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Oakmont Regional

Football notebook: ‘Dogs fall, Blue Devils roll

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The Bulldogs had their sights set on 4-0 for the first time in 45 years.

But the way the Monty Tech football team played in the first 24 minutes of Friday’s tilt against Bay Path wasn’t becoming of a flawless team. Turnovers were numerous and a deep hole had been dug as the Bulldogs went to the locker room down 28-6.

And despite a furious rally that saw the hosts lead at Bulldog Field in the fourth quarter, the gassed ‘Dogs couldn’t fend off one final Bay Path drive as the guests scored in the final minute to leave Fitchburg with a 43-36 victory.

Maybe it was a lack of focus. Maybe it was just a bad game.

Either way, it’s a loss that the Bulldogs will take plenty from heading into next Friday as Blue Hills Regional comes to town.

Of the positives, the play of quarterback Logan Quinn in the second half has to be atop the list. The senior scored three of his four touchdowns after the intermission and put the Bulldogs in a position to have a shot at a win.

To most, that would have seemed the most uphill of battles at halftime. There’s something to be said for the poise and urgency with which Monty Tech played, even in defeat.

Blue Devils survive scare

For the first time this season, Leominster found itself playing from behind.

The Blue Devils trailed throughout the first quarter of Friday’s game at Shepherd Hill, but shook off the rust en route to a 45-14 victory to improve to 4-0. And while he’s been solid all season, freshman quarterback claimed his spotlight in the road victory.

Leominster freshman quarterback Osiris Lopez runs the ball during Thursday's game against Fitchburg. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)
Leominster’s Osiris Lopez threw six touchdown passes in Friday’s win over Shepherd Hill. (Sentinel & Enterprise File Photo)

Lopez showed off his arm and accuracy in throwing a half dozen TD passes, including two each to classmate Kaiden Drinkwater and senior Ricky Encarnacion. He also hit Juan Miranda and Bryan Aguilar for scoring strikes in the third quarter.

The Blue Devils trailed 7-6 after the first quarter and 14-13 in the second before taking a 19-14 lead to halftime. The visitors turned it on in a 19-point third quarter and held the Rams (1-3) scoreless for the entire second half.

Not only did Leominster’s defense step up to shut down the hosts, it added points to the scoreboard courtesy of a Steven Diaz pick six.

A little bit of adversity certainly didn’t seem to rattle the Blue Devils.

OT thriller for Wolves

It took a stellar play to force an extra session, but once Nashoba Regional got to OT, it took care of business.

Thomas Keuffler blocked a field goal attempt as the buzzer sounded to end regulation, forcing overtime at Malden Catholic. Ben Silvester scored his second TD of the night in OT before adding the two-point run and the Wolves’ (2-2) defense stood tall as the team headed back to Bolton with a 15-7 victory.

Blue Knights erupt

Cooper Shaw ran for nearly 200 yards and scored twice as Lunenburg trounced Littleton, 44-8. Hunter Matson hit the century mark rushing and added a TD as the Blue Knights (2-2) had little trouble with the Tigers’ defensive efforts.

Dylan Adamson and Sean Delaney each pulled in touchdown passes from Alex Figueroa as the Blue Knights cruised at home.

Around the region

North Middlesex Regional (2-2) handed Groton-Dunstable its first loss of the season, winning 33-13 on the road, while host Oakmont Regional did the same to Boston Latin Academy in a 29-6 victory.

St. Bernard’s had no problem winning at Leicester as Antonio Mancini (three TDs) and Damien Jones (two TDs) led the way in a 44-14 victory.  And Fitchburg High continues to search for its first win, falling 37-0 in Shrewsbury to St. John’s.

Local roundup: Falcons grounded by Rivier

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The Fitchburg State field hockey team fell into a hole in the first half and never recovered, dropping a 4-2 contest at Rivier University Friday evening.

Down 2-0 at halftime, the Falcons (4-5) clawed back to within one after three, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Olivia Narkevicius scored in the third quarter off a feed from Alexis Raymond before Lena Kassel added her team-leading 16th goal of the season later in the stanza.

High school football

Oakmont 29, Boston Latin Academy 6 >> The win lifts the Spartans to 2-2.

St. John’s 37, Fitchburg 0 >> The loss drops the Red Raiders to 0-4.

St. Bernard’s 44, Leicester 14 >> The Bernardians improve to 3-1 on the season.

Nashoba 15, Malden Catholic 7 >> The Wolves blocked a kick as time expired and then went on to win in overtime, improving to 2-2.

Boys soccer

Ayer Shirley 2, Parker 1 >> Kevin Velasquez and Nick Cruz netted goals to power the Panthers.

North Middlesex 5, Uxbridge 1 >> Ron Nolin, Tyler Jastrab, Lukian Yamanishi, Marlon Artuso and Jack Harrington (assist) found the back of the net for the Patriots. Noah Bagley dished out a pair of helpers and Rowan McCarthy had another in the win.

Girls soccer

Uxbridge 4, North Middlesex 3 >> Patriots (3-5). Lauren Torpey scored twice for the Patriots (3-5), while Jill Hodgson added a single marker.

Field hockey

Oakmont 1, Leominster 0 >> Addi Roy netted the lone goal of the game, lifting the Spartans (5-1-2) past the host Blue Devils (8-1).

Lunenburg 3, Bromfield 0 >> Ava Wilson potted a pair of goals and Caitlin Ware found the back of the cage once for the Blue Knights.

Nashoba 3, Notre Dame Academy 0 >> The Wolves (5-2-1) got goals from Lauren DiTullio, Gracie Reisner (assist) and Bella Cosentino, while Ali Vanasse and Kayla Flanagan added helpers.

Golf

North Middlesex 30.5, St. Bernard’s 23.5 >> Andrew Peterson led the Patriots (12-0) with a 1-under 34 at Northern Spy Golf Club, while teammates Jake Miller, Shawn Amari and Mike Archambault all shot 38s.

The match medalist was Patrick Ginnity, who carded a 2-under 33 for the Bernardians (5-4). Adam Bosco finished at 38 for St. Bernard’s.

Leominster 215, Algonquin 222 >> Luke Grebinar was the match medalist with a 4-over 40 at Gardner Municipal Golf Course to lead Leominster (10-2).

Volleyball

North Middlesex 3, Fitchburg 1 >> The Patriots won by scores of 25-20; 19-25; 25-15 and 25-17.

Brooke Nelson had 16 kills and two aces for North Middlesex (5-5), while Bella Perritano added nine kills and four aces and Meghan Boucher had five kills.

Fitchburg (2-7) was led by senior Chiali Moua who had 30 assists to go with eight aces, while junior Keishla Troche added six aces, five kills and four tips.

High School Football: Unbeaten Blue Devils hit the road

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It’s been a seemingly-impossible task for opposing programs to step up to this fall: what will it take to topple Leominster High on the gridiron?

First, teams have to contend with a nearly unstoppable offense. Then they have to deal with an impenetrable defense.

Add stellar coaching and smart decision making and the Blue Devils have been nothing short of a juggernaut in their three games this season. Having surrendered just six points while scoring 107 of its own, it’s pretty easy to see why Leominster is undefeated.

What isn’t as clear is how to put an end to its perfect mark.

Shepherd Hill will be the next to attempt to do so, welcoming the Blue Devils to Dudley tonight for a 7:30 kickoff.

The Rams are coming off their first win of the season, a 41-19 triumph over Fitchburg High at Crocker Field. They will have the unenviable task of trying to shut down a Blue Devils side that rolled to a 27-0 victory over Nashoba Regional last Friday at Doyle Field.

Leominster hasn’t allowed a point since the first quarter of its opener against Fitchburg, notching back-to-back shutouts against Doherty and Nashoba. And the Blue Devils and their wealth of offensive weapons haven’t hit any bumps in the road just yet, still firing on all cylinders.

It hasn’t seem to hit quarterback Osiris Lopez that he’s a freshman and first-year signal callers don’t usually have the composure he’s shown. Capable of running, he’s also been more than willing to get the ball into the hands of his big playmakers — seniors Ricky Encarnacion and Ma’Kai Stinson Newton and freshman Kaiden Drinkwater.

There’s talent everywhere for the Blue Devils. On both sides of the ball, in skill positions, on the line. You name it. Now it’s up to the rest of Central Mass. to figure out where the weakness is — if one exists — and to exploit it.

Good luck with that.

Tough ‘Dogs to top

At 3-0, the Monty Tech football team is proving to be difficult to slow.

The Bulldogs have posted some strong offensive showings in their perfect starts, but it’s the defense beginning to gel that should worry anyone lining up across from them. Monty Tech allowed 22 points in Week 1 before improving to just 18 allowed the following week and 13 last Friday.

A Bay Path team coming off back-to-back losses comes to Bulldog Field tonight, with the hosts aiming to stay perfect.

Spread the wealth

Ahead 22-0 over a young and inexperienced South Hadley side after one quarter last week, St. Bernard’s was able to use much of the second quarter and beyond as a dress rehearsal for some of the less seasoned players on its bench.

That’s not to say the Bernardians (1-2) mailed it in after the first quarter; rather, Jameson Williams and others were able to step into the spotlight for a bit as the hosts rolled to a 42-0 win at the Bernardian Bowl.

Coming off a thrashing of South Hadley, St. Bernard's heads to Leicester tonight. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)
Coming off a thrashing of South Hadley, St. Bernard’s heads to Leicester tonight. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)

For a team with limited numbers, getting a chance to see what’s on the bench and what the backups are capable of in game action without being forced to do so courtesy of an injury is big. Should either Damien Jones or Antonio Mancini go down at some point, Williams and the likes of Cole Blair showed they’re solid runners and capable of occasionally breaking a big run.

The Bernardians take their ground game on the road tonight to face Leicester (1-2).

Border war

North Middlesex, off to a 1-2 start, has a short road trip to neighboring Groton-Dunstable (3-0). Both programs are playing under new head coaches this season, but the school-next-door rivalry remains the same.

Games elsewhere

There are four other local games on the slate tonight, with an additional tilt tomorrow. In the “something has to give” category, 0-3 Fitchburg heads to Shrewsbury to take on St. John’s, which is also winless after a brutal trio of games to start the season.

Nashoba (1-2) heads to 0-3 Malden Catholic tonight, while 4-0 Latin Academy comes to Ashburnham to face host Oakmont Regional (1-2) and Lunenburg (1-2) hosts Littleton (1-2).

On Saturday, Ayer Shirley (2-1) heads north to square off with Gardner (1-2) in a 6 p.m. contest.

Local roundup: Falcons grounded by Leopards

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Knotted at 2 at halftime, the Fitchburg State women’s soccer team couldn’t keep Wentworth down in the second half, falling 4-2 in a non-conference contest at Elliot Field Wednesday afternoon.

Madison Wolf and Emily Hagen scored for the Leopards (5-4-1) in the second half to break a 2-all tie with the Falcons (4-4-1).

Fitchburg State grabbed a 1-0 edge in the sixth minute when freshman Adrianna Westcott put a shot off the post that classmate Alisha Praileau collected and put home for her second tally on the season.

Wentworth knotted the score two minutes later on an own goal before the Leopards took the lead at the 9:58 mark as sophomore Jenny Montville found the back of the net.

The Falcons retied the contest late in the first half as junior Elizabeth Read received a feed from sophomore Katie Moran and lofted a shot into the upper right corner for her team-leading fifth marker of the year.

Junior Skyla Vaudo stopped three shots in the first half for the Falons, while senior Allison Gough added five saves after halftime.

College volleyball

MCLA 3, Fitchburg State 0 >> The Falcons (3-6) dropped their third straight match, falling by set scores of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-19.

Boys soccer

Lunenburg 1, Ayer Shirley 0 >> Tim Smith scored off a feed from Owen Tuttle 12 minutes into the second half to lift the Blue Knights.

Field hockey

Leominster 4, North Middlesex 0 >> Emma Ayala Miller netted a pair of goals, while Nina Marchetti had a goal and three assists and Gray Dallaire added a goal for the Blue Devils (8-0).

Golf

North Middlesex 31.5, Groton-Dunstable 22.5 >> Andrew Peterson carded a 1 under 34 at at Northern Spy Golf Club to lead the unbeaten Patriots (10-0). Jake Miller added a 1-over 36 and Max Caliri finished with a 39.

Leominster 35.5, Oakmont 18.5 >> Luke Grebinar and Daniel Simons each shot 3-over 39s at Gardner Municipal Golf Course for the Blue Devils (9-1), while Steven Mack carded a 40 for the Spartans (3-6).

Wachusett 208, Nashoba 210 >> s Troy Gregg carded a 38 to lead the Wolves (7-3).

 

Wolves, Blue Devils set to clash

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It’s been an unenviable task this fall and one that now lands on Nashoba Regional: try to slow Leominster High down on the gridiron.

The Wolves, coming off a 10-0 blanking of Longmeadow last week, will visit Doyle Field tonight, looking to hand Leominster its first loss of the season.

In two games, it’s proven to be a difficult thing to do. Sitting at 2-0, the Blue Devils have outscored the opposition 90-6 and have yet to trail in a game.

What have the keys been for the success of the Blue Devils? They’ve taken advantage of their opportunities, gotten out to big leads early and played smothering defense.

In the season opener against Fitchburg High, Leominster scored on six possessions in the first half. Defensively, the Blue Devils gave up a touchdown to the Red Raiders on their opening drive, but have since gone 91:35 without allowing a point, including last week’s shutout win over Doherty.

Traditionally, Nashoba has been a fast and physical team on both sides of the ball and that could play in the Wolves’ favor against Leominster. Blue Devils quarterback Osiris Lopez has been spectacular, but is also a freshman and has yet to face any real pressure or adversity in his varsity career.

If bruising linebacker Ben Silvester and the Wolves can get a bit of pressure in the backfield and not give the freshman QB the time he’s grown accustomed to in the pocket, who knows what happens?

Conversely, Nashoba will need to protect Michael Guthrie, its own quarterback, as Leominster’s pressure on opposing QBs has led to multiple turnovers off poor throws. Holding onto the ball and controlling the clock while keeping the Blue Devils’ potent offense off the field could spell success for the Wolves.

Something has to give

When Shepherd Hill visits Fitchburg tonight to face the Red Raiders, someone will almost certainly be leaving Crocker Field with their first win of the season.

Fitchburg has been trounced by Leominster and Wachusett Regional. The Rams have been run over by Acton-Boxboro and Marlboro. Barring ridiculous circumstances, one of these two teams will claim a victory.

Going for three in a row

Monty Tech’s torrid start to the season will be put to the test on the road when the Bulldogs travel to Gardner. The Bulldogs have put up big numbers in wins over Murdock and Narragansett Regional, while the Wildcats stormed past Keefe Tech last week to even their record at 1-1.

Action elsewhere

There are several other local games on tonight’s slate. St. Bernard’s (1-1) will look to rebound from last week’s loss when it welcomes South Hadley (0-2) to the Bernardian Bowl; Oakmont Regional (1-1) hosts Marlboro (2-0) at Arthur I. Hurd Memorial Field; and Ayer Shirley visits Lunenburg in a battle of 1-1 teams.

On Saturday afternoon, North Middlesex Regional (1-1) welcomes Nauset (1-1) to Townsend.

Local roundup: Spartans double up Red Raiders

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The red-hot Oakmont Regional boys soccer team doubled up Fitchburg, 4-2, on Thursday afternoon in Ashburnham.

Gael Vera’s potted a hat trick for Spartans (6-0), while Aymone Checkl and Juan Martinez Diego scored for Fitchburg (4-2-1).

Girls soccer

Oakmont 5, Fitchburg 0 Jada Sibley netted a pair of goals, while Haley Rutherford, Lindsey Elliot and Sarah Sicard had single markers for the Spartans.

Ayer Shirley 3, West Boylston 3 Sastea Cherduville scored twice for the Panthers (1-5-1).

Marlboro 2, Leominster 1 Kyra Forsberg scored for the host Blue Devils in defeat.

Volleyball

Algonquin 3, Leominster 0 The Blue Devils fell by scores of 25-10, 25-6 and 25-7.