November 7, 2022 By Kevin Riordan
Driven by the memory of last years playoff loss, the 6th graders took care of business on Sunday by drubbing rival Bridgewater 32-0 and earning their spot in next week’s Super Bowl finale. True to form the defense dominated the Bridgewater Badgers to earn their sixth shutout of the season. Early on, the Badgers offensive line was overpowered by intense pressure from Frank Cavagnaro, Will Berkeley and Shamus Devine which led to a fumble that Brayden Huber recovered at the Raiders 38 yard line. Bridgewater had no answer for the Raiders top weapon Hudson Garrity, undoubtedly difficult for any team, as he gained 15 yards on one play and 14 on the next behind the blocks of Duncan Wilder and Andy Gerlach to set up a first and goal. RB Jack Hart brought them closer with a 5 yard run off the blocks of Frank Conway and John Peterson. On 2nd down, QB Garrity ran outside the block of Duncan Wilder to hit the pylon for a TD and the point after for the 8-0 early lead and the Raiders would never look back.
On defense Shamus Devine perfectly read a screen pass and leveled the receiver for a 5 yard loss. John Peterson followed up this big hit with one of his own forcing Bridgewater to punt. Back on offense QB Garrity recognized a mismatch in coverage and threw a deep pass to a wide open Brayden Huber for a 39 yard gain. RB Evan Tomasello ran for a first down but the Badger defense dug in and forced a turnover on downs. The high pressure defense continued to disrupt Bridgewater’s offense as Brayden Huber rushed the QB and deflected a pass which Will Berkeley skillfully intercepted and returned it down to the 28 yard line. With under one minute on the clock QB Garrity capitalized on the turnover by following blocks from Wilder and Tomasello to slash his way for 18 yards and a touchdown. On the point after Garrity called his favorite play and ran off tackle John Peterson’s block for the 16-0 lead late in the first half. Catching Bridgewater off guard Andrew Nolan kicked an onsides kick which Mason Aframe recovered at midfield. With 55 seconds left on the clock the Raiders went to their hurry up offense as QB Garrity connected with Shamus Devine for a bomb down to the 6 yard line. Coach Forger, effectively managing the clock, set up a play where Garrity ran behind the block from Frank Cavagnaro for a touchdown with just 19 seconds left in the half to take a demanding 24-0 lead into halftime.
Opening the second half, Jack Hart recovered the Bridgewater onside kick giving Hingham a short field to start with. Tomasello, Hart and Devine combined for positive rushing yards and first downs But the strong headwinds forced incomplete passes that led to a turnover on downs. Two plays later Frank Conway recovered a Bridgewater fumble and the Raiders were back on offense. Jack Hart followed Cavagnaro’s block for a first down and then Garrity broke through three tackles for his 4th touchdown run of the game. RB Jack Hart took the handoff and scored the point after for a backbreaking 32-0 lead.
The 4th quarter showcased the depth of this 6th grade team as linemen Grant Riordan, Will Hetherington, Preston Kirley, Christopher Donegan, Asher Ellis and Ryan Crespi opened holes for QB Neil Deininger, RB’s Johnny Heller, Emmet McCarthy and Marco Giannaros to run out the clock for a 32-0 shutout victory and a date next week in the Super Bowl
Come support the 6th graders as they take on Marshfield in the Super Bowl at Bridgewater MA Legion Field Sunday Nov 13th.