The 2017 Thanksgiving Day game at Victory Field pits two teams which have had very different fortunes during the season, but the traditional rivalry tends to bring out the best in the underdog and usually makes for a close game.
The Raiders look to extend their winning streak over their rivals to six when they play the game at Victory Field on Thursday. Follow live updates here. Kickoff is at at 10:15 a.m.:
Watertown runs out the clock on the 97th meeting with Belmont. Final Watertown 35, Belmont 16
49 seconds left 4th, Belmont kicks 35 yard field goal. 35-16 Watertown
1:15 left 4th, Belmont passes to Watertown 17
1:56 left 4th, pass gets Belmont to Raiders’ 44
2:31 left 4th, Korte catches a 30 yard touchdown from McDermott. 35-13 Raiders
6:08 left 4th, inside kick by Belmont goes out of bound. Watertown ball at own 45
6:26 left 4th, long Belmint pass gets ball to Raiders 7. Pass for TD. 28-13 Raiders after try for 2 fails
7:37 left 4th, 30 yard run by Belmont to Watertown 48
8:27 left 4th, Muldrew scores on 18 yard run up the middle, Watertown 28, Belmont 7
10 mins lef 4th , McDermott runs for 20 on 2nd and 15, ball at Belmont 25
End of 3rd, Muldrew runs for first down on 3rd and 15. Ball at Belmont 40
1:46 left 3rd, Belmont punt gives Watertown the ball at their own 44.
2:53 left 3rd, first and goal from the 2 and Matt Muldrew runs it in. 21-7 Watertown
4:42 left left 3rd, short kick gives Raiders ball at own 30 yard pass to Korte moves ball to Belmont 25
4:57 left 3rd, touchdown Belmont on 6 yard run. 14-7 Watertown
5:20 left 3rd, moved ball has first and goal.
8:30 left 3rd, Raiders fumbles. Belmont takes over at 49.
Start of 3rd, Belmont punts, after a number of penalties. Punts to Korte, returns to own 48.
Halftime, 14-0 Watertown. Kennelly misses 37 yard field goal as time expires
8 seconds left 2nd, bad snap on Belmont punt gives Watertown ball at Marauder 20.
:30 left 2nd, Raiders punt to Belmont 19. Pass next play gets 20.
2:00 left 2nd, Watertown gets ball on own 40 after punt
2:15 left 2nd. Run for first down for Belmont wiped out by unsportsmanlike penalty.
2:51 left 2nd, After facemask moves ball to the Belmont 46, McDermott finds Korte who gets past a couple tacklers for a touchdown. 14-0 Watertown
5:12 left 2nd, 3 and out for Belmont but they get a 53 yard punt. Raiders start at own 22
6:21 left 2nd. Kennelly misses 39 yard FG
8:34 left 2nd, after sack on third, Watertown converts 4th and 9 to the 19
Start of 2nd Qtr. Belmont tries a qb sneak on 4th and 1 from their 30. Stopped. Raiders take over in great field position
:58 left 1st. Watertown stopped at 21. Conor Kennelly misses field goal. Still 7-0 Raiders
2:56 left 1st, Late hit by Belmont moves ball to Marauder 29
4:11 left: Watertown converts 3rd down to 46 on pass to Korte
5:41 left. Watertown takes over on own 31 after punt
6:37 left: Belmont converts third and long. Then try pass on toss back to the QB. Incomplete. Ball at Belmont 39
8:23 left: Touchdown Watertown! Nick McDermott hits John Korte on a play action pass for a 42 yard Touchdown. 7-0 Raiders.
10:52 left 1st: Raiders retuen to 35. Mange Camara gets 9 on run
10:15 am: Belmont wins toss, defer. Watertown will receive opening kickoff.
10:08 am: Teams warming up before Thanksgiving game.
Watertown (6-5) comes into the game after its deepest run ever in the MIAA Football Tournament. The Raiders won the North Section title for the first time and fell in the Eastern Mass Final.
Meanwhile, Belmont (2-8) did not secure its first win until the eighth game of the season when they took on opponents that did not make the playoffs.
Watertown has been lead by junior quarterback Nick McDermott, whose favorite target is senior receiver John Korte. The QB will also take off and run with the ball. In addition, Watertown has some running backs who have had success this season – junior speedster Mange Camara and senior Matt Mulgrew, who is more of a bruising runner.
The Marauders have some speed in their backfield, too. Senior running back Tyler Reynolds has been one of Belmont’s top players, and fullback Adam Deese can also be a threat. The Marauders have a senior play caller in quarterback George Fitzgerald who has racked up some passing yards.
Last Friday, Watertown played a hard-hitting Dennis-Yarmouth team. The game was an extra one on the Raiders schedule. Meanwhile Belmont was off last week. This means that Watertown has only five days to recover and prepare for the Thanksgiving game, while Belmont had more than double that amount of time.
The last time Belmont came to town, the teams were in similar situations, with Watertown 6-4 and Belmont 4-6. The Marauders held a late lead, and an interception that would have iced the game, went through the hands of a Belmont player. Then sophomore Conor Kennelly kicked the game winning field goal with seconds remaining. The final score was 24-22. Kennelly is still kicking for the Raiders – and has hit field goals of over 50 yard this year. He also plays some at receiver and defensive back.
Charlie Breitrose
Then-sophomore Conor Kennelly, left, is congratulated after hitting the game winning field goal against Belmont in 2015. He is still kicking for the Raiders.
Last year, in Belmont, the Raiders built a 24-7 halftime lead. In the second half, the Marauders came back to within three points late in the game and were driving for the winning score. A late interception clinched the 34-28 win for the Raiders.
The only common opponent for the two teams is Burlington, which the Raiders beat 35-20 in a home Middlesex League game. Belmont also beat the Red Devils, 26-25 at Burlington in a non-league game.