By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — Wakefield High head football coach John Rafferty admits that the Warriors are aware of their state-best winning streak dating back to the 2021 season.
After all, how could you not be? With Catholic Memorial’s loss to Cardinal Newman of West Palm Beach on Sept. 15, the Warriors moved to the top of the list with their 17 consecutive victories.
Yes, Wakefield is aware that they’re the hottest team in the Commonwealth. They just don’t talk about it much.
That’s why even after the Warriors pushed their streak to 18 with an impressive 40-8 win over Northeast Metro Tech at Landrigan Field on Friday, Rafferty was more excited about the victory and true to form, ready to focus on the team’s next opponent.
“We just don’t focus on it, it’s never been our style,” said Rafferty of the streak. “It’s always one game at a time. We have another tough one coming up in Burlington next week so we have to be ready.”
Wakefield was certainly ready on Friday night in front of a hyped up Landrigan.
The defense buckled down after Northeast (1-2) took an 8-7 lead in the 1st quarter thanks to a touchdown by Wakefield native Chris Zullo (140 rushing yards, 1 TD). The Golden Knights never found pay dirt again.
Meanwhile, Wakefield’s offense was as close to perfect as you can get. The Warriors had seven total drives in this one. Each of the first six ended with a touchdown. The final one ran the clock out.
Sophomore running back Myles Sanchez had 152 rushing yards and 2 TD’s on 15 carries, earning a Div. 4 Star of the Week nod from the Boston Herald.
“Great job by Myles, he’s improved a lot,” said Rafferty who was also quick to mention Wakefield’s offensive line. “Our running backs and offensive line are linked. They’ve both made a lot of strides on execution and technique. They stepped up their game tonight.”
Speaking of nearly perfect, freshman quarterback Westin McNeilly went 6-for-7 for 137 passing yards and 3 TD’s. He was one dropped pass away from 7-for-7 for 163 and 4 scores. McNeilly now has a total of 469 passing yards and 6 TD passes in his first three games.
Junior tight end Matt Beaver had 2 of those TD catches on Friday, racking up 45 receiving yards. Senior wide receiver Logan Bayers had 2 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, including a 56-yard TD catch, one of multiple electric plays from the “O”.
Bayers was ready to recover on the opening kickoff as Northeast tried an onside kick. The Warriors made quick work as McNeilly found Beaver for an 18-yard TD to open the scoring.
Zullo, who made headlines with 311 rushing yards and 5 TD’s in Northeast’s season-opener against Lowell Catholic, responded with a 52-yard run on the Knights’ first drive, a possession he would later finish with a 4-yard score. Northeast ran in the two-pointer for the early 8-7 lead.
Wakefield wasted no time in getting that back as McNeilly found Bayers on the left sideline, lofting one over the shoulder – a perfect ball for the senior to catch in stride and take off for the 56-yard TD. Wakefield’s point after was blocked, making it 13-8.
The defense started a trend on the next Northeast drive that would carry over throughout, making a big stop on 4th down to force a turnover-on-downs, the first of four such outcomes in this one. Wakefield also forced a fumble as well.
The driving force in slowing down a dynamic Northeast rushing attack according to Rafferty was the front six, a combination of four down-lineman – usually Jackson Fitzpatrick, senior captain Joe LaMonica, Zach Courtright and Luciano Rossetti – and two inside linebackers (Beaver and senior captain Mark Letchford).
“They were a challenge with that power run game,” said Rafferty of Northeast. “It was a collective effort. The front was able to get the job done more times than not. Just like the offensive line and running backs, the front six has also been working hard as a unit and they all made some really good plays.”
McNeilly’s 3rd TD pass of the 1st quarter came even quicker on Wakefield’s 3rd drive as he connected with Beaver again, this time from 27-yards out on first down. Wakefield’s two-point attempt was unsuccessful as they took a 19-8 lead before the 2nd quarter even began.
The Warriors took five minutes off the clock in the 2nd as Sanchez rushed for 50 yards on the drive including a 17-yard TD run that he finished after making a nice cut up-field at the line of scrimmage, giving the Warriors a 26-8 lead at the break.
Northeast appeared to have a 32-yard rushing TD as a response in their first drive of the second half but they fumbled the ball out of the end zone after some pressure by Bayers and Sanchez at the goal line, giving Wakefield the ball back with plenty of momentum, which they capitalized on with an 80-yard TD drive in about 3 minutes. Sanchez had the play of the drive on a 68-yard carry, following blocks from LaMonica, Letchford, Beaver, Fitzpatrick, Courtright, Bryce Vaughan and Cade Esposito while breaking a tackle and taking off up the middle. Zullo chased him down at the 5 but Sanchez later finished the drive with a 1-yard plunge for a 33-8 lead.
After the defense forced another turnover-on-downs, Wakefield iced it on a 46-yard TD run by sophomore Aiden Jones (6 carries, 63 yards, 1TD) which got the Warrior bench going before Wakefield’s 3-0 start to the 2023 season was officially sealed by a strip sack from Fitzpatrick on Northeast’s final drive.
The only drawback of the night for the Warriors was an injury sustained by senior captain Steven Woish (2 catches, 24 yard, 1 carry, 6 yards), a sprained ankle that will leave the Warrior star WR/DB as day-to-day.
The Warriors will travel to Burlington this Friday night at 6 p.m. to meet a 2-1 Red Devils team that beat Cambridge Rindge and Latin 42-18 on Friday and came up just short against a very strong Woburn team 16-14 on Sept. 15.
Wakefield vs. Northeast Box Score
1st 2nd 3rd 4th T
Wakefield 19 7 7 7 40
Northeast 8 0 0 0 8
1st Quarter
Wakefield — Matt Beaver 18-yard pass from Westin McNeilly (Mark Letchford PAT)
Northeast — Chris Zullo 4-yard run (2-pt good)
Wakefield — Logan Bayers 56-yard pass from McNeilly (PAT blocked)
Wakefield — Beaver 27-yard pass from McNeilly (2-pt no good)
2nd Quarter
Wakefield — Myles Sanchez 17-yard run (Letchford PAT)
3rd Quarter
Wakefield — Sanchez 1-yard run (Letchford PAT)
4th Quarter
Wakefield — Aiden Jones 46-yard run (Letchford PAT)
Wakefield Rushing
Sanchez: 15 carries, 152 yards, 2 TD’s
Jones: 6 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
Steven Woish: 1 carry, 6 yards
Declan O’Callahan: q carry, 3 yards
Wakefield Passing
McNeilly: 6-for-7, 137 yards, 3 TD’s
Wakefield Receiving
Bayers: 2 catches, 68 yards, 1 TD
Beaver: 2 catches, 45 yards, 2 TD’s
Woish: 2 catches, 24 yards