So far, Watertown’s defense has been nearly impeccable. But even the Raiders don’t expect that to continue when they host Middlesex Freedom rival Melrose Friday night.
While the Red Hawks haven’t won the league since the Fall II season in spring 2021, Melrose has handled Watertown by a wide margin (95-8) in three consecutive wins. Watertown’s last league title came in 2014 and if these Raiders are going to maintain their hot start, they will need to slow down a balanced Melrose offense.
Both programs are coming off dominant performances. Melrose (4-1, 1-0) cruised past Burlington, 35-0, to open league play while Watertown (5-0, 2-0) shut out Wakefield, 54-0, after stopping Stoneham, 14-0, the previous week.
Under the guidance of third-year coach Joey Carroll and first-year defensive coordinator Haiden Pereira, Watertown has not allowed a touchdown or a 20-plus yard play in the last three games. Through five weeks, the Raiders have yielded just 468 total yards, while holding opponents to a third-down conversion rate of 19 percent. With Peter Pavlidis (27 tackles, 2 sacks) and Billy Werra (26.5 tackles, 3 sacks) combining for 28 pressures, they’ve forced five fumbles, blocked three punts, and come up with six interceptions, including two for touchdowns.
Melrose has shifted some pieces defensively with linebackers CJ Cinella and Parker Siebel now in the secondary. Luke Kelly and Max Hoag anchor the linebacking corps and new starters Luke Mestijan and Will Jussaume are coming on strong. Senior quarterback Nate Geer is finding a rhythm in his first year under center, as the Red Hawks have bounced back from a 17-7 loss to Danvers with impressive wins over Swampscott (26-7), Winchester (35-21), and Burlington (35-0) over the past three weeks. Richie Harrison leads Melrose with six rushing touchdowns and Siebel has three receiving scores and a rushing TD; Cinella rounds out a three-headed backfield.
“We try to be as balanced as we can be,” said Melrose’s 33-year-coach Tim Morris. “[Watertown has] some veteran guys on defense and good leadership and their quarterback [Coleman Keuchkarian-Mckeen] is experienced and a dangerous playmaker. They’re well coached and we’re going to have our hands full.”
Read on to see who we’re picking in this matchup and others in our Week 6 MIAA picks:
Thursday
No. 7 Xaverian at No. 2 Catholic Memorial: It may get worse for the defending D1 champs before it gets better. The Hawks (2-3, 0-1 Catholic) have struggled on defense, and they’re taking on a well-oiled CM (5-0, 1-0) attack. Pick: CATHOLIC MEMORIAL.
Friday
No. 1 St. John’s Prep at No. 4 St. John’s (Shrewsbury): Prep (5-0, 1-0) looks to pour water on the Pioneers (5-0, 1-0) and bring the Catholic Conference upstart back to earth after their impressive win at Xaverian. Pick: ST. JOHN’S PREP.
North Attleborough at No. 6 Mansfield: With a starting defense that has allowed just two touchdowns, coupled with a balanced and experienced offense, Mansfield (5-0) will be tough to beat in this Hockomock Davenport showdown. Pick: MANSFIELD.
Walpole at No. 11 Milton: Since dropping its opener while playing shorthanded, Milton (4-1, 1-0) has been rolling. Walpole (3-2, 1-0) has had more of a rollercoaster season, but we’ll take the Wolves to rally for a Bay State Herget upset. Pick: WALPOLE.
Melrose at Watertown: Something has to give in this showdown and Melrose will likely be able to expose cracks in what has thus far been a nearly impenetrable Watertown defense. Pick: MELROSE.
Milford at Abington: An intriguing nonleague matchup between 4-1 teams pits Abington’s multiple offense against a lights-out Milford defense. Pick: MILFORD.
North Andover at No. 12 Chelmsford: After surviving two wild wins to stay unbeaten in MVC 2 play, the Lions (4-1, 3-0) host a dangerous Scarlet Knights squad (4-1, 1-1) led by electric quarterback Austin Allen. Pick: CHELMSFORD.
Brockton at Weymouth: Fierce rivals for decades last century, these squads renewed their series last fall and Brockton scored a 19-6 nonleague win. Pick: WEYMOUTH.
Acton-Boxborough at Wayland: Behind a huge season from Brajae Walton, Wayland (4-1) is averaging 36.4 points per game and could get into a shootout with Acton-Boxborough (2-2), which just dropped 55 points in a DCL win over Newton South. Pick: WAYLAND.
Bridgewater-Raynham at Bishop Feehan: The Trojans (2-2) shut out Attleboro before heading into a bye week, while the Shamrocks (2-3) fell at Barnstable last Friday. Pick: BISHOP FEEHAN.
Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.