THE NO. 13 HORNETS, including captains, from left to right, Lucas Do Val, James Fodera and Andrew Taylor, left it all on the field in a first round road matchup against No. 4 Norwell on Friday night. (Eric Evans Photo)

 

 

By DAN ZIMMERMAN

NORWELL — Last Friday night, under steady winds and sporadic rainfall, No. 13-seed North Reading suffered elimination from the MIAA Division 6 playoffs, ousted in a hard-fought opening round. In a contest which featured five lead changes, No. 4 Norwell prevailed, handing the visiting Hornets a 39-28 defeat.

It was a reversal of roles that ultimately cost North Reading this game. Throughout the regular season, the Hornets could be counted on to emerge from the intermission armed with top-notch coaching adjustments and with that, coasted to seven wins in eight tries. But Norwell, it seemed, had ripped a page from their opponent’s manual, monopolizing the fourth quarter with three unanswered scores.

“Norwell hit a number of timely passes that obviously created momentum for them down the stretch,” said North Reading coach Ed Blum, when asked about an 18-point fourth quarter differential in his opponent’s favor. “Our kids fought for four quarters and it was all we could ask from them. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough plays.”

Understandably, there were few compliments extended to the MIAA for the organization’s playoff bracketing, particularly as school busses and spectators traveled prohibitive distances in Friday traffic to reach venues. In Division 6, for instance, the shortest trip was 28-miles, from Winthrop to Abington, while Dennis-Yarmouth trekked 94-miles one-way to reach Lynnfield only to suffer a lopsided defeat. North Reading fell in the middle, at 43 one-way miles. All of the eight favorites, by the way, won their games in the D6 opening round.

“There’s not much you can do in terms of the Power Rankings,” said Blum. “I thought the kids handled travel to Norwell quite well. They arrived mentally and physically ready for the game. But you always wonder how much of an impact home field advantage factors in.”

After a scoreless first quarter, North Reading put up the initial points midway through the second on an 11-yard flare from QB Jason Berry to Gavin Brady (9 for 124-yards, TD). Immediately following the go-ahead score, Lucas Do Val recovered a fumble near midfield but the Hornets were unable to convert. Instead, Norwell collected the ensuing punt and marched 73-yards on 6-plays, capped with a 1-yard plunge from QB Jack Luccarelli to tie it.

North Reading snapped the tie on the next play as Brady returned the kickoff 86-yards for a 14-7 Hornet lead with 1:52 left in the half. It proved enough time for the Clippers, however, as Luccarelli polished off a two-minute drill with a 1-yard toss to Connor Woodland. Norwell trailed 14-13 at halftime.

 

GAVIN BRADY races to the end zone during NR’s first round game against Norwell on Friday night. Brady had a receiving TD and an 86-yard kickoff return for a TD against the Clippers. (Eric Evans Photo)

 

As the second half got underway, Otto Indelicato, to the ever-familiar chants of  “Otto-Matic” from the North Reading faithful, took a direct snap and leaned in from the 2 for a 21-13 advantage. Once again, the Clippers responded on a Luccarelli 18-yard TD to Cole Maguire followed by a successful 2-pointer to tie it at 21.

Late in the third, Indelicato added another 2-yarder to reclaim the lead. Unfortunately for the Hornets, it was short-lived. Norwell reeled off three unanswered scores in the final frame, featuring a pair of TD rushes from Luccarelli and with 1:37 left, one from tailback William Bostrom.

“There’s no questioning the effort of our kids for 48 minutes,” said Blum, who is currently 7-2 overall with two games remaining. “They certainly left it all on the field. You can always look back after losses, and even in wins, wishing that one or two more things went your way but the one thing you should never regret is how hard you played, how much effort you put in. I thought our kids played the right way for 48 minutes. I’m proud of them for that.”

In a consolation game, the Hornets will host Bishop Fenwick on Friday at 4 p.m. The 8-2 Crusaders were eliminated from the playoffs by Norton, 35-14.

 

OTTO INDELICATO had 2 rushing TD’s against Norwell in a D6 first round matchup on Friday night. (Eric Evans Photo)