LEO YARDUMIAN ran for 271 yards and 2 TD’s on 18 carries against Waltham on Friday night. (File Photo)

 

WALTHAM — The Warriors wanted a win when they traveled to Leary Field in Waltham on Friday night for a consolation round game after they dropped their first non-playoff game at home to Peabody on Nov. 5 – their third consecutive loss.

In the final tuneup before hitting the practice field to prepare for rival Melrose in the 61st Thanksgiving Day game, Wakefield controlled the clock and the line of scrimmage on their way to a dominant 35-7 victory over the Hawks.

“To get back in the win column was huge,” said head coach John Rafferty. “It was great for everybody. After a rough patch, it’s always good to win. It came at the right time, that’s for sure.”

The Warriors leaned on their run game throughout, especially senior Leo Yardumian who rushed for 271 yards and 2 TD’s on 18 carries (15 yards per carry).

Yardumian now has over 1,000 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on the season.

“He had a monster game,” said Rafferty of his RB/linebacker. “He basically was our offensive production. We stayed in run sets, that’s it. (Waltham) didn’t adjust so we kept at it.”

Yardumian’s first score came from six yards out before Mark Letchford connected on his first of five PAT’s on the day.

The Hawks evened it up at 7-7 after one quarter with a strong passing attack within a spread offense. Wakefield, having struggled with a similar style against Peabody the week before, battled throughout the game and adjusted to shut out the home team for the next three quarters.

With a 7-7 stalemate still the case at halftime, Wakefield shifted gears and broke free in the third with two touchdowns, a three-yard plunge by junior Bobby DeFeo and Yardumian’s second from five yards out to make it 21-7 after three.

 

CHRISTIAN DELGADO continued to haunt opposing QB’s on Friday night, collecting his sixth interception of the season in a victory over Waltham. (File Photo)

 

Wakefield had an identical 14-0 fourth quarter. Junior QB Javin Willis had a four-yard sneak to make it 28-7 and junior Nathan Delgado broke loose for a 33-yard touchdown to account for the 35-7 final.

While Wakefield’s backfield ran wild, the defense was winning the half.

“The defense was stout against the run. It was a great effort up front by the defensive line and linebackers,” said Rafferty.

Wakefield’s front seven, including seniors Luke Ickes, Nate Ickes, Chris Amyouny, Nathan Aliberti, Bryan Lynch, Yardumian and junior Ian Dixon will need to continue their strong play if the Warriors want to beat their rivals on Turkey Day for the first time since 2011. They’re on the right path after a great game in Waltham.

The same can be said about Wakefield’s secondary including junior ballhawk Christian Delgado who came down with his sixth interception of the season.

“Overall, it was a great team effort defensively,” said Rafferty.

The Warriors are now 5-4 overall. They were ranked by the MIAA as the 17th seed in Div. 3 after a 4-3 regular season, just one spot out of the 16-team state tournament. That was the result after two consecutive heartbreaking overtime losses to Watertown and Wilmington.

After the victory over Waltham, Wakefield had 12 days to get ready for Melrose. On the 25th, it will be 728 days since the last Thanksgiving game in 2019, a 35-7 Melrose win at Fred Green Field.

The Warriors and Red Raiders will kick off on Landrigan Field at 10:15 a.m.

A full preview of the game will appear in the sports section on Wednesday, Nov. 24.