Overview
Something is a little different this week. Yes, the weather has cooled off and the sun keeps setting earlier and earlier. But for two teams, practices seem harder, longer, tougher, and with each day passing, the excitement level rises.
Depending on how you look at it, it's either "North Week" or "Mansfield Week." It's officially the Fall season on the calendar and what better way to christen that in with one of the best football rivalries in the league today.
The 2-0 Rocketeers of North Attleboro will take trip to Alumni Field to visit the 2-0 Mansfield Hornets on Friday night at 7:00 in the first 2013 Fall HockomockSports.com Game of the Week.
The Rocketeers are looking to make it three years in a row after a 36-21 win at home last year and a 18-15 win on the road in 2011. North Attleboro leads the all-time series 48-30-4 but the Hornets are looking to pick up their first home win against Big Red since a 2007 - a 21-14 win.
Depending on how you look at it, it's either "North Week" or "Mansfield Week." It's officially the Fall season on the calendar and what better way to christen that in with one of the best football rivalries in the league today.
The 2-0 Rocketeers of North Attleboro will take trip to Alumni Field to visit the 2-0 Mansfield Hornets on Friday night at 7:00 in the first 2013 Fall HockomockSports.com Game of the Week.
The Rocketeers are looking to make it three years in a row after a 36-21 win at home last year and a 18-15 win on the road in 2011. North Attleboro leads the all-time series 48-30-4 but the Hornets are looking to pick up their first home win against Big Red since a 2007 - a 21-14 win.
What to Expect
Mansfield
Mansfield head coach Mike Redding said before the season started that he wouldn't be surprised if this year the team threw for more than they ran. So far, they are right on track. Senior captain quarterback Kyle Wisnieski has been the main focus of the Hornets offense, throwing for 441 yards through two games, adding 54 more yards on the ground. He's connected for four touchdowns in the air without throwing a pick and has added two touchdowns by running it in.
Don't expect the Hornets to change that now. Wisnieski already has top targets Michael Hershman - 4 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD - and Brendan Hill - 14 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD - and now he's getting even more help. Senior Kyle Hurley will make his season debut this week and if this past summer is any indication, #18 might become the new top target. Add in the fact that Wisnieski has found great success by dumping it off to his backs, the North Attleboro defense is going to have its hand's full.
A big question mark for Mansfield this season was on the defensive side of the ball. But after limiting Dunbar QB William Crest - a West Virginia commit - and shutting out a strong Milton squad, it seems the defense is doing fine. Now the Hornets will deal with a Big Red squad that is averaging 31 points a game. Sophomore Connor Finerty has emerged not only as an option in the back field but an early leader on the defensive side of the ball. He leads the Hornets with a team-high 12 tackles, including a team-high 7 solo tackles. He also came up with a key interception against Milton.
The bottom line for Mansfield is that they aren't hiding much. They come as advertise and they dare you to beat them.
North Attleboro
North Attleboro head coach Don Johnson spoke before the season about his team lacking the size of past years, but making up for it with team speed. He had concerns about the line of scrimmage but raved about the depth and talent of his secondary. That speed and depth has held the first two opponents to a combined 17 points and 8-21 passing (two of those completions were for negative yards).
Clearly, the secondary will be put to a much stiffer test on Friday night against the prolific passing game of the Hornets, but Mike Lambert, Jake Lang, and Jack Blasé have shown the ability to close quickly and get their hands on the football. The loss of captain Matt D’Attilio will clearly hurt the Rocketeers in the middle of the field, as his closing speed and tenacity were a huge help, but Chris Hunter and Kyle Rodrigues stepped up against Feehan (on both sides of the ball) and will need to again on Friday. The key for the Rocketeers is getting pressure on the quarterback, which they were very effective at against the bigger Eagles.
Offensively, North has not shown the explosiveness of last year’s squad, but James Kummer has been efficient throwing the ball (10-13, 131 yards vs. BC High) and the Rocketeers have used a combination of backs to get the job done. Hunter had three TD’s filling in for D’Attilio last week, but Blasé, Lambert and Rodrigues are also weapons that North can exploit. It’s all about versatility between the run and pass and North will need all of it against the favored Hornets.
Big Red football does not play the underdog very often and it has given this year’s team an edge. North goes into it this game thinking that everyone has already counted them out - that makes North Attleboro a very dangerous opponent.
Mansfield head coach Mike Redding said before the season started that he wouldn't be surprised if this year the team threw for more than they ran. So far, they are right on track. Senior captain quarterback Kyle Wisnieski has been the main focus of the Hornets offense, throwing for 441 yards through two games, adding 54 more yards on the ground. He's connected for four touchdowns in the air without throwing a pick and has added two touchdowns by running it in.
Don't expect the Hornets to change that now. Wisnieski already has top targets Michael Hershman - 4 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD - and Brendan Hill - 14 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD - and now he's getting even more help. Senior Kyle Hurley will make his season debut this week and if this past summer is any indication, #18 might become the new top target. Add in the fact that Wisnieski has found great success by dumping it off to his backs, the North Attleboro defense is going to have its hand's full.
A big question mark for Mansfield this season was on the defensive side of the ball. But after limiting Dunbar QB William Crest - a West Virginia commit - and shutting out a strong Milton squad, it seems the defense is doing fine. Now the Hornets will deal with a Big Red squad that is averaging 31 points a game. Sophomore Connor Finerty has emerged not only as an option in the back field but an early leader on the defensive side of the ball. He leads the Hornets with a team-high 12 tackles, including a team-high 7 solo tackles. He also came up with a key interception against Milton.
The bottom line for Mansfield is that they aren't hiding much. They come as advertise and they dare you to beat them.
North Attleboro
North Attleboro head coach Don Johnson spoke before the season about his team lacking the size of past years, but making up for it with team speed. He had concerns about the line of scrimmage but raved about the depth and talent of his secondary. That speed and depth has held the first two opponents to a combined 17 points and 8-21 passing (two of those completions were for negative yards).
Clearly, the secondary will be put to a much stiffer test on Friday night against the prolific passing game of the Hornets, but Mike Lambert, Jake Lang, and Jack Blasé have shown the ability to close quickly and get their hands on the football. The loss of captain Matt D’Attilio will clearly hurt the Rocketeers in the middle of the field, as his closing speed and tenacity were a huge help, but Chris Hunter and Kyle Rodrigues stepped up against Feehan (on both sides of the ball) and will need to again on Friday. The key for the Rocketeers is getting pressure on the quarterback, which they were very effective at against the bigger Eagles.
Offensively, North has not shown the explosiveness of last year’s squad, but James Kummer has been efficient throwing the ball (10-13, 131 yards vs. BC High) and the Rocketeers have used a combination of backs to get the job done. Hunter had three TD’s filling in for D’Attilio last week, but Blasé, Lambert and Rodrigues are also weapons that North can exploit. It’s all about versatility between the run and pass and North will need all of it against the favored Hornets.
Big Red football does not play the underdog very often and it has given this year’s team an edge. North goes into it this game thinking that everyone has already counted them out - that makes North Attleboro a very dangerous opponent.
Game of the Week - The Pick
Ryan Lanigan, HockomockSports.com
As the week goes on, I continued to try and figure out where I stood on this one. North Attleboro loves to prove me wrong it seems in almost every sport each time I predict against them, but there's a reason why Mansfield is #1 in our Hock 5 and a reason why ESPNBoston, The Boston Herald, and The Boston Globe have them ranked. I mentioned on the podcast it will come down to the Mansfield defense against the North offense and that's because big games like this are always decided away from what people are focusing on. Don't be surprised if we see a huge defensive play by a relatively unknown to seal this one.
The Pick: Mansfield 27, North Attleboro 20
Josh Perry, HockomockSports.com
This is probably the fiercest rivalry in the Hockomock based on the history of these two teams battling almost every year for the league title and it was probably the GOTW no matter who else was playing. Mansfield enters the season as the favorite in the league, but North is playing with an edge because the team believes that people have underestimated them.North is strong and quick in the secondary, which will help combat the Hornets passing attack and make it a difficult night, but the question is can they score enough points. Putting up 42 against Bishop Feehan was great, but the Hornets are a much better team. I think the Hornets have the talent (Wisnieski, Hershman, and Hill) to pull this one out and claim its first home win over North since 2007, but it should come down to the final quarter to decide it.
The Pick: Mansfield 28, North Attleboro 27
Danny Ventura, Boston Herald High Schools
North Attleboro took a major hit with the recent injury to captain Mike D'Attilo. Even with him, the Red Rocketeers would have been hard-pressed to hang in there with the Hornets and their impressive array of talent at the skill positions. Like Mansfield, but North Attleboro will be competitive here.
The Pick: Mansfield 21, North Attleboro 13
Chris McDaniel, The Enterprise
Mansfield would be considered the no. 1 team in the state had Xaverian not obliterated Bridgewater-Raynham, 49-13, last week. The Hornets surely haven't forgotten that they've lost their last two outings against the Red Rocketeers and playing at home just swings the pendulum even more in Mansfield's favor. The Hornets may have a bevy of receiving targets, but North Attleboro will hold their own in containing them, but the Rocketeers won't have enough offense to knock off Mansfield.
The Pick: Mansfield 28, North Attleboro 14
Brendan Hall, ESPNBoston High Schools
The ankle injury to Matt D'Attilio is a big blow to the Red Rocketeers, in some of the same way losing Alex Jette for an extended period of time last year was. Jette was an elite home-run threat wherever he lined up, but D'Attilio was a different breed that truly embodied the prototype North Attleboro player -- blue-collared, shoulder-to-the-wheel, undersized but never out-hustled. They can pick up slack without him, but when you look at the daunting task before them -- namely, how do you neutralize such a unique target as Brendan Hill? -- there is too much weighing in Mansfield's favor here. Still, this is one of the fiercest non-Thanksgiving rivalries in Massachusetts, which means you can take your paper and throw it out. This game will be decided by 10 points or less.
The Pick: Mansfield 27, North Attleboro 20
Bruce Lerch, Boston Herald High Schools
Going against traditional wisdom, I don't like the bye week for Mansfield. A new offensive system needs game reps early. That said, I don't want to be the guy who ruins spoil North's "nobody believes in us" mantra. It's better when everyone picks against you, then you win.
The Pick: Mansfield 28, North Attleboro 14
HockomockSports.com Picks | ||||||||||
Ryan Lanigan |
Josh Perry |
Michael Antonellis |
Jeff Pickette |
Chris McDaniel |
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Game of the Week Staff | ||||||||||
Hockomock Sports |
Hockomock Sports |
Hockomock Sports |
Stoughton Media Access |
The Enterprise |
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North Attleboro @ Mansfield Friday, 7:00 |
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Franklin @ Attleboro Friday, 7:00 |
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King Philip @ Taunton Friday, 4:00 |
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Stoughton @ Milford Friday, 7:00 |
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Foxboro @ Oliver Ames Saturday, 2:00 |
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Canton @ Sharon Saturday, 2:00 |
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Total | Lanigan 0-0 |
Perry 0-0 |
Antonellis 0-0 |
Pickette 0-0 |
McDaniel 0-0 |