“It matters how you play the full 48 minutes” is how Scituate Sailors’ head coach Herb Devine puts it, and that was the theme of the November 7th game against the Tantasqua Regional Warriors. The Sailors dominated in the first round of the playoffs, beating the Warriors, with the final score being 33-10. The number one-seeded Sailors certainly did not disappoint.
Junior running back Grayson Foley kicked off the scoring with a run from 33 yards out, and with the PAT from sophomore Tyler Steljes, the Sailors jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Tantasqua responded quickly, however, scoring their only touchdown of the game by a rush from junior running back Sean Allen, knotting the score up at 7.
Allen kept putting the Warriors on his back, using his leg to put a kick through the uprights from 26 yards out to give Tantasqua a 10-7 lead. However, that would be the last time the Warriors would score in this game.
The second half was pure domination as the Sailors put their foot down.
Foley added to his scoring total with two rushing touchdowns, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter. Senior back AJ Reimels also joined in on the fun, adding an eight-yard run in the fourth for a touchdown.
After the score was finalized at 33-10, the Sailors advanced to the second round of the playoffs, the Elite Eight. Notable performers during the game included senior quarterback and captain Jonny Donovan, who was 7/8 on completions for 62 yards and one passing touchdown; Foley, who had 145 yards rushing on 19 attempts, good for 7.6 yards per carry, also for three rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown; and senior receiver Cameron Cerussi, who had four receptions for 48 yards.
Postgame, Foley remarked about how the game went: “We won this game in the second half, and we were able to play this game a little harder.” Sophomore lineman Nolan Caplinger added on, saying, “Once we got pressure on the quarterback, we were able to stop the run and win this game.”