Charlie Breitrose
Watertown junior quarterback Nick McDermott passes the ball to junior running back Mange Camara in the EMass final against Dennis-Yarmouth.
MEDFORD – Watertown High School’s magical run through the MIAA Football tournament came to a crashing halt Friday evening as they fell 41-3 to Dennis-Yarmouth in the Eastern Mass. final at Hormel Stadium.
The game did not start well. After getting a first down, Watertown junior quarterback Nick McDermott was sacked. The next play, he was intercepted and it would have been returned for a touchdown if not for a penalty on D-Y. The next play, Dolphins senior running back Bobby Evans ran for a 27-yard touchdown.
Two possessions later Watertown’s offense got rolling, and got the ball inside the 10 for first and goal. An offensive pass interference wiped out a touchdown and the after being pushed back to the 37, Raiders senior kicker Conor Kennelly kicked a 51-yard field goal to make it 7-3 D-Y with 7:38 left in the second quarter.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown’s only points against Dennis-Yarmouth came from senior kicker Conor Kennelly’s 51-yard field goal.
The Dolphins threatened to score midway through the second quarter, but went for it on fourth down and the pass was incomplete in the end zone. They got the ball back late in the first half and with 6 seconds left, D-Y junior Daryan Thompson caught an 8-yard pass from senior quarterback Jacob McCarthy to go up 14-3 heading into the half.
The Raiders comeback hopes looked good when they recovered a D-Y fumble on the first drive of the second half. A 35-yard McDermott pass to senior receiver John Korte put Watertown in business at the D-Y 35. However, Watertown gave the ball back with a fumble of its own.
The Dolphins marched down and D-Y senior tailback Jonah Arsenault scored on a 3-yard run, putting D-Y up 21-3 with 5:28 left in the third quarter.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown senior linebacker Matt Mulgrew tackles Dennis-Yarmouth senior tailback Bobby Evans, who had a touchdown for the Dolphins.
Watertown’s next drive was halted by an interception at the D-Y 38. Sophomore tight end Michael Gurney scored on a 62-yard pass to put the Dolphins up 28-3. The next possession McCarthy threw a 42-yard touchdown pass senior receiver Joe Tierney for a 35-3 margin with 1:52 left in the third quarter.
D-Y tacked on another touchdown with 43-yard pass to freshman running back Geoffrey Jamiel. They missed the extra point but that put the score at 41-3 Dolphins with 10:27 left in the fourth quarter.
Watertown mounted one last drive and got the ball inside the 10. After being pushed back, McDermott was sacked on fourth and goal from the 13 to end the scoring threat.
Charlie Breitrose
Dennis-Yarmouth sophomore tight end Michael Gurney prepares to make a catch a that he took for a touchdown against Watertown in the EMass final in Medford.
Despite the loss, the Raiders made their deepest run in the State Tournament, winning the North Section Championship and getting one step away from a trip to Gillette Stadium for the High School Super Bowl.
Watertown’s record is 6-5 and the Raiders still have their annual date with Belmont on Thanksgiving Day. The game will be at Victory Field at 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 23.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown senior running back Matt Mulgrew dives forward on a run against Dennis-Yarmouth in the 41-3 loss.