Published in the April 16, 2021 edition.
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — There won’t be any turkey.
No rivalries except the present – none of the past represented by swarms of alumni lining the turf – or of the future forming with pickup games behind the end zone.
Tomorrow, 12 p.m. at Fred Green Field won’t feel like Thanksgiving. But don’t be fooled. The stakes are just as high.
“This game means just about the same as the Thanksgiving game has meant for all of the seniors before me,” said Wakefield senior captain Tucker Stikeman. “After all of my time playing for Wakefield, this will be my last chance to really leave it all out on the field – and that certainly has me fired up.”
“This last game means a lot, not only for us seniors but as a team in general,” agreed fellow senior captain Danny Hurley. “We have had multiple close games that didn’t go our way this year so knocking off Melrose would feel pretty good.”
“It’s the nature of this season, it’s put a different spin on everything,” said head coach John Rafferty. “It doesn’t have that same type of feel or buildup (as Thanksgiving) but it’s one more game, the last for our seniors and that’s why it’s important.”
And why shouldn’t it be just as important as the last time these two line up in 2019? No group of high school football seniors have had to deal with the amount of hurdles this group has cleared – not even close.
Starting over a year ago, hidden amongst the larger scale of life, football players needed to find creative ways to stay ready. Even when they were allowed to be together again, nobody really knew if a season would occur, especially after it was postponed from the fall.
“This year was really tough for us because we were stuck waiting on what the MIAA was going to do with the football season,” said Hurley. “Flipping back and fourth, we never really got a definitive answer on what the season would look like. As a team we tried to stay in shape the best we could and stay prepared.”
“We did our best to roll with the punches,” said Stikeman. “We held our own captains’ practices and had some help from coach Rafferty to schedule consistent workout sessions. What made these practices work is that we all kept the mentality that no matter what was going to happen, we would come out tougher and stronger, ready for whenever the next season would be if we all stuck together and prepared.”
Sure, it’s been a little different, but not always in a negative way. The Warriors were able to share this season with their families alone. That’s a unique perspective and one they will always remember. In that same way, this group will always have a close bond. “Remember that crazy season?” will be a conversation starter amongst these 2021 Fall 2 teammates for decades to come.
The Warriors are 1-3 going into their season finale tomorrow, each game fitting into the old football nomenclature as a “toss up.” There was the season opener in Watertown in which the Warriors were leading 6-0 until the Raiders scored two TD’s in the 4th to steal a 13-6 victory. There was the defensive struggle in the home opener that visiting Wilmington won in what just might be the only high school football game to end in a 9-2 score since the Roosevelt Administration.
There was Senior Day, with Hurley kicking three field goals, leading the team in receiving and getting an interception to give the Warriors their first win, a 9-7 decision over Burlington.
And finally, there was last week, a combined 29-point second half after a scoreless first when Stikeman scored two TD’s but Stoneham’s 4th quarter touchdown and two-point conversion resulted in a 15-14 Spartan win.
On the other side of the field on Saturday will be yet another undefeated Melrose team (4-0). If the Warriors win, they would be snapping two streaks at once. Melrose has won 10 straight over Wakefield dating back to the 2013 season. The other one? Nothing really, it’s just that Melrose hasn’t lost since 2018. They’ve won 18 consecutive games.
A Melrose victory would give them yet another outright Middlesex League Freedom Division title.
Led by senior QB Brendan Fennell, the Red Raiders feature their typical mix of bruising runners, talented playmakers and a dominant defense. They have outscored their four opponents this year by an average of 30-5. Nobody has scored more than seven points against them.
“They are a powerful high school football team who does everything well,” said Rafferty. “Our emphasis is on executing our schemes properly. It’s a systematic approach that we’ve tried to hang our hats on; it’s worked, definitely on the defensive side of the ball.”
The Warrior run defense has especially been strong with collective work from the likes of Stikeman, Hurley, Ian Dixon, Luke Ickes, Nathan Ickes, Chris Amyouny, Kevin O’Neil and Nick Roberto.
The offense, led by sophomore QB Javin Willis, has shown flashes of success while working on their consistency. Stikeman will continue to get plenty of carries and Willis will need to create with both his arm and his legs to put the pressure on the Red Raiders. Hurley has emerged as a great receiving tight end and Willis has good chemistry with receivers like Roberto, Jack Berinato and Tommy Grover.
“The key to this game is execution in all three phases,” said Hurley echoing his coach. “We know we can compete with this team; it all comes down to who can execute their game plan the best. We believe we can do it better. We are definitely embracing that underdog mentality and we are looking to break their winning streak.”
“We may be the underdogs heading into this game and we intend to use that status to really shock Melrose right out of the gate,” said Stikeman. “Stringing together good, scoring offensive drives early as well as clamping down on their passing and outside run game are our biggest goals.”
In the end, the 110th meeting between the Wakefield and Melrose football teams will be about saluting the class of 2021.
“Collectively, the seniors are really dedicated,” said Rafferty. “Not just the guys who have been here (Hurley, Stikeman, O’Neil, Mykease Driggers, Louis Sandonato) but the three news guys who never played football before (Eric Keefe, Paul Holman, Luke Hopkins). They gave it their all each and every day. They did a really great job of involving themselves in the program.”
One more time, the seniors will get to compete together just like they always have. Their example will be followed by underclassmen who don’t know what high school football is like during “normal” times. That future of Wakefield football is just as important to the seniors.
“I’ll remember how it feels to be surrounded by my teammates on game day the most,” said Stikeman. “It always feels great to play with everyone willing to put their full effort into winning the game. I like to remind all of my teammates that this really is a team sport and that the true strength of the team comes from how well we work together. If you play for your teammates and they play for you, then you will have success on the field.”
“The memories that I have made in the Wakefield football program will be some of the fondest memories I will carry on after high school,” said Hurley. “Whether it’s playing under the Friday night lights or getting that win on senior night I will never forget the memories I have made with these guys. I try to keep the younger guys focused on what’s ahead and not get distracted by any adversity. I take pride in leading the boys on and off the field and to realize that being on the Wakefield football team is bigger than just that. We depend on each other, we trust each other, we have each other’s backs.”
Tomorrow’s game will be live streamed at: sites.google.com/melroseschools.com/mhs-tvsports/home
