Health & Fitness
Kickoff Weekend: Framingham Flyers Youth Football E1, E2 and D team home opener
The E2 (2nd+3rd Grade), E1 (3rd and 4th Grade), and D (5th Grade) Framingham Youth Football Teams all took on the Wellesley Raiders this Sunday. This was their first home game of the 2013 season, and the first game of the season for both E teams.
E2: You only get one first impression, so your first game is one of the most crucial games of your season. So, this being the first game of their season, the E2 team was looking to make an imposing first impression. Wellesley struck first, scoring on a huge, 65 yard touchdown. The Framingham offense couldn’t seem to get much going in the first half, repeatedly being stopped by the strong Wellesley defense and forced to give the ball up. Wellesley kept pounding the ball on the Framingham defense, eventually scoring again on a 45 yard run. The score at halftime was 13-0 Wellesley.
Being shut out the entire first half, Framingham was determined to get something going on offense during the second half. Wellesley started off with the ball, and scored yet another touchdown, this time a twenty yard run, making the score 19-0. In a massive hole, in would have been very easy for the Flyers to lose hope and give up on the game. But the offense kept pushing through, and running back Brendan Treacy shook the whole stadium with a 60 yard touchdown run, scoring Framingham’s first points of the year. But the Flyer defense could not seem to stop Wellesley’s high-octane offense, putting up seven more points on the board with another touchdown. Although Treacy added to the score, with a 50 yard run, the Flyers ended up losing the game by a final score of 27-12. The E2 team showed some flashes of brilliance on offense despite the loss, and needs to build on this game to play at their full potential. Donovan Heggs, Moises Sontay, Daniel Keefe, and Andrew Hohenstiem had some good stops on defense for Framingham.
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E1: Going into their first game, the E1 team was trying to snag Framingham’s first win of the day. Wellesley had possession to start the game, but the Flyer defense quickly silenced their offense and forced them to turn over the ball. Cooper Gordon had a great quarterback knockdown during the drive. But, Framingham couldn’t benefit from this defensive stand, as a bad snap cost them the ball on their first offensive play. Wellesley now had possession again, and they pounced on this opportunity and led a drive that concluded with a short touchdown run at the goal line. The offense could not seem to create much when they got the ball back, but quarterback Timothy Sullivan did complete a nice pass to Cody Coleman. For the rest of the half, the defense silenced the Raiders, but another turnover, this time an interception, would contribute to Framingham’s downfall during the half. At halftime, the score was 7-0 Wellesley.
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After the break at halftime, it was once again Framingham’s ball. The Flyers desperately needed to create some offense in order to keep the game very tight. A second interception was thrown, though, once again giving Wellesley possession. Cody Coleman made a key play to stop the Wellesley player from taking the interception back for a pick-6, and the defense continued to stop the Raiders. But the Wellesley pass coverage was just too good, grabbing a third interception that set up a touchdown pass. Despite an electrifying 40 yard kickoff return by Cody Coleman, the Flyers still could not manage to convert as they fumbled again, and lost 14-0 in a tough battle. Cody Coleman carried much of the load on offense and also had a good game on defense. The Framingham defense played tremendously well, and did manage to cause a turnover of their own, forcing a fumble near the end of the game. The defensive line penetrated into the offense very well, Jackson Zanella had some good stops, and linebacker Joseph Balboni had an amazing game on the defensive side of the ball.
D: Coming off a tough loss at Norwood last week, the Flyer D Team was looking to get back to .500 with a win against Wellesley on Sunday. Framingham had the ball to start the half, but couldn’t convert. On Wellesley’s first possession, a touchdown that would have put them ahead was called back because of a penalty and the Raiders failed to score during the drive. On Framingham’s next possession, the Wellesley penetration bit at the offense, causing them to cough up the ball to Framingham. For the remainder of the first half, Framingham and Wellesley fought back and forth, constantly changing possession and leaving the score 0-0.
The two teams continued to go back and forth with the ball in the second half, and Heriberto Lopez, Akye Boston, and Waldeney Santos Jr. kept making big stops for the Flyers. Framingham looked as though they were going to put some points on the board when Akye Boston broke out with a 35 yard run, making some great moves on the defenders. The drive could not be translated into a score though, and Framingham came up empty. Jamar Williams made some key stops near the end of the game, and the game was forced into overtime. There were still no points on the board.
For those of you unfamiliar with the overtime format, here’s how it works. One team starts off with the ball at the opponent’s ten yard line. They have a chance to score. Once they have either scored or turned over the ball, the opponents are given the ball at their opposite ten yard line. They have a chance to equal or beat the previous team’s score. If one teams scores more than the other, they win. Otherwise, the process is repeated.
Wellesley started off with the ball. After a couple of short gains on the ground and a penalty that gave them negative yardage, the Raiders chose to air it out and struck gold with a 13 yard touchdown pass. They converted the extra point and led 7-0. Sadly, the same couldn’t be said for Framingham’s drive. The Wellesley defense shut them down, closing up the game. The Flyers fought hard all the way until the end, but lost 7-0 in a heartbreaking fashion.
The E2, E1, and D teams are coached by Head Coach Alex Perez, Head Coach Steve Yerardi, and Head Coach Kevin Morgan, respectively. Make sure to check out my postgame interviews with the head coaches as well as some great photos courtesy of Sesha Tekur. All three teams look to bounce back from this week’s loss and win next week, as the E1 and D teams face off against Sudbury at home.
