November 14, 2024 – Story by Zachary Wong, photos by Joshua Ross
The first playoff game against Walpole ends poorly for the Hingham Harbormen in a 42-21 loss. The game started with high hopes with sophomore JT Reale’s opening kickoff return of 53 yards. An unsuccessful 4th down conversion led to a turnover on Hingham’s opening drive. Walpole’s opening drive started in their own territory, but a large run led to a rushing touchdown. With the extra point, Hingham was down 7-0. Team energy was apparent in the quarter, but the Walpole defense was keeping the offense in check.
Looking to fight back, the Hingham defense came into the quarter strong. A Walpole pass led to a big hit by junior Hudson Trezza, allowing senior Fin O’Brien to intercept the loose ball. The offense struck back with a rushing touchdown from Senior Ryan St.Croix with 8:00 left until the half. With the successful extra point, the game was tied at 7-7. Late in the quarter, a great diving pass deflection by junior Chase Beighley led to a turnover on downs, preventing any chances of a Walpole touchdown. Going into halftime, the Harbormen looked to overcome the Walpole defense.
The third quarter started off poorly for Hingham with a large passing gain by Walpole into a QB scrambling touchdown. Walpole now led 14-7 with only two minutes played in the quarter. Walpole followed up their drive with an 85-yard rushing touchdown, giving them a two-score lead. However, Hingham had a great drive of their own ending in a junior Cavan Nicholas receiving touchdown from junior QB Jake Varholak. Down only a score, hopes for a win drove Hingham into the 4th quarter.
The 4th quarter was where Walpole pulled away. On their opening drive, a rushing touchdown put them up two scores yet again. A drive later, another rushing touchdown put them up 35-14 over the Harbormen. Hingham responded with a receiving touchdown from St. Croix, but it was too late. To end the game, Walpole once again had a rushing touchdown to seal the game at a score of 42-21.
When asked about whether nerves over the first playoff game had a factor in the loss, Coach TJ Byrne expressed how, “No. Walpole is a great team and we talked about how we have to make plays in these types of games. It’s not just the guys on offense, it’s everybody. They are a good program and they simply made more plays than us.”
On a brighter note, Coach Byrne expressed how this could be a learning experience for the team. He explained how “The positive is that the guys coming back will learn from this. They will learn the importance of making plays in the moment. The experience itself is more valuable than the outcome.”
The Harbormen will play Friday night in Holliston before traveling to Scituate on Thanksgiving day to end their season.