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Latin Academy upends Brighton in Div. 4 play
From Globe Correspondent Amara Grautski:
As the sunlight continued to fade on a blustery day at White Stadium, so did Brighton’s chances of clinching a Boston South title and securing a trip to the playoffs.
Although Latin Academy turned the ball over three times on a fumble and two interceptions, it was the Bengals miscue at the end of the third quarter that changed the tide of the game, helping the Dragons hold on to a 14-0 victory.
When Latin Academy (3-1, 7-2) punted on fourth down from its own 19-yard line, Brighton mishandled the ball on the return. Senior Ohimai Aisiku, who had already caught an interception at the end of the first quarter, recovered for the Dragons.
“I think Brighton could have had a situation where they could have gained some momentum,” said Latin Academy coach Rocco Zizza. “The ball bounced our way on that kick…the wind was a factor. The ball actually came back about 6 (or) 7 yards in the air and hit the ground and hit a kid. And the kid was doing what he was supposed to be doing, but because of the weather that’s what happened.”
The Bengals weren’t able to retaliate on their only fourth-quarter possession. Brighton (3-1, 3-5) put the ball into the hands of Kevin DePina five of its last nine plays. And aside from an 18-yard rush, the running back had to fight for short gains. There was only one pass attempt made by quarterback Jonathan Rosa during the final possession, which fell incomplete.
“You win some you lose some,” said Brighton coach James Philip, who believes the Dragons are strong competitors. “It’s a matter of not blocking and tackling and not running the ball well.”
When Brighton turned the ball over on a failed fourth down conversion, Dragons running back Cuong Nguyen ran the ball 50 yards downfield and the clock down to zero.
“We know they’re one of the best teams in the league,” Nguyen said of the Bengals. “They’re going to come in fired up, we just have to match that intensity…The whole game it was 110 percent. We never let up. You can’t let up against a team like them.”
Latin Academy posted the game’s first points about a minute into the second quarter on a 63-yard pass to senior Edbiko Elysee from the gunning arm of Justin Miles.
And although the sophomore quarterback’s offense had sputtered throughout the first half of the game, Miles connected on three consecutive passes for 36 yards to set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Nguyen before heading to halftime.
“I’ve been waiting four long seasons for this day,” Nguyen said after the game. “We’ve had a losing season ever since I started on this team, so I’m just getting tired of it. I really just (wanted) that win.”
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Look for updates from:
- Bob Holmes: A Reading resident (Go Rockets!) and Boston College graduate, Holmes is the Boston Globe High School Sports Editor. We remind you now that his weekly picks are often made in jest so everyone just calm down when he picks against Everett for 11 straight weeks.
- Mike Carraggi: An Everett native (Go Tide!), Mike attends Eastern Nazarene college and is entering his second year with the Globe. He'll focus on Division 1 this fall, which means he'll spend a lot of time in his hometown, which Forsberg thinks is cool because the Tide have that Fried Dough cart.
- Emily Wright: A Hyannis native (Go Barnstable Red Raiders!), Emily is a senior at Emerson College and has been with the Globe since the end of July. She'll cover Division 1A and will be the first intern we've trusted to navigate her way to Dennis-Yarmouth or any other school on the Cape.
- Mike Grossi: A Lexington native (Go Minutemen!), Mike attends Northeastern and has been with the Globe for two months. He'll cover Division 2 and 2A and unsuccessfully lobbied to include Lexington in the preseason Top 20.
- Jonathan Raymond: A native of Benicia, Calif. (a suburb of San Francisco), Jonathan attends Northeastern and has been working at the Globe since the end of June. He will be focusing on Division 3 and is likely woefully underprepared for covering a game in a foot of snow.
- David Carty: A native of West Bridgewater (Go Wildcats!), David is a senior at Emerson College and has been working at the Globe for a year. He'll cover Divisions 3A and 4 because, "small school ball is in my blood."
- The bench: You'll also catch updates from our regional contributors, including Globe North's Julian Benbow and South's Monique Walker. Correspondent Brendan Hall will have updates from the Globe West coverage area and will often try to sneak in Central Mass. news.
