Published April 9, 2021
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
MELROSE — For three quarters of a sunny, Saturday springtime football game at Fred Green Field, the 2-0 Wilmington Wildcats looked like a team determined to snap Melrose football’s 17-game winning streak dating back to the 2018 season.
Mirroring UCLA basketball’s National Semifinal snail-paced strategy against undefeated Gonzaga later the night, Wilmington slowed the game down with a successful and deliberate rushing attack, moving the chains just when they needed to and keeping a powerful Melrose offense on the sidelines.
The Wildcats had the ball for over 27 of the first 36 minutes and were leading 7-6 going into the fourth quarter.
Melrose QB Brendan Fennell (2 TD runs, 1 TD pass) took over from there with two rushing TD’s in the final frame while the Red Raider defense continued their impressive second half by shutting down the Wilmington run game as Melrose moved to 3-0 on the season.
“Give Wilmington credit but I don’t think we played well at all in the first half,” said Melrose head coach Tim Morris. “They ran it right down our throat and we couldn’t get anything going offensively.”
The Wildcats collected 127 of their 195 rushing yards in the first half. Wilmington’s plodding, 13-play, 69-yard, nine-minute opening drive set the tone, burning nearly all of the remaining first quarter after Melrose stalled on their initial possession.
It’s not often that Melrose is out-gained on the ground but a run game that only mustered 59 yards (45 of which belonged to Fennell) was leveled out by 175 passing yards for the senior captain (6-for-12) who had three long throws steal the show.
His first of which came on their second drive. Just one play after Fennell missed an open Charlie Haggerty (2 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD) on the right sideline, he went right back to his fellow hockey linemate on 2nd-and-20 right up the seam for a 51-yard touchdown pass and catch.
An even longer play from scrimmage occurred late in the 3rd quarter when Fennell found Liam Maher (2 catches, 71 yards) down the sideline leading to a footrace and dive at the pylon where Maher was ruled just short. Fennell later ran a 2-yard keeper in to start the scoring in the final quarter and hit Ryan Maher for a 2-point conversion, evening up a missed PAT after Haggerty’s score to make it 14-7.
Fennell’s last long pass was a clutch 27-yarder to Haggerty on 3rd-and-12 from the Melrose 48 to keep a drive alive that would ultimately end in an 18-yard Fennell touchdown run up the gut to ice the game with 1:32 left.
“We were throwing the ball more than we traditionally do,” said Morris, a decision no doubt made easier knowing that Fennell would come through no matter the game plan. “He can run, he can throw, he’s a leader,” said Morris of his do-it-all signal caller. “That’s what winners do; they think they can make the big play in any situation. That’s what we love about him.”
The defense also came up with two clutch turnovers, the first of which was a pick in the end zone by junior Shea Fogarty to end the first half with Wilmington threatening on 3rd-and-goal from the 7.
The second was a fumble recovered by senior captain Matt Hickey at the Melrose 32 after a 12-yard first down run by the Wildcats, halting a strong drive that seemed destined for the end zone. That change of momentum late in the 3rd led to Fennell’s first TD run and Melrose’s first lead of the day.
While Fennell rightfully earned the headlines in this one, it was the Melrose front seven that really got the Red Raider crowd going in the second half, coming up with multiple 3rd down stops to shut down a fast and creative Wilmington run game.
The Wildcats looked primed to build on their 7-6 lead with their first drive of the second half, running it all the way to the Melrose 20, but a 2nd-and-1 was stuffed, as were two more running plays for a turnover on downs.
Playing with a lead in the 4th, front seven members including Andrew George and captain Andrew Norton-Jefferson stepped up with tackles for loss to force a Wilmington punt.
After Melrose went three-and-out again to give it back to Wilmington on their own 28, Jack Perella made back-to-back good reads and tackles to force 3rd down when Braden Marceau-Olayinka blew up a reverse play that had burned Melrose a few times already for a 3-yard loss, leading to another punt and one more chance for the offense to put it out of reach.
In addition to Norton-Jefferson, Marceau-Olayinka, George and Perella, Hickey, Rowan Smith, Matthew Dussault and Frank Capaldo all stepped up with strong second halves to tame the Wildcat run game.
It was the first of just two home games for the Red Raiders this year, the victory coming 492 days since their last appearance at Fred Green Memorial, a 35-7 win over Wakefield on Thanksgiving in 2019.
It was certainly a long time coming, especially for a senior class who worked so hard to prepare for this day – a day that they weren’t sure would ever come.
“I think our kids have been great,” said Morris. “They were finally able to get outside in May and were able to go workout on their own in the summer. We weren’t allowed in the weight room until October, so they just kept working hard in preparation and hoping they had an opportunity like this. I’ve been really impressed with them.”
The reigning Div. 4 Super Bowl champs won’t get a chance to defend that crown this year. But rather than dwell on the obvious fact that they deserved more, the Class of ’21 is focused on winning a league title, something that’s always celebrated in Melrose football’s rich tradition.
“Our first goal is always a Middlesex League championship. Your next goal is (usually) to take the playoffs but that was always as big a deal as anything – winning the league title.
“Gillette is awesome but to be champions of your league is special. We talk about just coming out, playing, enjoying the journey and being around your friends, having the support of the Long Red Line and being a part of that forever. The seniors, I’m very impressed with what they’ve been able to do this season.”
Melrose travels to 1-2 Burlington Friday at 5 p.m.
