Wise Warriors

It's not often that a team can be 7-2 and ranked in the Gobe Top 20, and still to be considered flying under the radar. That is precisely the case though, as Foxboro prepares to travel to Mansfield for a shot at the Hockomock League crown.

The Warriors dropped two of their first five games by a total of nine points, with both losses to teams in the Globe Top 20. The second week of the season brought a 9-5 loss at Central Catholic (currently No. 13).

"That was a game that could've gone either way," said Foxboro coach Jack Martinelli. "We were ahead, 5-3, going into the bottom of the ninth, so to speak."

Central Catholic pulled out the win when Foxboro surrendered a 70-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Three weeks later, Foxboro dropped a 14-7 decision to North Attleboro, which was undefeated at the time and is currently ranked 12th.

Usually, the Foxboro-Mansfield matchup is one of the most anticipated games of the year. But as the 2006 season progressed, the attention was on Mansfield and North Attleboro, as both teams were undefeated until the Red Rocketeers lost to Stoughton in the last week of October, then lost to Mansfield the following week. The spotlight is now back on Mansfield-Foxboro.

"We've been very quietly improving since (the losses)" said Martinelli. "The kids feel confident. They are very excited and know what's at stake."

The Hornets are 10-0 and ranked second in the the Globe Top 20. While some choose to look at the differences between the two teams, Martinelli actually sees the similarities.

"These are two teams that have interesting matchups and similarities," said Martinelli. "These are two darn good high school quarterbacks. We both have an outstanding receiver, and we both play good team defense."

Both Drew Connolly (Foxboro) and Mark Gilson (Mansfield) have thrown for 13 touchdowns and are tied for second place in Division 2, while receivers Matt Goode (Foxboro, 10 TD receptions) and Tom Gilson (Mansfield, 6 TD receptions) are quality targets.

Last year, Mansfield knocked off Foxboro to force a three-way tie with North Attleboro. Foxboro moved onto the postseason due to a tiebreaker. Each league can set its own tiebreakers. In the Hockomock League, the first tiebreaker is head to head. Mansfield beat Foxboro, Foxboro beat North Atlleboro, and North Attleboro defeated Mansfield, so the three were still tied.

The second criteria involves the team that most recently went to the postseason, which was Mansfield. With the Hornets ruled out, it went back to head to head, and since Foxboro defeated North Attleboro, the Warriors moved on.

Mansfield enters this year's tilt with a 7-0 league record, while Foxboro is 6-1. It will be winner take all on Thursday.

"Despite how the season started, we knew it would come down to playing Mansfield," said Martinelli. "At least, we hoped it would come down to playing Mansfield."

The winner will surely enter the postseason having been battle tested after plodding through the league schedule.

"It's certainly a challenge every week," said Martinelli. "I don't know how many leagues have had four teams ranked in the Globe's Top 20. You just can't take a week off."

The poor weather conditions expected for the game should not have a major effect, according to Martinelli.

"We'll be playing on FieldTurf, so the footing will be good regardless," said Martinelli. "I don't see either one of these teams changing their game plan. You just do what you've been doing all year."