WHS Football Team Runs Past Arlington Catholic; Hosts Gr. Lowell Friday
Bobby Hubert rushed for 137 yards and scored three touchdowns, including a 72-yard jaunt, to power the Winthrop High football team to a 34-20 victory over Arlington Catholic last Friday evening at Miller Field.
Hubert was the predominant weapon of the night for a Viking offensive attack that pounded the ball for 304 yards on the ground and added another 55 through the air.
In addition to Bobby H.’s prolific performance, other key contributors to the Winthrop cause were Tyler Rockefeller, who ran for 80 yards on nine carries that included a burst of 40 yards and a touchdown, and Chris Ferrara, who logged 54 yards on four attempts, including a rumble for 43 yards.
Ryan Hovermale accounted for the fifth Winthrop TD when he went over from the one yard line.
The Winthrop aerial game kept Arlington Catholic honest with an efficient 4-for-8 effort on the night. Mike Chaves went 3-for-6 for 31 yards and Hubert pitched 1-for-2 for 24 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Rockefeller was a one-man wrecking crew, taking down AC ballcarriers 15 times to lead the Vikings in the tackling department and earn the weekly Black Shirt Award from the coaching staff for his defensive prowess.
Senior Billy Hubert turned in a second straight powerful performance at nose tackle and junior linebacker Steve Perullo was all over the field throughout the evening tracking down AC runners.
The Viking special teams also had a big night, blocking two punts, one each by Bobby Hubert and Perullo, with Bobby H. throwing in a blocked PAT for good measure.
After the teams traded touchdowns to start the game, the Vikings struck for two unanswered scores before the end of the half to take a 20-6 advantage into the locker room. All three of the first-half TDs were scored by Bobby Hubert.
Rockefeller crossed the AC goal line in the third period to put the game out of reach. When AC closed the gap to 27-14, Hovermale added his TD in the final period for the coup de grace.
“Overall, we played well,” said WHS head coach Jon Cadigan of his team’s performance. “Our offensive line did a great job all night to pave the way for our runners to rush for over 300 yards. However, we could have played better on the defensive side.”
Cadigan and his crew, who now stand at 3-6 on the season, will face a stern battle this week when they entertain Greater Lowell Tech in the final edition of the 2019 season of Friday Night Lights at Miller Field.
Greater Lowell was the second-seeded team in the Division 6 North Sectional of the state football playoffs.
“Greater Lowell is a good team,” said Cadigan. “This will be a tough test for us against a school that was rated in the top tier of our division.”
The opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m.