Framingham Flyers Youth Football E1, E2 and D Teams Take on Needham Eagles in the Final Away Game Of The Regular Season

The Flyers were wearing their white, away jerseys for the final time this season, and were hoping to take them off after the game, knowing that they had been victorious. The E2 Team was eagerly awaiting this game so that they could score their first win of the season, the E1 team was looking to make it two straight victories, and the D team was looking to keep inching up the standings with a fourth straight win and to add on to their streak of 10 quarters without allowing a point.

E2 Team:

Needham didn’t wait to get their engines rolling, as they scored on their first drive of the game. The Flyers had good field position to try to answer to Needham’s touchdown, but fumbled the ball on the first play. Needham would not let go of this opportunity, and struck again, putting the Flyers in a 13-0 hole. Framingham got the ball back in a thirteen point deficit in the first quarter, but cut the Eagles’ lead to 7 after some carries from Jack Oliveira and a 38 yard touchdown run by Brendan Treacy, putting the Flyers on the board. Still, Needham did not hesitate to score, and struck for a third score of the day after a few plays. It took three touchdowns by the opposing team for the Flyers to generate that spark that they needed, but from this point onward, it would be Framingham’s game. Brendan Treacy added a 64 yard touchdown on the first play of the next drive. Tackles by Jacob Fritz, Samuel Wheet, and Ethan Schrag helped the Flyers halt Needham from scoring until halftime. The score was 20-13.

Treacy helped bring the Flyers even closer to the Eagles, this time with a 54 yard score and Framingham’s second play after halftime. The Extra point was however not converted, and the Flyers trailed by one point. The Eagles had given up their massive lead, and had to get something going on their next drive, if they didn’t want Framingham to race away from them. Needham had a huge play that looked like it was going to be a touchdown, but Brendan Treacy had a crucial tackle, taking the running back down at the 7 yard line. Mark Mobley helped the defense with some key tackles during this goal line stand, and stops by Moises Sontay and Donovan Heggs forced the Eagles to turn over on downs. A huge 45 yard rush by Brendan Tracy and many rough and tough carries by Jack Oliveira helped set up a 14 yard touchdown pass from Treacy to Oliveira. The Flyers achieved their first lead in the game, leading 25-20. A determined defense helped hold on to the lead for the rest of the game, with a fumble recovery by Casey Brewer. Framingham’s E2 squad had just earned their first win of the season, 25-20, through endurance and determination. Though the win was completely a team effort, running back Brendan Treacy had a stellar game, finishing with 221 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns, as well as 14 yards passing and a touchdown (That’s 44 fantasy points in ESPN standard scoring leagues, by the way).

E1 Team:

            Much like their E2 squad, the Needham E1 team was quick to get the scoring started, capping their first drive of the game with a 15 yard touchdown run, despite tackles by Bandon Fontanelle, Jackson Zanella, and Alexander Lopez.  The Flyers looked like they had something big going on in the next drive after a 35 yard run by Cody Coleman, but a fumble cost them possession. The Flyer defense, with various tackles by Timothy Sullivan, made Needham punt the ball back to Framingham. This set up an opportunity for the Flyers to score, and running back Cody Coleman did just that, punching it in on a one yard run. Framingham could not convert the extra point, and the game was knotted up at 6-6.  Defensive pressure forced the Eagles to fumble the ball in just two plays into their next drive, and Timothy Sullivan came up big with the recovery for the Flyers. It was a battle of the defenses for the rest of the half, as the score remained untouched.

            The Flyers were looking to add on to their score and lead in the second half.  But, lack of ball protection cost them another fumble, giving Needham possession. But, Needham was not able to seize this opportunity, as Joseph Balboni recovered Needham’s second fumble of the day. Yet, the Flyers just could not seem to hold on to the ball, giving it right back to Needham with a third fumble of the game. The strong defense, being the highlight of the game, held the Eagles back with the help of tackles by Emmanuel Nieves, Joseph Balboni, and Alexander Lopez. With two minutes left, the Flyers had the ball. This was crunch time. Trying extremely hard to win in a miraculous, last minute fashion, Framingham could not close out the game with a touchdown. The game ended in a hard fought, 6-6 tie.

Although I could not cover the D team game, I was fortunately able to get in touch with Coach Kevin Morgan to get a summary of the game. Here are some game highlights:

The D Team has been on a roll for the past three games, and did not have any intention of stopping their winning streak. The Flyer offense was able to get on the board first, with Waldeney Santos Jr. scoring.  Santos added another score later in the game. Running back Akye Boston was able to continue scoring like he has been all season long, with a touchdown run, but he also had a huge play on a kickoff. He turned Needham’s kick return out of the half into a special teams nightmare, taking the ball away from the Eagles’ kick return and then running it back for a touchdown. The running backs could find open holes with ease thanks to the stellar offensive line, and the Flyer defense was able to make it a tough game for Needham, with the help of lineman Cory Hemmer and Brady Morgan. Keion Mitchell, Vincent Yerardi, and Jamar Williams also helped shut down the Needham offense all over the field. The Flyers won 33-0 in a commanding fashion, improving to 4-0.

After a three game road trip, the Flyers are once again back at Framingham State for the final two games of the season. They take on the Newton Mustangs next Sunday. Don’t stop the hard work, Flyers!