The Road To The Playoffs

Will Murphy leads the way in Vikings’ crucial 25-13 win over Salem

By Cary Shuman

The week before Halloween, the City of Salem can be a bewitching place to visit.

But Winthrop senior captain Will Murphy took the Witch City by storm, turning in a career performance to help the Vikings defeat Salem, 25-13, at Bertram Field. Winthrop (4-3) improved its chances for a playoff berth and is currently ranked No. 13 in the division. A win over Gloucester Friday night would lock up a playoff berth.

Murphy, who is having a superb campaign after being sidelined for much of the 2023 season, certainly “filled up the stat sheet” in only the Vikings’ second road game of the season.

Murphy compiled 214 total yards of offense with 18 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 95 yards and 43-yard TD pass from quarterback Matt Noonan. He also made a key fourth-quarter interception and had more than 50 yards in return yardage on special teams.

“I’m extremely proud of Will because he is a player who has done nothing but work extremely hard in the weightroom for the last four years,” credited head coach Jon Cadigan. “Pound for pound, he’s been one of the strongest kids. Last year he was derailed in the preseason when he suffered an injury in a 7 on 7 Tournament. I don’t think he was on a lot of people’s radars at the beginning of the season, but his work in the weightroom has translated to the field in a big way.”

Murphy had a key interception in the second half, which Cadigan termed “a big play in the game.”

Cadigan said the offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, allowing Murphy, Sean Dolen (5 carries for 71 yards, TD), and Seth Sacco (15 carries for 60 yards, TD) to accumulate more than 200 yards on the ground.

Romano wins Black Shirt Award

Winthrop led by two points (15-13) at halftime but shut out the Witches in the second half.

“It was a great defensive performance, and I thought our coaches coached an excellent game,” credited Cadigan.

Nick Romano was the recipient of the team’s defensive player of the game award. Romano has been playing for the Vikings with a cast on his right hand.

‘A ‘gutsy’ overall performance’

The Vikings’ coaching staff was forced to make adjustments in the second half due to injuries to key players.

“I think it was one of the gutsiest wins we’ve had in the last few years,” said Cadigan. “We had injuries going into the game, and then we lost CJ Cifuni, our starting safety, [two-way performer] Sean Dolen before halftime, and we lost Charlie Ferrara, the top backup, so we were really scrambling at halftime to piece it together, but the kids were excellent filling in certain roles and doing what they had to do to win.”

Cadigan singled out sophomore Desmond Cassidy for his substitute role in the Winthrop backfield following Dolen’s exit due to an injury.

“Desmond had a terrific block on Will’s second-half touchdown,” said Cadigan. “Desmond sprung him on our buck sweep play. For a sophomore to step up there, I thought it was excellent to see.”

Nathan Previte also contributed well in a reserve role as the high safety. “He did a terrific job of not allowing any receivers to get behind,” said Cadigan.

Viking captains showing leadership

With All-Scholastic running back Nick Cappuccio sidelined by an injury, Cadigan has looked to his other captains for on-field leadership, “and our captains [Matt Reardon, Matt Noonan, Gabe Grein, Philip Boncore, and Will Murphy] have led the team with a steady hand.”

“They don’t say a lot – they just go out and do it and play hard,” said Cadigan. “Our captains are leading by example.”

Noonan’s Numbers

Senior quarterback Matt Noonan was 6-of-9 for 126 yards and one touchdown.

For the season, Noonan is 29-of-56 for 468 yards.

Most importantly, Matt Noonan brings confidence and poise into the Winthrop huddle, and the other players believe in his leadership of the offense and respect his work ethic off the field.

‘Take It To The River’

If you’re a Viking fan, and you’re sitting in the stands at Newell Stadiun Friday night, you can expect the Fishermen rooting section to offer its “Take It To The River” cheer. Newell Stadium sits on the Annisquam River, which is located just beyond the east end zone.

Winthrop-Gloucester will kick off at 7 p.m.

“Gloucester is always a tough place to play, and it’s certainly been a tough place to win over the years,” said Cadigan. “We’ve had success recently, but I think Glocuester is one of the up-and-coming teams in our league. They’re young, they’re tough, and they have a lot of skill players.”