DEDHAM – A gritty defensive effort propelled the Noble and Greenough College to 10-6 victory in opposition to Thayer Academy at Burr Discipline.
The sport was in query till the tip. Trailing by 4, Thayer took management of the ball with eight minutes remaining, then engineered a time-consuming 19-play drive. Thayer marched the ball all the best way to the 13-yard-line. However with 85 seconds left to play, a stingy Nobles protection refused to permit any extra ahead progress. That started with senior captain Mac Bianchi, who sacked Thayer quarterback Dray Evriviades for an eight-yard loss on first down. After two incomplete passes, a fourth-down throw to the tip zone was damaged up Nobles’ Ryan Taylor.
“All sport, we made the large play after we wanted it,” mentioned Nobles coach Jim O’Leary, who notched his one centesimal victory as a head coach, which incorporates 15 years at Governor’s and two years at Triton Regional. “Mac is our glue, after which Ryan made a fantastic play in opposition to a receiver that was one thing like six inches larger than him. This entire group, at any time when they should step up, they all the time discover a solution.”
Nobles (5-2) stays in place to compete for a Class C bowl sport, incomes a large tiebreaker in opposition to Thayer (4-3).
“We’re combating to get our seniors one other sport,” mentioned Nobles quarterback Naeem Logan (6-10, 52 yards passing, 48 yards speeding). “The road was our MVP. I had time to throw and our D-line pressured their quarterback all sport. We misplaced two video games we felt we should always have gained, so we got here out right here impressed to get this one.”
Neither group scored on the primary 5 possessions. That stalemate was lastly damaged when Nobles’ Braylen Jenkins careened previous the purpose line for a one-yard sprint with two minutes and 13 seconds remaining within the second quarter, a play that in the end gave Nobles the 7-0 benefit.
After producing destructive (-18) yardage within the first half, Thayer coach Jeff Toussaint met along with his gamers at halftime. His senior leaders had been vocal that they wanted to be prepared to return out within the second half with a complete new offensive hearth.
“As disenchanted as we had been with the primary half, we had been solely down by seven,” mentioned Toussaint. “We knew we may get proper again in it. We had large performs from Will Bewley (10 tackles), who was so robust for us on protection, and Drew St. Pierre made an enormous play that received us proper again within the sport.”
Nobles opened the second half with a six-and-a-half-minute, 12-play drive that resulted in a 23-yard subject purpose from Thomas Corridor to increase the result in 10-0. However Thayer shortly responded, working solely 4 performs earlier than Evriviades hit St. Pierre (72 yards speeding, two receptions, 52 yards receiving, TD) for a 52-yard landing reception. The additional level didn’t join, however Thayer was on the board – trailing 10-6 – and inside one possession with simply over two minutes left within the third quarter.
“We knew we’d must make some stops,” mentioned Nobles lineman Eghosa Inomwan, a 6-foot-3 junior defensive finish enjoying his first 12 months of organized soccer. “I’ve all the time performed basketball, however I needed to play with this group. There’s an actual bond between all of us, and we’re all the time collectively off the sphere too, in order that makes these video games imply much more.”
The victory was in query till Thayer’s last move of the sport, which was disrupted by Taylor ultimately zone. The turnover on downs allowed Nobles to let loose a collective sigh of reduction by organising the victory formation for one final play.
“We needed to grind to win this sport,” mentioned Nobles junior working again Jonah Bazinet (47 yards speeding). “We don’t thoughts – that’s our model. It’s a brotherhood right here, and we’re all the time combating for one another. This was a group win and we fought exhausting.”
Nobles travels to Milton Academy subsequent week. A victory ought to safe a NEPSAC Bowl sport.
“We’re not the largest group, however we battle,” mentioned O’Leary. “This group will get after it and performs as exhausting as they will all on daily basis.”
