Pro tip for anyone who’s playing Scituate: Don’t tick them off pregame. On a chilly, 50-degree night on October 17, the Sailors matched up against the undefeated Quincy Presidents, coming off a blowout win against Pembroke. Pregame, Quincy placed a sledgehammer on the Sailors’ logo midfield and also slammed it five times in front of Scituate players and coaches. This lit a fire under the Sailors, as reflected in how the game progressed.
Junior running back Grayson Foley kicked off the scoring for the Sailors with a rushing touchdown just a few plays into the game. The extra point by sophomore kicker Tyler Stelljes made it a quick 7-0 advantage for the Sailors. Foley followed it up with another first-quarter rushing touchdown, making it 14-0 with the extra point good.
In the second quarter, Foley kept the train rolling with his third rushing touchdown of the game, bouncing off defenders. An unsuccessful two-point conversion left the lead at 20-0 Sailors.
Finally, the Quincy offense decided to wake up, as senior running back Jaylen Parks took the ball over the goal line for six, followed by a PAT, making it 20-7. But that did not stop the Sailors, as senior quarterback Jonny Donovan completed a touchdown pass to senior receiver Cam Cerussi, expanding the lead to 27-7 with the PAT. After that, the second quarter continued to be all Sailors as Donovan aired out a deep pass to Cerussi once again, to make the lead 34-7.
After the half, Quincy was able to grab another touchdown, shrinking the Sailors’ lead down to 34-14. However, Cerussi answered right back with a 70-yard kickoff return to the house for another six points—his third score of the game—followed by the PAT, making it 41-14.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Foley scored his fourth touchdown of the game, capping the score at
48-14 and leading to a Sailors’ victory. Scituate moved to 5-1 on the season and handed Quincy their first loss (5-1).
The players of the game included Donovan, who was 8/10 on completions with 112 passing yards and two touchdown passes; Cerussi, who had two catches for 42 yards and two receiving touchdowns, along with his kickoff return touchdown; and Foley, who carried 16 times for 242 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
After the game, senior defensive back Chris DiMeo, who had an interception during the game, spoke on the sledgehammer, saying, “That was our biggest driving factor, and we really took that to heart.” Foley shared similar thoughts, commenting, “You can’t just come here and put something on our logo, that is just disrespectful.”
The Sailors will travel north to take on the Raiders of North Quincy on Friday, October 24, hoping to win their third in a row.