Post publication update:
Melrose (No. 11) falls to Masconomet (No. 6) 35-14 in Div. 2 Round of 16. (Nov. 7)
View the full state tournament bracket here.
Published November 7, 2025
Spartans foil Melrose on Halloween showdown
Melrose falls to Stoneham 12-7 in regular season finale
By CORY THOMAS
MELROSE—On Friday, October 31st, Melrose hosted longtime neighbor rival Stoneham in a Halloween match-up of two of the best Middlesex League Freedom Division teams, both coming into the game with 5-2 records. This game would help jockey both teams for seeding in the upcoming state playoffs, division three for Melrose and division six for Stoneham. Stoneham would leave Fred Green Memorial Field with a hard fought victory in an old school ground and pound game, 12-7.
Stoneham started the game with the ball and they came out running as they normally so, grinding out yards and working the clock with their throwback offense the wing-T. Stoneham drove into Melrose territory and soon faced a 3rd and 7 but Melrose’s Luke Kelley made a strong tackle for no gain. Stoneham went for it on fourth down and converted for a first down at the Melrose twenty-three. A couple of plays later Stoneham had a first and goal situation from the Melrose ten-yard line. A Spartan penalty pushed them back to their twenty-yard line. Facing third and goal from the Melrose eight, Stoneham was stuffed by Jack Casey and Ian McKeown, setting up another fourth down situation and Stoneham again went for it. Melrose stopped the try thanks to a swarming, gang tackling defense. Melrose had the ball at their own eight-yard line with two minutes remaining in the first quarter after the lengthy Stoneham drive.
Max Hoag gave Melrose breathing room with a quick gain of fourteen and a first down, as the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie but Melrose was forced to punt that possession via Tyler Garipay. Tackles for little gain by Melrose’s Luke Kelley and Nate Geer put Stoneham fourth and four from their own forty-five yard line. Melrose held again thanks to the defensive efforts of Graham Kreamer and Jack Casey to stop another Stoneham drive and Melrose got the ball near midfield.
Melrose’s offense had trouble getting going ocverall. Senior quarterback Jack Feeney broke off two, nine-yard runs late in the second quarter, but the Melrose drive stalled. Stoneham began a drive near midfield with the clock nearing halftime and still no score. Stoneham converted a fourth down at the Melrose thirty-eight with 1:20 remaining in the half. Nate Geer made a touchdown-saving tackle for Melrose, but Stoneham was set up with a first and goal from the Melrose six. Finally, Spartan Dan Staffieri found the end zone for a Stoneham touchdown with 25 seconds to play in the half. The two-point conversion was no good and Stoneham had a 6-0 lead at halftime.
Melrose came out of the half fired up and capitalized, as Melrose’s Feeney found fellow senior Max Lanciani for a sixty-five yard catch and run for the touchdown. Nate Geer added the extra point kick for a lead of 7-6. Stoneham got the ball back and began a drive down to the Melrose twenty-nine yard line with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. On 3rd & 14 from the 20 with 1:34 left in the third quarter, Stoneham converted for the first down and right after found the end zone. A point after was no good, Stoneham led 12-7 with 1:22 in the 3rd. Melrose was forced to punt on their next possessions at the end of the third quarter, soon after allowing Stoneham’s ground control offense to drain the clock. Later in the quarter, Stoneham took over on downs at the Melrose twenty-three with 3:25 to go in the game and on 4th down Stoneham went for it an attempt to ice a win, but Melrose’s defense came up huge to stop it.
With 2:05 remaining, Melrose had the ball at their own fourteen with no timeouts left. A 4th down pass to Tyler Garipay was good for a first down, and Melrose frantically tried to move the ball into scoring position. With 1:26 to go from the thirty-seven, Feeney scrambled for ten yards and Tyler Garipay had another clutch catch on 4th down. Feeney passed to Nick Vassallo for a first down, then another pass was made to Garipay, as Melrose neared mid-field with the clock ticking. Feeney found senior Brayden Pesce with 12 seconds remaining, followed by another pass to Pesce. A penalty on Melrose with 6 seconds remaining made the final moments a challenge and the clock ran out before Melrose could get into scoring position, allowing Stoneham to escape with a 12-7 victory in a rock-fight type game.
Melrose’s season continues though, as they begin the MIAA Div. 3 state tournament on the road at Masconomet Regional High school on Friday (post deadline) as #11 Melrose takes on the 6th ranked Chieftains of Masco.