Post publication update:
North Reading (No. 5) defeats Marlborough (No. 12) by a final score of 42-7. (Nov. 7)
Hornets advance to the Div. 5 round of 8 state touranament to face Medfield (No. 4) on the road on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 pm.
View the full bracket and follow all the latest updates here.
Published November 6, 2025
Gridmen move to 7-1 with 24-0 shutout over Newburyport
Ready to host Marlborough in first round this Friday night
By DAN ZIMMERMAN
NORTH READING — Under wind-driven sheets of rain at
Arthur J. Kenney Field last Thursday evening, the North Reading Hornets took the weather in stride, wrapping up the regular season with a 24-0 blanking of Newburyport.
These conditions often “wreak havoc” on the passing game, impacting the trajectory of the ball, and slowing receivers. The North Reading tandem of quarterback Jason Berry and wide receiver Gavin Brady would argue otherwise.
On the first play from scrimmage, Berry launched a deep throw into a stiff wind, finding Brady, who had exploited the secondary and was wide open. The resulting 54-yard TD followed by a Xander Villarroel PAT, also into the face of a prohibitive headwind, proved enough for the Hornets to improve to 7-1 overall and punch their ticket for the playoffs.
“There was the weather, the rain, the wind – all of the elements – and we were facing a young, scrappy Newburyport team,” said North Reading Coach Ed Blum. “We also had to deal with a quick turnaround this week but the kids responded well to the adversity.”
Deserving of added recognition was junior running back Desi Brown, who was subbing for Otto Indelicato. Near the end of the first quarter, the Hornets doubled their lead on a 27-yard TD rush from Brown, who pierced the defensive line, accelerated, and shook off a pair of would-be tacklers at the goal line.
“Desi did a great job tonight, running the ball hard,” said Blum. “The offensive line was communicating well and Desi was reading the holes. Most important, on a night like this, was ball security and he did an exceptional job with that, as well.”
Led by senior linebacker Nick Torra, who was a menace with seven solo tackles, the North Reading defense was nearly impenetrable. Talented linemen Dylan Matthews and Zach Morse were also instrumental in holding the Clippers to less than a hundred yards in total offense on the way to the Hornets first shutout of the campaign.
Also worthy of mention was junior place-kicker Villarroell, who gave the drenched North Reading faithful another reason to cheer with seconds remaining in the half. With the offense bogging down inside the Clippers 30, the Hornet coaching staff decided to deploy Villarroell for a 44-yard field goal attempt. With the wind at his back, he split the uprights with room to spare for a commanding 17-0 lead.
“We’ve been fortunate to have some decent kickers in recent years,” said Blum. “All the credit to Xander. He puts in so much time, has a passion for it, and it was great to see it pay off for him.”
“I was glad to contribute to a momentum change at that point in the game,” said Villarroell, who has been near-flawless at the PAT stripe. “This was the first field goal of the season and it felt great to be successful.”
During a brief pause in the rain late in the third quarter, North Reading added insurance on yet another Berry to Brady linkup, this from the 5-yard-line. Preceding the TD reception, Brown put the Hornets in range with a 33-yard scamper, his long of the night.
Senior Anthony Tammaro picked off Newburyport QB Jack Miller to foil a threat in the waning minutes and preserve the shutout.
Last weekend, the MIAA completed the Power Rankings tabulation and published the playoff brackets. In the Division 5 Round of 16, No. 5 North Reading (7-1) will host No. 12 Marlborough (6-2) on Friday evening at 6 p.m.