THE DEFENSE, including John Fitzgerald (11), Jaden Fullerton (26), Matthew Beaver (85) and Luke Dixon (7) celebrates their big stop on 4th-and-2 which turned the ball over to Wakefield for their game-winning drive. (Alicen Encarnacao Racca Photo)
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — Wakefield’s junior kicker Carter Jefferson had worked through about every emotion available before he lined up for a 28-yard field goal with 13 seconds left and the Warriors tied with undefeated Stoneham 28-28. Spartan head coach Bob Almeida called a timeout to let Jefferson think about it even more. About 30 minutes earlier, late in the 3rd quarter with Wakefield clinging to a 28-21 lead, Jefferson was put in an impossible position as a punter, recovering a bad snap and getting tackled by the Spartan special teams inside the Wakefield 10-yard line. Caught up in the intensity, Jefferson spiked the ball out of frustration and was penalized, setting up the Spartans on the 3-yard line, which they later turned into a game-tying touchdown. Frustration, remorse, and about 100 feelings later, Jefferson was sent out to attempt the game-winning kick.
He nailed it.
After booting the ensuing kickoff deep, Jefferson’s final emotions were that of elation and pure joy as the Warriors celebrated with an equally happy Red Sea student section after one of the more stunning and exciting victories in recent Wakefield football history.
“Just a great high school football game,” said head coach John Rafferty. “High intensity, high emotion. It was just two good teams slugging it out.”
Rafferty would have to list every single player on the team in regards to a shoutout, but he was of course, especially proud of Jefferson.
“Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is his first season playing football,” said Rafferty of his kicker. “After that bad snap and penalty, he lost control and then had to deal with me on the sideline. Next thing you know, he’s in the most tense situation possible and he just executes and gets it done. My hat is off to him.”
Jefferson’s heroics were the final check mark of a long list of game-winning plays by the Warriors. The defense stepped up to shut down Stoneham’s last two drives, one on a fumble recovery by Luciano Rossetti and another on a turnover-on-downs on 4th-and-2, giving Wakefield the ball back on their own 44 with 2:25 left. The offense, which was efficient and electric from start to finish, capitalized at the end, moving the ball and running out the clock to give Jefferson a chance to go win it.
“The entire defensive unit was great,” said Rafferty. “If I didn’t mention everyone, I would be remiss.”
The coach was equally proud of the offense, including sophomore Jaden Fullerton who rushed for 80 yards and 3 TD’s all in the first half to stake the Warriors to a 21-14 advantage at the break; sophomore QB Westin McNeilly who was 12-for-21 with 189 yards a touchdown and no turnovers; and pass catchers, junior Will Forbes (4 catches, 106 yards, 1TD), senior captain John Fitzgerald (4 catches, 40 yards) and junior Tommy DeFeo (4 catches, 38 yards) who were equal parts sure-handed and dangerous after the catch.
The special teams certainly deserves credit as well. In addition to Jefferson’s game-winner, the kickoff team provided the biggest momentum swing of the night after Wakefield tied it at 7-7 in the 2nd quarter when Jefferson bombed one deep and Stoneham’s returner dropped it while trying to recover off a bounce. DeFeo was there to recover and three Fullerton carries later, the home team was up 14-7.
As expected in a heavyweight bout, Stoneham’s counter punch was a 7-minute, 84-yard scoring drive that ended on an improbable 4th-and-15, 23-yard TD scamper by QB Sean Kilty who faked a pass after a flea flicker and found open space in a perfectly executed play to tie it 14-14 with 1:12 to go.
That gut punch only led to another Warrior haymaker.
With under a minute left on 2nd-and-21 from their own 26, Fullerton got the rock in what appeared to be a run it out situation. “Fully” didn’t see it that way. He exploded 23 yards to midfield and McNeilly stopped the clock with 43 seconds left. McNeilly connected with Fitzgerald for 10 yards on the next play and then found Forbes who broke three tackles on his way down to the 3-yard line, a 36-yard gain that put Wakefield on the doorstep with 23 ticks left. Fullerton finished it off for his 3rd rushing score of the first half, bruising his way through a tough Spartan front for a 21-14 lead after Jefferson hit his third of four successful PAT’s.
The electric environment at Landrigan only got better in the 3rd as Wakefield made it 28-14 on their first drive of the second half when McNeilly found Forbes wide open down the right sideline for a 54-yard touchdown, sending the Red Sea to another dimension.
“That was the tone from the first day of practice,” said Rafferty of the excitement that seemed to fill the stadium on every single play. “We knew this was going to be a game like no other. It was an opportunity to make a statement. There was a big buildup to this. The team was great all week and that’s how they played. They proved a lot to themselves.”
What they proved was perhaps best characterized as mental toughness. Stoneham put together another strong drive to make it 28-21 after an 11-yard TD run by Logan Tran, his second of the night. That proceeded Wakefield’s chaotic punt sequence which led to a 28-28 tie after Kilty’s 1-yard sneak with 1:15 left in the 3rd.
It felt like an entire season of thrilling plays, but there was still an entire quarter to go.
A turnover-on-downs at the 50 gave Stoneham the ball and all the momentum in the world. Wakefield’s defense didn’t care. After a sack by senior captain Matthew Beaver made it 3rd-and-18 at the Warrior 47, Rossetti’s fumble recovery gave Wakefield great field position. Rossetti was getting a cramp worked out on the sideline when he was called into the game. Sprinting on the field at the last second, he dug his heels in once again as a tackle and was the first to spot a pitch that went behind a running back, pouncing on it in the blink of an eye. Stoneham’s defense returned the favor, forcing another punt that Jefferson sent into the end zone.
With 4:44 left, the Spartans embarked on what they hoped would be a game-winning drive for their eighth straight victory. Instead, the Warriors held up.
On 4th-and-2, the defense sold out on a run, the linemen plugging their gaps while linebackers like Fullerton thumped the ballcarrier. Beaver accounted for the tackle but it was a complete team effort, as it always is against Stoneham’s relentless rushing attack.
“They played big all night,” said Rafferty of his defense. “From linebacker with (Luke) Dixon, DiFlorio and Fullerton to Rossetti, Beaver and (Jackson) Fitzpatrick up front and Fitzgerald and DeFeo coming up from the secondary to make key tackles, it was really a huge team effort from everybody.”
In the end, the Warriors pulled off an upset that nobody but themselves could have predicted.
“They just played with great emotion,” said Rafferty. “They were loving playing football and being in the moment. It was the epitome of high school football.”
The Warriors (4-4) were ranked No. 19 in the final Div. 4 power rankings. Only the top 16 make the tournament. Despite coming up just short of their postseason goals, Wakefield will move forward with the confidence of a massive win as they build toward their Thanksgiving Day game in Melrose.
On Friday at 6 p.m., the Warriors will host Lynn Classical at Landrigan Field.
