| B-R | 27 |
|---|---|
| Brockton | 3 |
BRIDGEWATER — Bridgewater-Raynham coach Dan Buron declined to play the revenge card against Brockton, but his players weren’t reluctant to remove that card from the deck.
The Boxers defeated Bridgewater-Raynham, 10-6, in the Division 1 South sectional semifinals.
“That definitely was on our minds no matter what anyone said,” B-R’s Matt Reagan said after the Trojans defeated the Boxers, 27-3, on Thursday. “We wanted revenge on that team.
“We should have beaten them the first time. It slipped away from us and we definitely wanted this one.”
The Trojans (7-4) were able to even the score against Brockton (7-4) due in large part to their defense, which got interceptions from Reagan, Aidan Riley, and Alex Batista.
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Batista returned his pick 100 yards as the final whistle sounded.
With the exception of two plays that gained a combined 88 yards, B-R held the Boxers to a modest 157 yards of offense.
Bridgewater-Raynham’s ability to keep Brockton out of the end zone was noteworthy because the Trojans had allowed an average of 21.7 points this season.
“It probably was our best defensive effort,” Buron said. “It was a solid defensive performance and I can’t be more proud of the seniors.”
Reagan was one of the seniors included in Buron’s praise.
Bridgewater-Raynham was clinging to an 8-3 lead early in the fourth quarter when Reagan intercepted a pass in the end zone.
That pick set up a five-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Shawn Noel bursting 13 yards up the middle for a touchdown and a 14-3 B-R lead.
On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Riley intercepted a pass and sped 25 yards for a score with 6:16 left.
Brockton still was in position to mount a rally, which it almost did when Dominic Simpson broke loose around left end but was tackled by Reagan after a 51-yard gain to the B-R 15.
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“I never want to let up a big play,” Reagan said. “I’ll do anything in my ability to make a tackle and I didn’t want them to score a touchdown. That was my goal.”
Bridgewater-Raynham needed less than three minutes to grab an 8-0 lead, Noel’s 20-yard run capping a six-play, 57-yard drive.
Brockton’s only score came with 18 seconds left in the first half, when Ryan Clifford kicked a 31-yard field goal.
Reagan also was a factor on offense, snaring a 55-yard pass from Steve D’Emilia.
“Matt played well on both sides of the ball,” Buron said.
“He had a great day and I guess that’s why he was the MVP.”