Thanksgiving Match Ups
Attleboro (8-2) @ North Attleboro (6-4)
Community Field, 10:00AM
2012: North Attleboro 38, Attleboro 14
2011: North Attleboro 14, Attleboro 7
2010: North Attleboro 55, Attleboro 36
Prediction - Josh Perry, HockomockSports.com: Attleboro exorcised a few demons in the win at Tozier-Cassidy earlier this season and then went on a run that included a win over KP and nearly a trip to Gillette. North had it's playoff run ended on a cold night at Muscato Stadium by OA and will have looked at this game as redemption to end the season. If the Bombardiers are able to refocus after a tough loss to Xaverian, which I think they will because no Attleboro team has beaten North twice in a season, then they cause matchup problems with their size up front. North has struggled to protect James Kummer against bigger teams and that will be an issue again on Thursday. But, this is a program with a lot of pride and history so don't count out the Rocketeers, especially at Community Field. In the end, Attleboro has the deeper roster and should have enough for the win. The Pick: Attleboro 28, North Attleboro 14
Stoughton (9-2) @ Canton (3-7)
World War II Veterans Memorial Field, 10:00AM
2012: Canton 28, Stoughton 26 (OT)
2011: Stoughton 27, Canton 7
2010: Stoughton 26, Canton 6
Prediction - Ryan Lanigan, HockomockSports.com: This isn't exactly the rivalry it used to be but after trading wins the last two years, it's heading back in the right direction. Stoughton took 2010 and 2011 handily but Canton shocked the Black Knight's on their own field last year. With nothing else to play for, expect both of these teams to try their best to go out with a win. I think the Black Knight's are going to use last year's loss as motivation. The Pick: Stoughton 28, Canton 15
Mansfield (11-0) @ Foxboro (6-4)
Ahern Middle School, 10:00AM
2012: Foxboro 27, Mansfield 21
2011: Mansfield 14, Foxboro 7
2010: Mansfield 32, Foxboro 12
Prediction - Bruce Lerch, Boston Herald High Schools: Mike Redding was emphatic after last week's 41-0 blowout of Waltham that his Hornets were coming to play on Thanksgiving, telling the media, "We don't want to be 11-1 state champions. We want to be 12-0 and beat our rival but it would be in our best interest to score early and get some guys out and get them rested." One would have to imagine that statement has been blown up to poster size and is hanging somewhere on the walls in the Foxboro locker room. The Warriors have morphed into more of a passing team in recent weeks, keyed by quarterback Nolan Rogers and top wideout Tim Halloran, but with Mansfield looking to pile up points early, it might be a better strategy to keep Kyle Wisnieski and Co. on the sidelines with a heavy dose of running backs Keeyon Neal, Luc Valenza and Ronnie Martin. That said, the Hornets have been pretty much impossible to slow down all season, and it often becomes a matter of which offensive player gets to take his turn as the star of the game. Look for Mansfield to get its desired points early with Foxboro making a strong push in the second half. The Pick: Mansfield 42, Foxboro 20
King Philip (7-3) @ Franklin (5-5)
Pisani Field, 10:00AM
2012: King Philip 20, Franklin 13
2011: King Philip 42, Franklin 21
2010: King Philip 35, Franklin 18
Prediction - Brendan Hall, ESPNBoston High Schools: It's still been another high-watermark year for King Philip, even after getting bounced in the first round of the Division 2 South playoffs. Look for them to finish the year strong with their best defensive performance of the season, against their fiercest rival. The Pick: King Philip 21, Franklin 0
Milford (2-8) vs. Holy Name (5-5)
Milford High School, 10:15AM (First year playing)
2012: N/A
2011: N/A
2010: N/A
Prediction - Carl Setterlund, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette: I’ve got a lot of respect for Milford and its athletic program in general, but this just doesn’t seem to be their year. The Scarlet Hawks’ tough-as-nails attitude makes me think they’ll hang in there against Holy Name’s grinding double-wing offense, but the Naps have a couple big guns out of the backfield in Jeff Holland and Worcester Academy transfer Joe Caico. Holy Name coach Mike Pucko always calls a fun game to watch. He's a great schemer. You'll see a 12-play drive with 11 runs and one 30-yard completion. I know they’re on the road, but Holy Name has weathered a tough schedule and won three straight. Make it four. The Pick: Holy Name 32, Milford 16
Oliver Ames (9-1) @ Sharon (2-8)
Sharon High School, 10:00AM
2012: Oliver Ames 35, Sharon 7
2011: Oliver Ames 34, Sharon 8
2010: Oliver Ames 28, Sharon 21
Prediction - Chris McDaniel, The Enterprise: Oliver Ames coach Jim Artz and quarterback Nick Cidado admitted there was a lull in practice for the first few days after the loss to Stoughton in the Div. 3 Southwest Finals. The good news for the Tigers is that they had nearly two weeks to get past the playoffs and all reports say that OA is back on track. The Tigers have dominated this Thanksgiving series and with Sharon in the midst of a down year, it doesn't seem likely that the dominance ends this year. Look for Cidado to senior running back Matt Berksza to finish their OA careers with a bang. The Pick: Oliver Ames 28, Sharon 14
Taunton (5-5) vs. Coyle & Cassidy (1-9)
Aleixo Stadium, 10:00AM
2012: Taunton 48, Coyle & Cassidy 10
2011: Taunton 20, Coyle & Cassidy 14
2010: Taunton 35, Coyle & Cassidy 7
Prediction - Scott Barboza, ESPNBoston High Schools: This is a game of momentum. The Warriors just won their first game of the season in a non-playoff matchup against Randolph. Meanwhile, Taunton High has now run off three straight wins after a 5-game losing streak sandwiched in the middle of the season, following two straight wins to start the season. I'm betting that the more recent Tigers squad shows up, having a endured quite the gamut in the Kelley-Rex. They have the most dynamic talent in this game with senior running back Domingo Jenkins. I think he goes out on top. The Pick: Taunton 34, Coyle & Cassidy 20
Community Field, 10:00AM
2012: North Attleboro 38, Attleboro 14
2011: North Attleboro 14, Attleboro 7
2010: North Attleboro 55, Attleboro 36
Prediction - Josh Perry, HockomockSports.com: Attleboro exorcised a few demons in the win at Tozier-Cassidy earlier this season and then went on a run that included a win over KP and nearly a trip to Gillette. North had it's playoff run ended on a cold night at Muscato Stadium by OA and will have looked at this game as redemption to end the season. If the Bombardiers are able to refocus after a tough loss to Xaverian, which I think they will because no Attleboro team has beaten North twice in a season, then they cause matchup problems with their size up front. North has struggled to protect James Kummer against bigger teams and that will be an issue again on Thursday. But, this is a program with a lot of pride and history so don't count out the Rocketeers, especially at Community Field. In the end, Attleboro has the deeper roster and should have enough for the win. The Pick: Attleboro 28, North Attleboro 14
Stoughton (9-2) @ Canton (3-7)
World War II Veterans Memorial Field, 10:00AM
2012: Canton 28, Stoughton 26 (OT)
2011: Stoughton 27, Canton 7
2010: Stoughton 26, Canton 6
Prediction - Ryan Lanigan, HockomockSports.com: This isn't exactly the rivalry it used to be but after trading wins the last two years, it's heading back in the right direction. Stoughton took 2010 and 2011 handily but Canton shocked the Black Knight's on their own field last year. With nothing else to play for, expect both of these teams to try their best to go out with a win. I think the Black Knight's are going to use last year's loss as motivation. The Pick: Stoughton 28, Canton 15
Mansfield (11-0) @ Foxboro (6-4)
Ahern Middle School, 10:00AM
2012: Foxboro 27, Mansfield 21
2011: Mansfield 14, Foxboro 7
2010: Mansfield 32, Foxboro 12
Prediction - Bruce Lerch, Boston Herald High Schools: Mike Redding was emphatic after last week's 41-0 blowout of Waltham that his Hornets were coming to play on Thanksgiving, telling the media, "We don't want to be 11-1 state champions. We want to be 12-0 and beat our rival but it would be in our best interest to score early and get some guys out and get them rested." One would have to imagine that statement has been blown up to poster size and is hanging somewhere on the walls in the Foxboro locker room. The Warriors have morphed into more of a passing team in recent weeks, keyed by quarterback Nolan Rogers and top wideout Tim Halloran, but with Mansfield looking to pile up points early, it might be a better strategy to keep Kyle Wisnieski and Co. on the sidelines with a heavy dose of running backs Keeyon Neal, Luc Valenza and Ronnie Martin. That said, the Hornets have been pretty much impossible to slow down all season, and it often becomes a matter of which offensive player gets to take his turn as the star of the game. Look for Mansfield to get its desired points early with Foxboro making a strong push in the second half. The Pick: Mansfield 42, Foxboro 20
King Philip (7-3) @ Franklin (5-5)
Pisani Field, 10:00AM
2012: King Philip 20, Franklin 13
2011: King Philip 42, Franklin 21
2010: King Philip 35, Franklin 18
Prediction - Brendan Hall, ESPNBoston High Schools: It's still been another high-watermark year for King Philip, even after getting bounced in the first round of the Division 2 South playoffs. Look for them to finish the year strong with their best defensive performance of the season, against their fiercest rival. The Pick: King Philip 21, Franklin 0
Milford (2-8) vs. Holy Name (5-5)
Milford High School, 10:15AM (First year playing)
2012: N/A
2011: N/A
2010: N/A
Prediction - Carl Setterlund, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette: I’ve got a lot of respect for Milford and its athletic program in general, but this just doesn’t seem to be their year. The Scarlet Hawks’ tough-as-nails attitude makes me think they’ll hang in there against Holy Name’s grinding double-wing offense, but the Naps have a couple big guns out of the backfield in Jeff Holland and Worcester Academy transfer Joe Caico. Holy Name coach Mike Pucko always calls a fun game to watch. He's a great schemer. You'll see a 12-play drive with 11 runs and one 30-yard completion. I know they’re on the road, but Holy Name has weathered a tough schedule and won three straight. Make it four. The Pick: Holy Name 32, Milford 16
Oliver Ames (9-1) @ Sharon (2-8)
Sharon High School, 10:00AM
2012: Oliver Ames 35, Sharon 7
2011: Oliver Ames 34, Sharon 8
2010: Oliver Ames 28, Sharon 21
Prediction - Chris McDaniel, The Enterprise: Oliver Ames coach Jim Artz and quarterback Nick Cidado admitted there was a lull in practice for the first few days after the loss to Stoughton in the Div. 3 Southwest Finals. The good news for the Tigers is that they had nearly two weeks to get past the playoffs and all reports say that OA is back on track. The Tigers have dominated this Thanksgiving series and with Sharon in the midst of a down year, it doesn't seem likely that the dominance ends this year. Look for Cidado to senior running back Matt Berksza to finish their OA careers with a bang. The Pick: Oliver Ames 28, Sharon 14
Taunton (5-5) vs. Coyle & Cassidy (1-9)
Aleixo Stadium, 10:00AM
2012: Taunton 48, Coyle & Cassidy 10
2011: Taunton 20, Coyle & Cassidy 14
2010: Taunton 35, Coyle & Cassidy 7
Prediction - Scott Barboza, ESPNBoston High Schools: This is a game of momentum. The Warriors just won their first game of the season in a non-playoff matchup against Randolph. Meanwhile, Taunton High has now run off three straight wins after a 5-game losing streak sandwiched in the middle of the season, following two straight wins to start the season. I'm betting that the more recent Tigers squad shows up, having a endured quite the gamut in the Kelley-Rex. They have the most dynamic talent in this game with senior running back Domingo Jenkins. I think he goes out on top. The Pick: Taunton 34, Coyle & Cassidy 20
Poll
| HockomockSports.com Picks | ||||||||||
| Ryan Lanigan |
Josh Perry |
Michael Antonellis |
Cameron Merritt |
Jeff Pickette |
Chris McDaniel |
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| Hockomock Sports |
Hockomock Sports |
Hockomock Sports |
Hockomock Sports |
Stoughton Media Access |
The Enterprise |
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| Attleboro @ North Attleboro Thursday, 10:00AM |
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| Stoughton @ Canton Thursday, 10:00AM |
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| Mansfield @ Foxboro Thursday, 10:00AM |
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| King Philip @ Franklin Thursday, 10:00AM |
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| Milford vs. Holy Name Thursday, 10:15AM |
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| Oliver Ames @ Sharon Thursday, 10:00AM |
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| Taunton vs. Coyle & Cassidy Thursday, 10:00AM |
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| Total | Lanigan 46-21 |
Perry 55-12 |
Antonellis 57-10 |
Merritt 38-11 |
Pickette 57-10 |
McDaniel 58-9 |
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Previous Games of the Week
11/22 & 11/23 - Football: State Semifinals - Stoughton & Mansfield
11/15 - Football: Stoughton @ Oliver Ames (D3 Southwest Finals)
11/8 - Football: North Attleboro @ Oliver Ames (D3 Southwest Semifinals)
11/1 - Football: MIAA Playoffs
10/25 - Football: Stoughton @ Foxboro
10/18 - Football: Mansfield @ King Philip
10/11 - Football: North Attleboro @ Attleboro
10/4 - Football: OA @ Stoughton / Mansfield @ Attleboro
9/27 - Football: North Attleboro @ Mansfield
11/15 - Football: Stoughton @ Oliver Ames (D3 Southwest Finals)
11/8 - Football: North Attleboro @ Oliver Ames (D3 Southwest Semifinals)
11/1 - Football: MIAA Playoffs
10/25 - Football: Stoughton @ Foxboro
10/18 - Football: Mansfield @ King Philip
10/11 - Football: North Attleboro @ Attleboro
10/4 - Football: OA @ Stoughton / Mansfield @ Attleboro
9/27 - Football: North Attleboro @ Mansfield