Winthrop High Football Wins NEC Title

Winning a championship is never easy, especially in a year when there have been so many unprecedented challenges posed by a national health crisis.

Coach Jonathan Cadigan’s Winthrop High School had played like “champions” in three consecutive victories, including a memorable win over a highly regarded Framingham team.

All that remained in Winthrop’s way to being called “champions” forever was Gloucester, a program that has been top tier in the Northeastern Conference for decades. The fact the title game was being played at the Fishermen’s’ own Newell Stadium in front of a limited audience made the assignment that much tougher.

When Winthrop scored the first 14 points of the game before Gloucester had even touched the football and then surged to a 21-0 lead (making 43 consecutive points scored for the Vikings dating to the Framingham game), you could have excused AD Matt Serino if he was busy making a call to the company that makes championship banners.

But a fired-up Gloucester team rallied to make things very interesting before Winthrop repelled the Fishermen’s comeback and claimed a thrilling 27-20 victory.

Winthrop is now 4-0, ranked among the top 20 teams in Massachusetts, and – the undisputed NEC South champion.

The title-clinching victory was one of numerous contributors, from running backs Bobby Hubert (17 carries for 91 yards, one TD, three PATs), Chris Ferrara (9-56 one TD), and Ryan Hovermale (5-50, one TD reception), to the quarterback Duke Doherty (two rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown) to the Ian Harris-Ryan Hovermale-Stevie Perullo-inspired defense, to an unlikely special teams’ hero, Chris Viscio, whose recovery of an onside kick was one of the key plays of game.

The Vikings made it look easy on their first possession with Doherty completed the drive on a 6-yard run. Hubert’s extra point made it 7-0.

Hubert then kicked off and lofted the ball past the second row of Gloucester players. Viscio made a diving, sliding recovery of the football and the Vikings were in business at the Gloucester 32.

On a fourth-down play Doherty avoided a sack and found a streaking Hovermale in the corner of the end zone for a 12-yard TD pass play.

Ferrara made it 20-0 when he took a handoff from Doherty and using some excellent blocks from    scampered untouched into the end zone.

Gloucester began its comeback with a touchdown late in the first half and then closed the gap to 21-13 early in the second half. Winthrop answered with a 3-yard touchdown run by Doherty but Gloucester’s Quinten Ulrich reclaimed those points with a 71-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Winthrop appeared to deliver the knockout when the offense drove deep into Gloucester territory only to come up just short of the game-sealing first down on a quarterback keeper by Doherty.

Forced into desperate passing situations in the final minute, the Fishermen were unable to advance the football against the Vikings’ defense and Winthrop had its victory, its title, and a triumphant journey back to the town.

Cadigan summed up the championship season with two more games to go against Danvers and Masconomet during what now becomes the “Quest For Perfection.”

“It feels great obviously – I’m very happy for my players, especially the seniors,” said Cadigan. “They started out their freshman year at 2-9 and then they got a little bit better at 5-6 and 4-7. They put in a lot of work. It shows that hard work does pay off at times. The seniors stayed the course. They trusted the process. I think they believed in what the coaches were preaching for the last couple of years and it came to fruition on a night like Friday night.”