High School Sports

If it seemed like the St. Bernard’s running backs were often sprinting downfield all by themselves with nary a defender in sight during Friday night’s win over South Hadley, there’s a reason for that.

They quite often were and did so thanks in large part to the play of the Bernardian offensive line.

There were gaping holes and plenty of real estate out in front of Bernardian ball carriers all night, as the big guys in the trenches more than held their own against a young Tigers team.

Seniors Rocco LaMonica, Darnell Woodson and Stefano Allen and juniors Jeiel Berdicia and Jordan Clifton did the dirty work to get running lanes to open up and the Bernardian running backs kept their uniforms clean for most of the evening.

“I’m very proud of the play up front,” Bernardians head coach Tom Bingham said. “(South Hadley) gave us a funky look (defensively) and it was definitely a challenge. I know we popped a couple big plays, but it was definitely a different look and the kids worked hard in there.”

The Bernardians were without captain and tight end Jordan Burwell, but used a rotating cast in his absence, with Domenic Beaudoin carrying the brunt of the snaps and providing solid blocking early on. The line play helped the Bernardians get out to a 22-0 lead after one quarter, with the hosts taking a 42-0 lead to the Bernardian Bowl clubhouse at halftime.

In all, St. Bernard’s put up nearly 400 yards of offense, including over 300 in the opening half. Only one play went for negative yardage and it came in the fourth quarter on a mishandled snap.

Respect the arm

While the Bernardians’ running attack was undeniably potent and the catalyst for the team’s big win, junior quarterback Salvatore Bilotta was able to showcase his passing abilities in the first half. The southpaw compiled a solid stat line, completing all four of his pass attempts for 57 yards through the air.

“He moved around a little bit and threw the ball well,” Bingham said of his starting quarterback. “He had a good night tonight.”

Bilotta, like the majority of St. Bernard’s offensive starters, watched the second half of Friday’s victory from the bench. Freshman QB Kason Heilon was under center after halftime, getting his first varsity action, though he didn’t attempt a pass.

Believe in the Bulldogs

Sure, it’s just three games, but Monty Tech has looked like an offensive machine in each of its contests.

Want to beat the Bulldogs? You’d better have a stout offense or be ready to put up some serious points.

Thus far, the Bulldogs are averaging 32 points a game. And while Monty Tech has given up some points — 53 in its three games, to be precise — the allowance has gotten smaller every contest, culminating in this week’s 32-13 win at Gardner.

Next up: Bay Path at Bulldog Field next Friday.

Big game for Encarnacion

Quiet and unassuming off the field, Leominster’s Ricky Encarnacion has let his play do the talking this season.

The senior captain had another big game for the Blue Devils on Friday, catching a pair of touchdown passes and running for another score in a 27-0 win over Nashoba Regional. Encarnacion has found the end zone nearly every way imaginable this season: on kick and punt returns, catching the ball or simply receiving a handoff and taking off.

Once the ball is in the hands of Leominster’s dynamic offensive threat, watch out. He’s tough to catch up with in the open field.

As Leominster head coach Devin Gates said regarding Encarnacion earlier this season, “You can’t teach speed.”

And while Encarnacion’s intelligence and determination are among his standout traits, his speed might be second-to-none.

FITCHBURG — What looked like a momentary bad omen was quickly erased and the good that immediately followed was most certainly a harbinger of what was to come for the St. Bernard’s football team Friday night.

Damien Jones momentarily bobbled the opening kickoff against South Hadley, but scooped the ball up and scored on an 85-yard run to open the game, setting the tone as the Bernardians rolled to a 42-0 victory over the Tigers at the Bernardian Bowl.

The Bernardians (2-1) put on a master class in efficiency, scoring all 42 of their points in the first half and doing so on just 19 offensive snaps. The hosts tallied 306 yards of offense in the first half and 397 in the game.

“The kids had a real good week of practice. They worked hard,” said St. Bernard’s head coach Tom Bingham, whose team rebounded after a loss to Stoneham last week. “We had a couple of really good, physical practices and they came out ready to play tonight. They worked hard for this win.”

The hosts sandwiched a Jameson Williams touchdown run between the opening kickoff return and a 37-yard scoring jaunt by Jones to take a 22-0 lead after an impressive first quarter.

They continued the domination in the second quarter as Antonio Mancini broke a 57-yard touchdown run before Williams added a 65-yard scoring run. Cole Blair capped the scoring for the Bernardians with 1:16 left in the opening half, finding the end zone from 10 yards out.

“The nice thing for us was being able to get the snaps for the backs spread out a bit tonight,” Bingham said. “We have two new wingbacks in Williams and Keegan Rose, who had a couple real nice runs for us and scored on a conversion. They’re working hard and getting better and better. We know what we’re getting out of (Jones and Mancini), so it’s nice to see these other kids getting in.

“Damien and Antonio kind of gave me the eyeball when we were in the locker room about not getting their usual touches, but they both made an impact out there tonight.”

While the offense was putting big numbers up on the scoreboard, the Bernardian defense was firmly in lockdown mode. St. Bernard’s allowed just 94 yards of offense to the Tigers (0-3), sacking quarterback Burke Belsky three times and adding an interception by sophomore Gerald Ochavez in the third quarter.