Wellesley big on prevention
WELLESLEY - On the first drive of the game, Wellesley appeared to be on its heels. Dedham moved the ball at will, driving into enemy territory.
However, on a second-down play from the 35-yard line, Jeff Fine intercepted Dan O’Connor’s pass. That proved to be the turning point yesterday as Wellesley controlled the rest of the game, coasting to a 32-7 victory.
After Fine’s interception, the Raiders marched down the field. An 18-yard run by Manny Lubin and a 23-yard jaunt by Brendan Brooks set Wellesley up at Dedham’s 29. The Raiders hit a snag and faced a fourth and 3 at the 22, but Brooks hit Casey Tanner for a 14-yard gain, giving the Raiders first and goal. On the next play, Lubin crashed through the middle for the TD.
“We emphasize third- and fourth-down plays in practice,’’ said Wellesley coach Bill Tracy. “Maybe our kids amp it up a little on those downs, but I have to give credit to the play calling.’’
After allowing 44 yards on Dedham’s first drive, the Wellesley defense buckled down. The Raiders held Dedham to minus-27 yards the rest of the half, thanks in large part to three sacks and two more interceptions.
“A lot of energy comes out on defense from our line to the backfield,’’ said Tanner, who recorded one of those interceptions. “We feed off that energy and everyone loves flying around and stopping the offense.’’
“We played a real strong game defensively,’’ said Tracy. “We got good pressure on the quarterback and that led to the turnovers that set our offense up.’’
Wellesley (2-0) scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to put it out of reach. Brooks hit Tanner for a 20-yard scoring strike on third and 12 to push the lead to 13-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, Dedham was unable to scoop the squib kick and Wellesley recovered at the Marauders’ 29. Tanner finished off a five-play drive with a 3-yard run to put Wellesley up, 19-0. The drive was aided by Brooks’s 15-yard scamper on third and 11.
“There were some bright spots on offense,’’ said Brooks, who finished with 92 yards passing, 82 rushing, and three TDs (two passing, one rushing). “But we are going to have to work harder and execute better next week and for the rest of the season.’’
Wellesley was able to find pay dirt one more time in the half after Fine’s second interception. Brooks scored on a 2-yard dive with a minute remaining, giving the Raiders a 25-0 halftime lead.
Brooks hooked up with Fine on a 7-yard pass play for Wellesley’s final score.
Dedham (0-2) moved the ball a little better in the second half, but the game was already out of reach. The Marauders got on the board in the fourth quarter, Frank Mahoney powering his way in from a yard out to cap a 14-play, 69-yard drive.
