victory, delivering Bromfield's second state championship in three years.

"Win or lose, for all the seniors like me, there's no tomorrow," said Lyvers.

"To bring it back to Bromfield and go out on top is an incredible feeling."

On the winning play, Lyvers got through the Lynnfield line and found himself alone. He beat keeper Andrew Leader and then was mobbed by his teammates, who sported mohawks and mile-wide grins.

"We had our opportunities all game, especially in overtime," said Lyvers. "Luckily, we got in one time and put it away."

Lynnfield coach Brent Monroe said his team ran up against a powerhouse in Bromfield, the boys from the town of Harvard.

"I don't know if we could have played any harder," he said. "This team was pretty good. They're loaded.

"If we won today, it would have been stealing it."

Girls' soccer

Division 1 > Acton-Boxboro 1, Shrewsbury 0

Jensen, A-B carry the day

By David Benoit, Globe Correspondent

WESTBOROUGH -- The last time an Acton-Boxboro girls' soccer team made the state finals was 1988, when Ruairi Sweeney was a junior at the school.

Yesterday, Sweeney coached A-B to its first MIAA Division 1 state title, completing a 23-0-1 season with a 1-0 win over Shrewsbury in a battle of Colonials.

"This is pretty special," Sweeney said. "This was a goal of ours all season, and it wouldn't have been a disappointment, but this is special."

In a game where a torturous wind continually sent the ball in odd directions, A-B got the only offense it needed off of a free kick in the 35th minute. After Hayley Brock was knocked down by a Shrewsbury defender 35 yards from the goal, senior midfielder Lindsey Raymond sent a free kick into a crowd where it bounced around a few feet. Finally, A-B's Ceci Jensen got a leg on it for the game's only goal.

"Ceci has been tenacious all year," Sweeney said of his junior forward. "She just kept at it until it went in."

For most of the game the Shrewsbury defense seemed intent on not losing to Brock, who had scored A-B's previous three game-winners. Shrewsbury senior Ashlyn Derosier was assigned to mark the prolific sophomore, and, with some help, Shrewsbury managed to triple- and quadruple-cover Brock.

A physical game in the middle eventually led to a Brock yellow card in the 66th minute, a sign of her frustration. But A-B went undefeated for a reason, and turned to the rest of its offense instead, including Jensen and senior forward Cassie Wagner.

***

Division 2 > Oliver Ames 2, Millbury 0

Oliver Ames homes in on crown

By Ryan Bersani, Globe Correspondent

BROCKTON - With the whole town of Easton seemingly there in support, Oliver Ames defeated Millbury, 2-0, for the MIAA Division 2 girls' soccer state title.

The game was much more lopsided than the final score indicated. The Tigers' defense, suffocating all season, limited the Central Mass. champions to just one shot.

Oliver Ames (22-1-1) scored two goals in the first half and had a third taken away because of a foul. The Tigers held possession for the majority of the game, limiting the scoring chances for Millbury (15-7-2).

It was like a home game for the Eastern Mass. champions as the match was played at Rocky Marciano Stadium in neighboring Brockton.

A great offense and a stellar defense paved the way to the championship. With a goal differential of plus-49 for the season and multiple 15-goal scorers, it was certainly a standout season for Oliver Ames.

"I'm not surprised that we were this dominant," Oliver Ames coach Britt Sellmayer said. "We scored 57 goals and only surrendered eight goals in 24 games."

The players echoed the coach's assessment. Senior captain Kelly Matthews said the team had a lot of confidence going into yesterday.

"We knew we were the better team," Matthews said. "We played well as a team. We became so close as a team. Everybody gets along so well."

Matthews, who had a goal and an assist, led the offense, while sophomore goaltender Samantha Brown posted the shutout. Junior Michelle Sirois scored the other goal.

The Tigers outscored opponents throughout the tournament, 11-1, surrendering the lone goal in the South sectional championship game.

***

Division 3 > Newburyport 3, Bromfield 2

Glitch didn't slow down Newburyport

By Julian Benbow, Globe Staff

LOWELL - When she stepped back to take the corner kick with lord knows how much time remaining in the last game (since the clock at Cawley Stadium was out), Newburyport sophomore Veronica Poirier was heated. In this case, that was a good thing since her coach, Robb Gonnam, moved her to the front to put a spark in the Clippers.

Not long after rallying with about six minutes to play to tie the MIAA Division 3 girls' soccer championship game at 2, it looked like the throw-in by Clippers senior Colleen Coviello was perfect. It got Bromfield goalie Lindsey Burke off balance, and it enabled the Clippers to poke in the go-ahead goal on the rebound.

All referee Charlie Pacheco could think while he frantically waved his flag was, "Please don't let it go in."

It did. And Pacheco had to explain to Poirier and the rest of the Clippers that their comeback was still incomplete.

"It was an easy call," Pacheco said, well after a goal by Newburyport's Taylor Bresnahan off a Poirier corner gave the Clippers a 3-2 win and the state title, while making his call irrelevant. "It's just that nobody could hear it."

Playing on the all-purpose turf, Coviello was so caught in the moment that she made the throw from the white line that marked the football sideline instead of the yellow line for the soccer field.

"I was too into the game," she said. "I had no idea."

All she knew was the goal she thought was the winner wasn't, and that Newburyport didn't have a lot of time to get another one before the end of regulation.

"We were all just so frustrated by that and basically it was so fast because all of us wanted it so bad," Coviello said. "We got the cross and no matter what, everybody was doing everything they could to get the ball into the net because we knew our time was running out."

Field hockey

Division 1 > Acton-Boxboro 6, Shrewsbury 4

Agule's late strikes propel A-B to top

By Lauren Ebstein, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER - For the first 30 minutes of the MIAA Division 1 field hockey championship, only one goal was scored. In the second 30 minutes, Acton-Boxboro and Shrewsbury combined to score nine more goals.

The most important of those were the two scored by senior Devon Agule in the final two minutes to secure a 6-4 win.

"I just got a great pass from both my players and I just shot it in," Agule said. "I just touched the ball and it went in."

Acton-Boxboro scored first with 14 minutes remaining the first half when Alexa Sikalis gave her team the 1-0 lead.

"I knew one goal was not enough," Acton-Boxboro coach Mae Shoemaker said. "I told them that [in a 1-0 win over defending state champion Walpole Tuesday], I am not sure they believed me because they escaped at Walpole with the one goal. They did pick up the game at the right time."

Acton-Boxboro's Maggie Ashton opened the second half by pushing the ball past Shrewsbury's goalie, who had just stopped a shot with her foot less than a minute into the half. Five minutes later, Sikalis scored her second goal for a 3-0 lead.

Shrewsbury responded with goals by Erin Crosson, Katie Duval, and Mattie Burke to tie the game with 15 minutes to play.

The teams each scored another goal to bring the score to 4-4. With two minutes on the clock, it seemed the game would be headed to overtime.

"I was already putting the lineup together and trying to see how I was going to get them through 15 minutes because I didn't substitute once and I know the Shrewsbury coach had put in a few substitutes," Shoemaker said.

"I was just kind of hoping that it wouldn't go into overtime, because I didn't know how much my girls had in their legs."

***

Division 2 > Quaboag 2, Canton 1 (penalty strokes)

McCann, Quaboag perfectly matched

By Monique Walker, Globe Staff

WORCESTER - Quaboag goalkeeper Jessica McCann did not consider herself to be the best when it came to penalty strokes, but yesterday she proved she's not bad.

McCann, an eighth-grader, stopped two penalty strokes while another hit the post as Quaboag captured the MIAA Division 2 field hockey championship with a 2-1 victory against Canton, yesterday at Coughlin Field.

"When I stopped that first one, I was thinking, 'I want this, I can do this,' . . . And I just focused on the player," said McCann, who stopped 11 shots.

Her performance was impressive, even to Quaboag coach John O'Neill.

"People have said all season long that she hasn't faced that many shots, but she's seen our shots," O'Neill said. "So she was ready."

Quaboag's Macey Gaumond, Danielle Dolan, and Olivia Jankins scored on their penalty strokes to seal the victory and capture the school's first state title since 1998.

Quaboag (23-0-0) has reached the state final game each of the last three seasons, losing to Canton last season. It was Canton's third appearance in the final in four years.

Canton (20-1-2) took the lead in the second half on Colleen Moriarty's goal with 17 minutes 32 seconds left in regulation. It was the first time that Quaboag was behind this season, and just the third goal it allowed all year.

Volleyball

Volleyball roundup

Barnstable eases past Milford

By Jack McCluskey, Globe Correspondent

They make it look so easy you forget how dominating the Barnstable volleyball team has been.

The Red Raiders won their fifth straight MIAA state Division 1 volleyball title last night at Hudson High, beating Milford, 3-0. Barnstable won 25-11, 25-13, and 25-16.

The title was the school's 11th state volleyball championship in the past 15 years.

Division 2

Westboro 3, Bourne 0 - With a relentless spike-filled attack, Westboro put an end to Bourne's Cinderella run through the state tournament, defeating the Canalmenk, 3-0.

The much taller Rangers attacked Bourne from all angles with spikes and dominated net play. The Canalmen were the sixth seed in the South region. Westborough was the top seed in the central.

After cruising to a 25-16 win in the first game, Westborough faced a 22-18 deficit after misjudging a Bourne serve and letting it fall in bounds. But the Rangers wouldn't surrender a point for the remainder of the game, earning the serve back on a spike by senior Christina Carr and winning the game, 25-22, when Bourne couldn't cleanly return senior Caitlin Piper's spike.

"They pushed and we pushed back, seniors do that," Westboro coach Roger Anderson said.

Riding the momentum from the comeback, the Rangers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the decisive third game and parlayed that into a 25-18 victory.

"We just didn't match up with them," Bourne coach Tim Acton said. "They just had more weapons than we did."

Division 3

North Reading 3, Frontier 2 - Coach Kerrianne Forrest can't recall how it happened. One moment she was sitting, anxiously, on the edge of a folding chair inside the gymnasium at Hudson High School, hands crossed nervously in front of her face.

Six minutes later, Forrest was being mobbed by players and fans in full celebration.

In a memorable matchup between budding rivals, the girls of North Reading finally overcame two-time defending state champion Frontier, the team that ended North Reading's season in 2005 and 2006.

The Hornets, still feeling the sting from last year's loss, struck first and took the first two games, both by a score of 27-25. Frontier fought back, winning games three and four, both by a score of 25-21, to force a decisive fifth game. Holding true to the previous four games' theme, game five was another back-and-forth battle.

In a game in which neither team held more than a 2-point lead, North Reading prepared to score the game-winning point leading the Red Hawks, 14-12; a well-executed kill by junior Elizabeth Sutera, for a 13-12 lead, set up the final play. That was when Frontier middle-hitter Samantha Clairmonte's volley sailed over the left-side of the next and landed out of bounds, sending the Hornets into a frenzy at midcourt and the Red Hawks to the locker room in tears.

"We were just thinking, 'Pick up the ball,' " said junior Lauren Mazzone of the game's final play. "It was such a tight match, we were just matching each other point-for-point and it was so close we just wanted to keep the ball in the air and inbounds. The last point, we could hear the guys on the sidelines screaming, 'Let it go, let it go,' because they saw it was out before we did."

The Hornets won game one, 27-25. Tied, 21-21, North Reading junior Alison Fryberg came up with back-to-back kills for a 23-21 edge before the Red Hawks countered to even things at 24 points apiece. A Frontier error put the Hornets ahead, 26-25 before Middle-hitter Mazzone's ace sealed the victory.

North Reading took the second game, 27-25, behind Sutera, Mazzone and Friberg's offensive attack. Seniors Caroline Gattuso and Erica Diamantides anchored a defense that hadn't lost a single game during the Division 3 North tournament.

The fourth-seeded Hornets cruised through sectionals winning three matches, 3-0, over No.5 Lynnfield, top-ranked Fellowship Christian and No.11 Notre Dame Academy, respectively, to secure a berth to the state tourney. A 3-2 semi-final win over Ursuline preceded North Reading's third meeting.

Globe Correspondent Sapna Pathak contributed to this report.

***

Cross-Country

Boys' cross-country state championships

Brookline rules the roost

By Danny Picard, Globe Correspondent

GARDNER -- While playing at Gardner Municipal Golf Course in September, Brookline coach Mike Glennon came across a goose feather on the fairway. That feather was in his left pocket yesterday while he watched his team place four runners in the top 10 and win the Division 1 state title at the same golf course.

"There's a little saying about geese flying together, and everyone does better if we run together," said Glennon, who showed his team the feather while reading a poem before the race.

Recent history showed there wasn't much to worry about for Brookline heading into the All-States, but injuries and illnesses led to an uncomfortable week for the No. 1 team in the state.

Junior Ryan Hardiman and senior Michael Burnstein each sprained an ankle in the days prior to the meet, and senior Robert Gibson had limited workouts because of flu-like symptoms.

That didn't stop Gibson (14:25) from coming within 16 seconds of the course record and winning the individual title.

"I wasn't too worried, but everyone else was stressing out," said Gibson of his team's confidence going into the race. "Going into this, it looked like we were going to win it. We're definitely all happy about it, but we still have more things to do next week."

Breaking away from the pack and finishing first was no surprise for Gibson or anyone who's paid attention to this year's cross-country scene, but finding him on the ground after a race was an unfamiliar sight.

"I was just dead," he said. "I was just fighting to get [to the finish line]."

The celebration may have been different for Gibson, but the result was the same for the most dominating runner in the state.

"He's the real deal," said Glennon. "He's led the team the whole way. Even today, it was all about the team."

Junior David Wilson came in right behind him at 14:30, while Burnstein (14:44) and senior Elliot Lehane (14:46) finished ninth and 10th, respectively.

Brookline advances to the qualifying race for nationals next weekend in New York, and hopes to move onto the nationals a week later in Portland, Ore.

***

Girls' cross-country state championships

Lincoln-Sudbury rebounds for victory

By Pat Ouellette, Globe Correspondent

GARDNER - Lincoln-Sudbury girls' cross country coach Chris Tarello suggested his team's defeat last Saturday to Newton South in the EMass championships was the best thing for his team, because he wanted to see how they would respond to adversity.

It turns out the Warriors didn't enjoy losing, and took it out on the competition at the Gardener Municipal Golf Course yesterday. The Warriors sharpened their concentration during the week of rest, got healthy and were ready for a second bout with their rival.

With top five runner Ellie Hylton, back in action after missing last week's meet with an injury, the Warriors proved their championship mettle in easily cruising past Newton South, 48-103, to win the MIAA state championship. Lincoln-Sudbury failed to have its top runners stay together as a cohesive unit last week, but this week was a different story.

There were four Warriors among the top 16 individual finishers. Freshman Andrea Keklak led the way in 17 minutes 27 seconds to place seventh, while Dana Jamieson (17:39) and Claire Arthur (17:44) finished 11th and 12th, respectively. Hylton's return had a huge impact, as she came in 16th at 17:47 to secure the rout and Tarello's first state championship as a head coach.

"Last week everything that could've gone wrong, went wrong," Tarello said. "I'm proud of the way these girls showed their character in coming out and winning this. Sometimes athletes get down and stay down but this team stepped up after a disappointing loss last week."

Kirsten Kasper of North Andover had the top individual time among Division 1 girls with a 16:54. Finishing out the top three were Natick's Rebecca White (17:07) and Masconomet's Abbey D'Agostino (17:10).

There was some redemption in Division 2 as well. A few weeks ago at the Brown Invitational, Bromfield's Emily Jones was second behind Triton rival Keely Maguire in a tight finish.

In an effort to defend the individual and team state championship she won a year ago, Jones got off to a blazing start and never looked back to finish well ahead of the pack with a 16:06.

Not only did Jones win the race and top Maguire (16:21), she paced Bromfield's third consecutive state title (fourth since 2002) as the Tigers topped Oliver Ames, 67-76.

Football

nobles 42, gunnery 12

Too many weapons for Nobles

By Ricky Popolizio, Globe Correspondent

ASHBURNHAM - The NEPSAC championship football games are designed to feature opponents of similar strength at the end of successful seasons.

That was the idea when the Bowl Game Committee arranged the DelPrete Theobold Bowl between two undefeated teams, Nobles and Greenough of the ISL and Gunnery of Connecticut's Colonial League.

After the first handful of possessions, it was obvious that Nobles was the superior team. The Bulldogs (9-0) scored on their first three drives in the first quarter to open a 21-0 lead, cruising to a 42-12 victory at Cushing Academy's Quimby Field yesterday.

"The guys have been looking forward to this all year," said Nobles coach Bob Moore. "We had a taste of the bowl last year."

Junior quarterback McCallum Foote (17 for 22 passing, 287 yards, 4 TDs) tossed three of his four touchdowns on the opening drives. Foote, who completed his first eight passes, finished the season with 22 TD passes and 1,478 yards.

Foote connected with three receivers, first hooking up with senior Jonah Fay (5 catches, 73 yards, TD) before finding fellow seniors Nick Resor (6 catches, 74 yards, 2 TDs) and Patrick Noone (5 catches, 73 yards, TD) on receptions of 18 and 30 yards, respectively.

Noone, who also ran for 102 yards on eight carries with two TDs, continued his tremendous day in the second quarter, breaking a 76-yard touchdown run.

Noone showed superb strength on his next score. From 1 yard out, he put his head down and bounced off a hard tackle to extend the lead to 35-0.

"Our goal from day one was to go 9-0," said Noone. "It's something special to finish like this. It's a great feeling."

"We have a very balanced attack on offense," said Moore. "They wanted to stop our run, so the passing game was pretty open. If you give [McCallum] some time, the receivers get open and we can score some points."

The Highlanders finally found the end zone with 34 seconds remaining in the half. Senior Chance Logan, who eclipsed the 1,300-yard mark despite battling an ankle injury for four weeks, took a screen pass from senior Christian Bianchi 18 yards into the end zone.

Logan wasn't the only Highlander suffering at the end of the season.

"We are banged up, but that is no excuse," said coach Richard Martin, whose team dropped to 8-1-1. "The wind was kind of out of us at that point.

"They are a good team. We did not come out to play in a game of this magnitude. We didn't show what we were really made of. We didn't show off our stuff."

***

trinity-pawling 41, phillips academy 7

Ellison powers Trinity-Pawling

By John McGuirk, Globe Correspondent

EASTHAMPTON - Throughout the week, the Phillips Academy coaching staff worked diligently in its attempts to gather as much information as possible on Trinity-Pawling and, in particular, running back Quendel Ellison.

But what the coaches saw on paper in no way did justice to what transpired at Sawyer Field yesterday.

The Big Blue got a front-row seat in witnessing the demolition the Pride handed out in the form of a 41-7 thrashing in the NEPSAC Class A Eton Estey Bowl.

"That team was just too much for us today," said Phillips Academy coach Leon Modeste, his team finishing the season at 7-2 and losing its third consecutive championship game. "They were just too powerful for us. There's really no other way to explain it."

The victory by the Pride (8-1) marks the second postseason title in three years with both wins coming at the expense of the Big Blue. In 2005, Trinity-Pawling won, 42-26.

Based in Pawling, N.Y., the Pride proved dominant on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they gained 345 yards, with 255 coming in the opening half.

Thanks to Trinity-Pawling's well-executed defensive attack, Phillips Andover struggled to move the football, gaining 166 yards (35 in the final half).

Ellison, a senior from Auburn, N.Y., entered averaging 142 yards per game, and he continued his dominance against the Big Blue. Ellison was exceptional, rushing for 231 yards on 19 carries and five scores before being lifted in the third quarter.

Simply put, Phillips Academy had no answer in how to contain Ellison as he scored on touchdown runs of 80, 2, 8, 2 and 23 yards.

"I couldn't have done it without my O-line," said Ellison, who finished his Pride career with 1,369 yards and 23 TDs. "We were all pumped and we knew what we had to do and came out here and took care of business on both sides of the ball."

Trinity-Pawling coach Dave Coratti admitted that his biggest concern was trying to slow down Yale-bound quarterback Bryan Farris. Inserting a mix of blitzes and disguised coverages, the Pride were able to shut down Farris. The signal-caller out of Derry, N.H., finished with 208 yards, completing 17 of 34 attempts. But he tossed four interceptions and was sacked eight times for 60 yards.

"I was afraid of their passing game," Coratti said. "But I knew up front we were going to be stronger. Our goal was to confuse [Farris] a little bit and we did."

Ellison put the Pride on the board with just seconds to go in the opening quarter, taking a toss sweep and rumbling 80 yards to make it 7-0. Following Rob MacGregor's interception and 24-yard return, the Pride were set up perfectly to add to their margin, and did so following a 2-yard carry by Ellison to go up by 14.

Farris was able to cut the lead in half after rolling in from 3 yards. But any momentum gained was quickly seized by Trinity-Pawling.

On its ensuing possession, the Pride drove 82 yards on 10 plays before Ellison again found the end zone, giving his team a 21-7 advantage. Another Farris interception seconds before halftime would pave the way for another Ellison score, sending Trinity-Pawling into the break in command, 27-7

The Pride extended their lead to 27 to open the final half after marching 77 yards before Ellison notched his final tally of the afternoon.

"We just couldn't stop them," Modeste said. "And the same can be said for them defensively. They just overpowered us on both sides of the ball today. They're a great football team, but I wouldn't trade places with anyone."

***

kua 28, lawrence 0

Jones, Kimball Union come up big

By Dan Hickling, Globe Correspondent

EXETER, N.H. - The upper lip was a little swollen and bloody. The left hand was still tender after the fracture two months ago.

But none of that mattered to Kimball Union running back Travis Jones.

Although beaten up a little, Jones was feeling fine after helping KUA capture the NEPSAC Tom Austin Bowl with a 28-0 whitewash of Lawrence Academy, on the chilly campus of Phillips Exeter Academy.

"Good blocking and hard running," said Jones, who despite the heavy bandage protecting his still healing hand, ran for scores of 11 and 3 yards.

"We played big time on offense and defense."

Many of Jones's 113 yards (on 19 carries) were gained behind Timm Kaminski, KUA's mammoth (6 foot 3 inches, 297 pounds) right tackle, a senior from Kiel, Germany, who could scarcely contain his championship joy.

"It's the greatest feeling," said Kaminski. "We wanted to win this because in 70 years, the school hadn't won the championship. But we went undefeated. We're the greatest team in New England."

Whether KUA (9-0) could give the Patriots a game is a question that will remain unanswered.

But the Wildcats gave LA (7-2) all it could handle, scoring once in each quarter, and holding the Spartans to just one first down before halftime.

"I think coming out here and playing like we did," said KUA coach John Lyons, "was a great thing for us."

Kimball scored on its second series, a 50-yard drive that was kept alive when, on third-and-6 from the 35, quarterback Mike Gerardi escaped being sacked and got off a desperate 9-yard shovel pass to Omari Mobley.

Two plays later, Jones scored from the 11 when he broke past the block of Colby Husby and strolled to the end zone.

"[Husby] blocked off the linebacker," said Jones, "and the hole came right open."

Jones, who missed much of the regular season after his hand injury, made it 14-0 when he scored again, midway through the second quarter.

The Wildcats might have run off and hid before halftime if they had been able to cash in any of the four turnovers LA handed them.

Lyons admitted he was a little nervous about failing to put the Spartans away early.

"I thought the way the game was going," he said, "we were having some trouble [offensively]. They were causing us some trouble, up front. We got some of that straightened out at halftime."

But the Spartans made some adjustments, too, and threatened to haul themselves back into the game, after taking the second-half kickoff and driving deep into KUA turf.

But the opportunity died at the 6, when, on fourth and 9 at the 14, quarterback Charley Loeb's pass to Marcus Grant picked up just 8 yards.

Kimball responded by driving 94 yards on 14 plays, with Husby scoring from 15 yards out, to up the lead to an imposing 22-0.

"We missed the first down by a yard," said LA coach Brian Carroll. "They answered that. They went right down the field. It's a game of momentum. They made plays, and we didn't."

***

football roundup

NEPSAC title worth the wait for Tilton

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

It has been a long time coming for Ken Hollingsworth and the Tilton School Rams.

In his 26th year at the helm of Tilton football, Hollingsworth, also the athletic director, led the Rams (9-0) to their first NEPSAC championship, defeating Rye, 18-6, in the Clark-Francis Bowl at Gaskill Field in Worcester.

"It was nice to finally win this," said Hollingsworth, who took over the program in 1982.

It was nice because Tilton lost each of its three previous trips to the final, the most recent coming at the hands of St. Luke's in 2001, at the same Gaskill Field.

Senior running back Amir Khan, however, had a different ending in mind.

Khan, who gained 205 yards on 20 carries, ran for a 10-yard touchdown with two minutes left in the third quarter, propelling Tilton to a 12-6 lead.

"He did not let us lose," Hollingsworth said. "He put the team on his back and carried us."

Jordan Smith iced the game with a 31-yard touchdown run with four minutes remaining.

Hopkins 28, Wilbraham and Munson 24 - John Powers's 28-yard strike to wide receiver Jim Perkins with 2:29 remaining propelled Hopkins (9-0) to its second straight NEPSAC championship in the Samson-Lorden Bowl in West Hartford.

Powers completed 5 of 10 passes for 74 yards. His connection with Perkins came just 2:20 after Wilbraham and Munson (7-2) took a 24-21 lead on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Eddie Jewel to Ezra Bynum. Jewel was 14 of 23 passing for 215 yards with two touchdowns. Hopkins running back Ben Gusberg ran for 143 yards on 19 carries.

Division 3A

Nonleague:

Martha's Vineyard 48, Nantucket 6 - Martha's Vineyard outscored Nantucket, 28-0, in the second quarter en route to a win at Dan McCarthy Field.

Senior running back Josh Paulson had nine carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns and junior quarterback Mike McCarthy had seven carries for 38 yards and two touchdowns.

Nick Gross returned a second-quarter interception 24 yards for a touchdown, giving Martha's Vineyard (9-2) a 21-0 advantage.

David Loveberry put Nantucket (3-7) on the board with a 43-yard TD run with under three minutes remaining in the game.

Division 4

Mayflower Small:

Tri-County 21, Old Colony 6 - Tri-County (3-7), led by Pete Beckwith (17 carries, 101 yards, TD), won the first Cougar Classic. Old Colony (2-8) was held scoreless through the third quarter.

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