Resende breaks out for Boxers
BROCKTON -- The battle between Leominster and undefeated Brockton turned out to be less of a team battle and more of a one-on-one battle between offensive weapons Jonathan Hernandez and Jessy Resende. The two combined for 383 yards and six touchdowns and drew a plethora of ''Oohs" and ''Aahs" from the audience.
In the end, Brockton and Resende proved too much as the Boxers crushed Leominster, 51-21, at Rocky Marciano Stadium. Brockton is 9-0-1 in its last 10 meetings with Leominster.
Hernandez was ''Mr. Everything" for the Blue Devils (4-3), rushing for 202 yards and three scores (all in the first half), and intercepting two passes. Resende countered by racking up 181 rushing yards with three rushing scores.
Brockton (8-0) jumped out to a 7-0 lead, as Korey Brown returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a score. Hernandez answered with a shifty 27-yard run to tie the game at 7-7.
Resende took over for the Boxers as he broke off a pair of touchdown runs; the first, a pretty 70-yarder, and the latter, a 36-yard burst down the field. Hernandez came back with a 75-yard score 29 seconds later. The teams traded turnovers before Junior Penn scored from a yard out to give the Boxers a 28-14 lead.
Just before the half, Hernandez punched in a touchdown from the 1 to bring Leominster within a score.
Resende ran a spectacular two-minute drill under pressure, delivering a pair of clutch first-down conversions to Brown and Ryan Doherty after evading a sack, but strong-legged kicker Paul Branco just missed a 41-yard kick before the half.
In the second half, coach Peter Colombo's troops limited Hernandez to 18 yards after he had picked up 184 in the first.
''They ripped off some runs in the first half," said Colombo. ''Defensive coordinator Bob O'Neil got more guys in the box to stop him [in the second half]."
''We just weren't tackling in the first half," said Resende.
With the defense doing its job, Resende broke off a brilliant 53-yard run, starting down the right side before cutting back to the middle of the field for the score. On the next possession, Resende aired out a 44-yard pass to Nathan Thellan, who fell at the 1-yard line, setting up Penn's second 1-yard run. Branco connected on a 37-yard field goal and James Brown returned a wayward Dean Boisse pass 37 yards for the final margin.
''We felt good at the half," said Leominster coach John Dubzinski. ''Their kickoff guy [Branco] was pinning us in our own territory. Our guys never quit and I think will be all right."''I think the defense was relaxed because we scored so early," said Colombo. ''We got it together in the second half."
