Post publication update:
Melrose falls to Burlington 28-21 (Oct. 10)
Published October 10, 2025
Statement win for Melrose High football
Melrose overcomes #6 ranked Woburn, 21-7
By CORY THOMAS
WOBURN—On a perfect night for football, Melrose traveled to Connolly Memorial Field on Friday, Oct. 3 to take on the Woburn Tanners in a Middlesex League match-up. Woburn (2-2) came in highly ranked, #6 in the latest MIAA Division 2 rankings. Melrose (3-2) entered the game ranked #14 in Division 3. And that ranking has improved thanks to a balanced offensive attack and a stout defense that all added up to a solid Melrose victory by the score of 21-7.
Melrose’s Hall of Fame coach Tim Morris was pleased at the growth of his team since the start of the season. Said Morris, “The team is working hard, and getting up to speed on both sides of the ball. We are starting a number of players without much varsity experience, but they have been growing up a bit these last two weeks.”
Melrose showed great balance on offense against Woburn, rushing for 134 yards and passing for 145 yards. That balance is something coach Morris strives to see from his team, “The running game definitely opens up the passing game. Woburn was kind of creeping up on defense towards the line of scrimmage, and that opened up some opportunities for us in the passing game.”
The last two weeks have seen Melrose earn victories over two historically strong programs, Swampscott and Woburn. Melrose improved their record to 3-1 thanks to the victory in Woburn.
Melrose got off to a slow start, where the Tanners took their opening drive at Melrose’s 48-yard line and drove it in for the first score of the game, taking a 7-0 lead. Melrose quickly responded, thanks to a good kick return from sophomore Parker Siebel to the 39-yard line. The Melrose offense got in gear behind senior captain quarterback Jack Feeney, who gained nine yards on a QB keeper around the left side. Feeney then dropped back and threw a beautiful pass that fell perfectly into the waiting arms of senior receiver Nick Vassallo who secured the catch and ran it into the end zone for a 62-yard scoring play. Junior Nate Geer drilled the point after attempt and the score was tied 7-7.
Woburn started their next drive at their own 35-yard line. The Tanners drive got off to a slow start thanks to a fine play by junior defensive lineman, Graham Kreamer, who tackled the Woburn running back for a loss, as the Melrose defense toughened.
On the next play, junior linebacker Max Lanciani applied pressure on the Woburn quarterback, forcing an incompletion. Woburn was in a third and long situation and senior captain and linebacker Jack Casey made sure Woburn would not convert as he made the tackle on the play, to force a Woburn punt.
Coach Morris spoke highly of his two senior captains, Feeney and Casey, “(Jack) Casey and (Jack) Feeney are our leaders on both sides of the ball, they had good success and gained valuable experience last year and that has carried over this year, as they are both playing well and the team feeds off of them. It was good for us to answer Woburn’s first score with a touchdown of our own, and it was good to get a stop on defense.”
Melrose had the ball as the second quarter began, tied at 7-7, and they got the ground game going behind two runs by Feeney for 19 yards, then a strong run by Parker Siebel to the 50-yard line and Melrose was on the march. Senior running back Ricky Texieria had a seven-yard run, but the Melrose drive stalled and Melrose senior Tyler Garipay had to punt. One their next possession, Woburn faced a long, third down and Melrose junior Nate Geer made a nice play on defense, nearly intercepting the pass and forcing a Woburn punt. Melrose’s offense had good gains by Feeney, Siebel and CJ Cinella on the ground, followed by a nice pass from Feeney that was hauled in by senior Tyler Garipay who gained twenty-four yards to the Woburn 11-yard line with a minute and a half to go before halftime. Unfortunately, Melrose turned the ball over inside the red zone and the teams went into halftime locked at 7.
The third quarter started with Melrose at its own thirty-eight yard line. Melrose’s ground game sparked the offense, thanks to runs by Siebel, Feeney, and junior Nolan Clark. Feeney then hit Siebel for a gain of twenty yards down to the Woburn twenty-seven yard line. Feeney ran it inside the twenty, and a Woburn penalty moved them even closer to the goal line. On third down, a Feeney keeper got the ball to the three-yard line. Melrose went for it on fourth down and they converted behind a scoring run from junior Cian Sullivan, who scored the touchdown from the three to increase the Melrose lead. Nate Geer added his second PAT of the game and Melrose went ahead, 14-7.
Woburn took over on offense looking to tie the game midway through the third. Tyler Garipay had a nice open field tackle from his cornerback position, forcing Woburn into a fourth down situation. Woburn had the ball at their own 48 with 3:30 to go in the third and sensing a critical point in the game, Melrose called timeout on defense. The timeout worked as Woburn came out to go for it on 4th down and their ball carrier was met by Jack Casey and junior Luke Kelley, who combined on a big stop for the Melrose defense as Melrose held and took over possession of the ball in Woburn territory, leading by a touchdown with all the momentum on their side. Added Coach Morris, “That was a big stop and the boys on our team fed off of the stop, they all could feel the magnitude of the moment, they were all fired up.”
Melrose’s offense wasted little time in capitalizing on the defensive stop, quickly behind a ten-yard run by Parker Siebel, with 1:35 to go in the third quarter, then Feeney dropped back and he fired the ball to Nick Vassallo, who caught it and ran it in for a forty-one yard touchdown reception. Nate Geer added his third successful point after, as Melrose was now up 21-7.
The Melrose defense took over from there. Junior Will Lusas had a big sack of the Woburn quarterback and that was followed by another sack by senior Max Lanciani. Woburn would have one last drive to close the score with Melrose, but Casey and senior Brayden Pesce had good tackles to thwart the Woburn offense.
Melrose’s offense took over at the fifty-yard line and quarterback Jack Feeney in victory formation, ran out the clock as Melrose earned a hard-fought, 21-7 victory over a solid Woburn team.
Melrose welcomes Burlington to Fred Green Field on Friday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m. in another Middlesex League test.