Football, 1-3, lost to Natick 28-0 at home Saturday, Sept. 16th. “We’re not making the plays we need to be playing,” said head coach Mike Coppola.
The game started off as a defensive battle with no teams scoring in the first quarter. North had some momentum in the first quarter after a 20 yard pass from senior Will Thompson to senior Noah Neville for a 20 yard completion to down the right sideline. A defensive penalty then put the Tigers in Natick’s territory, but a strip sack gave Natick the ball back.
A 30 yard completion from senior Christian D’Antonio to junior Max Ferrucci put Natick in field goal territory. D’Antonio would go on to score a rushing touchdown and give the Redhawks a 7-0 lead.
Later in the second quarter, North senior Thomas Byrne fumbled a kick from Natick’s punter, senior Amir Mells. This gave Natick the ball on North’s 27 yard line. Redhawks senior Malik Williams went on to score a rushing touchdown, giving the visiting team a 14-0 lead at the half.
Late in the third quarter, Junior Christian Hahm recovered a fumble on the Natick 48 yard line. Thomas then completed a 20 yard pass down the left sideline to Byrne, giving North momentum within field goal range.
However, pressure on the quarterback caused Thompson to throw interception on the very next play by Natick senior Tim Ramstrom ended the momentum drive. “We need to work on not letting them get to the quarterback,” said Coppola.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, Natick junior Angel Lebron Jr. made a catch over the defensive back. Mells also scored just after the two minute warning to give his team a 28-0 advantage, making the game a complete blowout.
“We need to go back to practice, work on our plays and schemes, but I think we’ll be fine,” said Neville while reflecting on the loss.