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East Boston swats aside Boston Latin for season-opening victory

East Boston went down to the final play against visiting Boston Latin Friday night and it was the player who scored the go-ahead touchdown, senior Jashua DeLacruz, who knocked down a Douglas George pass in the end zone to preserve a 22-14 season-opening nonleague win.

DeLacruz, playing running back for the first time in his high school career, had scored on a 59-yard touchdown run, which, after a two-point conversion, made the score 16-14 with 8:37 to go in the second.

Latin’s final drive began on its own 20 with 3:03 remaining in the fourth. A 41-yard pass from George to Matthew Chau highlighted the drive and George actually would have scored on a 1-yard dive if holding hadn’t been called with two seconds left.

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DeLacruz made the game-saving play as time expired on third-and-goal from the 11.

”Just make sure they don’t get that touchdown, make sure we win,” DeLacruz said of his team’s mind-set on the final defensive stand. “We work hard for this. We train every day for this.”

On his TD run, DeLacruz hesitated in order to find a gap and just one was all he needed as he was untouched after that.

An interception by Christian Martinez at the goal line on the following Boston Latin possession allowed the Jets to maintain the two-point lead at halftime.

East Boston extended the lead to 22-14 about five minutes into the third when Randy Bermudez ran it in from 12 yards out. The two-point conversion failed.

The Wolfpack threatened to tie but Daniel Pedronio recovered a fumble for the Jets on his team’s 19-yard-line with 2:43 to go in the third.

The fumble was forced by Mike Portillo.

”It was great,” DeLacruz said of the turnovers. It gave us the momentum to keep going. We didn’t give up.”

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Abington 28, Cohasset 14 — Eddie Reilly (300 passing yards) connected with receiver Tommy Fanara for touchdowns of 74, 16, and 73 yards to deliver a season-opening win for the host Green Wave (1-0). Kurtis Lucas-Summers broke loose for a 67-yard rushing touchdown to round out the scoring for Abington.

Andover 49, Shrewsbury 42 — Captains Lincoln Beal (135 yards rushing, 87 yards receiving, 4 total touchdowns) and Scott Brown (15 of 19, 226 passing yards, 53 rushing yards, 5 total touchdowns) started off their junior campaigns strong, holding off a comeback by the Colonials to win the Division 1 matchup for the Golden Warriors (1-0).

Arlington Catholic 30, Lowell Catholic 18 — Isaiah Osgood threw second-quarter touchdowns of 50 and 23 yards and Thomas Driscoll took an interception back for a 27-yard score in the fourth quarter to to push host AC past the Crusader in the nonleague game.

Bedford 42, Shawsheen 14 — Junior tailback Eric Myles rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, leading the Buccaneers to a nonleague victory. Senior quarterback Jake Morrison went 9 of 12 through the air for 124 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for one. Sophomore running back Caleb Caceres scored twice for the Rams.

Billerica 35, Lowell 14 — Junior quarterback JT Green rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the Merrimack Valley Conference win for the Indians (1-0).

Bishop Feehan 24, North Attleborough 10 — Nick Yanchuk rushed for touchdowns of 20 and 34 yards for the visiting Shamrocks (1-0). The Red Rocketeers (0-1) pulled within a touchdown after Tyler DeMattio’s 51-yard touchdown but a 60-yard hookup from Aidan Crump to Danny Haggarty in the fourth quarter put the game away.

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Bishop Fenwick 35, South Hadley 14 — Steven Woods threw three touchdowns, two of them to Chris Faraca, and Aidan Silva nailed all five PATs to help lead the Crusaders (1-0) to the nonleague win.

Blue Hills 16, Hull 12 — The Warriors found their groove on the ground, with Eric Mann (122 yards), Jake Reissfelder (82 yards) and Caiden Montaz (80 yards) contributing to the nonleague road victory. Reissfelder punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and Mann added a 25-yard score in the fourth quarter.

Case 14, Diman 8 — Brady Thiboutot had a 6-yard score and a 43-yard pick-6 to help the Cardinals (1-0) pick up the victory on the road.

Cathedral 37, Roxbury Prep 8 — Manny Santiago scored twice on the ground and once through the air with a 12-yard touchdown to Anthony Pires in the road win for the Panthers (1-0). Tyqueo James also had two rushing scores of 25 and 29 yards along with a 2-point conversion run.

Dighton-Rehoboth 15, Canton 7 — Senior Jacob Suprenaud ended the Bulldogs’ hopes for a comeback, grabbing an interception in the end zone in overtime to seal the nonleague win for the Falcons (1-0). Senior quarterback Hendrix Pray led the way offensively with two rushing touchdowns, including a 40-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. Junior Cole Bilodeau notched two sacks and three-year starter Caleb Newman had six solo tackles.

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Dover-Sherborn 42, Weston 6 — Johnny Bennett scored 8-yard and 10-yard rushing touchdowns, and also caught a 40-yard touchdown from Danny Sullivan, to pace the Raiders in their season opener. Sullivan also threw a 25-yard touchdown to Emilio Cabey and a 12-yard score to Brian Olson.

East Bridgewater 29, West Bridgewater 17 — Senior Aiden Purcell’s 59-yard touchdown scamper was the highlight for the Vikings (1-0) in the nonleague win over their crosstown foe. Purcell also punched in a 3-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter to open the scoring.

Fairhaven 14, Sandwich 8 — Cadence Chase rushed for a pair of second-half touchdowns as the Devils rallied for the win.

Greater New Bedford 20, Southeastern 13 — Cam Lynch hit Aziz Ba for a 26-yard score with 50 seconds left to seal the nonleague home win for the Bears. Lynch also rushed for 1-yard and 4-yard touchdowns.

Lincoln-Sudbury 48, North Andover 20 — The Warriors (1-0) rolled to the nonleague win behind 218 all- purpose yards from Nolan O’Brien (2 touchdowns) and 178 yards on 19 carries for Thomas Dillon (2 touchdowns).

Lynnfield 28, Saugus 0 — Charles Capachietti broke open a 70-yard rushing touchdown to stamp a strong nonleague effort from the Pioneers. Nick Razzaboni went 12-for-18 with 127 passing yards, including a 40-yard touchdown to Robert Marley.

Manchester Essex 21, Ipswich 8 — Brennan Twombly connected with AJ Palazolla for 4-yard and 20-yard passing scores to lead the Hornets to a Cape Ann League victory. Twombly also hit Henry Thurlow for a 23-yard touchdown.

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Mansfield 28, St. John’s (Shrewsbury) 20 — Trevor Foley scored on runs of 5 and 2 yards in the fourth quarter as the visiting Hornets rallied for the nonleague victory in Shrewsbury. The game was not decided until St. John’s turned the ball over in Mansfield territory with 83 seconds left. Coaches Mike Redding (Mansfield) and John Andreoli (St. John’s) were teammates at Holy Cross in the 1980s.

Medway 27, Medfield 12 — Junior running back Matt Childs (two rushing touchdowns, one pick-6) racked up 158 yards on 18 carries, and Frauton added 71 rushing yards and a touchdown in the season-opening Tri-Valley League win for the Mustangs (1-0).

Methuen 48, Lynn English 22 — Juan Muniz scored on rushes of 21, 48, 9, 2, and 10 yards to power the Rangers in the nonleague win.

Monomoy 22, Cape Tech 8 — Senior running back Shaw Schuyler ran for a touchdown and hauled in another through the air to help the Sharks upend the Crusaders in a battle of Harwich crosstown rivals.

Schuyler, a Harwich native, caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Jake Vagenas on Monomoy’s first possession and then sealed the victory by rumbling for a 7-yard score in the final minutes. The senior finished with 148 rushing yards on 20 carries.

Monomoy freshman Dillon Champman broke free for a 21-yard score on his first run from scrimmage. Senior Michael Rocco intercepted two passes and scored a 2-point conversion on a pass from Vagenas, who did not return after he left the game in the second quarter following an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

Junior Ronald Timm caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Cape Tech junior QB Dylan Campeau to put the Crusaders on the board in the final minute. Campeau ran for the ensuing 2-point try.

North Quincy 48, Somerville 6 — Senior Matt Craig set the tone for the visiting Red Raiders (1-0) with a 64-yard scamper on the second play of the game and had five tackles on defense. Fellow senior Brian Rodrigues led the defense with seven tackles and had a 31-yard pick-6 in the first quarter. Senior Thomas Murray punched in a 3-yard score and booted six extra points.

Norwood 21, Stoughton 14 — Igor Reis secured an 11-yard receiving touchdown and Brian Metayer rushed for a 6-yard score to lead the offense for the Mustangs. Matt Alves also recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

Old Rochester 35, Holliston 7 — Walter Rosher racked up 186 rushing yards on 32 carries with three touchdowns for the Bulldogs in the road win. Noah Summers threw a 6-yard touchdown and rushed for a 90-yard score.

Oliver Ames 18, Brookline 8 — Junior tailback Chad Silva scored from 6 and 4 yards out in the first half and Collin Williamson added an 11-yard burst for the Tigers.

Peabody 28, Revere 7 — Junior Shea Lynch tossed four touchdown passes, including three to classmate Danny Barrett, to lead the Tanners to the nonleague win. Lynch threw for 254 yards and Barrett had 186 receiving yards. Eli Batista scored the other Tanners touchdown on a 24-yard reception.

Pembroke 42, Nauset 0 — Senior Aidan Keefe (151 yards, 3 TDs) led a backfield that racked up the rushing yards for the visiting Titans (1-0). Senior Pat Leary rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown in addition to three extra points, and sophomore Brendan Kanya had 74 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Pentucket 14, Austin Prep 7 — Chase Dwight rushed for two first-half scores, which was all the visiting Pentucket (1-0) needed to hold on for the nonleague win.

Plymouth South 35, Silver Lake 0 — Casious Johnson rushed for touchdowns of 17, 21 and 14 yards, and Cole Brunstrom threw two touchdown passes en route to a Patriot League shutout win for the Panthers (1-0).

Quincy 39, Archbishop Williams 34 — Five combined rushing touchdowns between Jarod Walker (3 TDs) and Gabriel Rodrigues (2 TDs) helped the visiting Presidents (1-0) fend off the Bishops (0-1) and Will LeClair’s four touchdown passes in a thriller. Archbishop Williams had the ball on Quincy’s 46-yard line with seven seconds left but its desperation attempt was intercepted.

Scituate 34, Milton 20 — Senior running back Keegan Sullivan proved a one-man wrecking crew for the host Sailors, rushing for 201 yards and scoring four touchdowns on a 40-yard scoring toss from Henry Gates and on dazzling runs of 2, 67 and 66 yards in the season-opening win over the No. 16 Wildcats. Milton QB Chase Vaughn threw for 3 TDs on passes of 22 yards to Michael Fulton, 7 yards to Dillon Mackenzie, and 52 yards to Jack Finnegan.

St. John’s Prep 47, Marshfield 42 — Quarterback Jack Perry engineered a 75-yard drive with 34 seconds left that was capped by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Ofurie to grab the win on the road for the Eagles (1-0). James Guy had four touchdowns on the ground for Prep.

St. Mary’s 42, Cardinal Spellman 8 — Ali Barry tossed three first-half touchdown passes to help the host Spartans (1-0) race out to a 36-0 lead. Jack Marks was on the receiving end of a 66-yard TD from Barry and also blocked a punt and returned it 27 yards for a score.

Stoneham 30, Winthrop 20 — Pat MacNamara scored on two 4-yard rushes and Jason Nutting added 4-yard and 1-yard rushing scores to give the Spartans the edge in the road matchup.

Wayland 40, Hopkinton 6 — Shayne Sutton rumbled for 169 rushing yards and four touchdowns from 4, 6, 7, and 31 yards out, helping the Warriors open their season with a road win. Adam Goodfellow threw for 87 yards and rushed for 59 yards, scoring 6-yard and 18-yard touchdowns.

Westford 25, Dracut 8 — Anthony Rudiman rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns to power the Grey Ghosts to a home win. Rudiman scored from 3, 5 yards, and 18 yards out. Peter Burdin also drilled a 25-yard field goal.