Sacco, Boncore lead the way in 29-8 victory over Northeast Regional
When all three phases of the game are functioning at peak efficiency, very good things happen on a football field.
From Seth Sacco’s electrifying 81-yard touchdown on the Winthrop High football team’s first play from scrimmage, to Phil Boncore’s blocked punt and touchdown, to Nick Cappuccio’s third touchdown in two weeks, the Vikings outplayed the Northeast Regional Golden Knights by a wide margin and came away with a 29-8 victory at Miller Field.
Boncore, who became the first Winthrop player in 20 years to block a punt and score a touchdown on the same play (see related story), was also the defensive player of the game, as coordinator Derek Brodin’s first unit kept Northeast off the scoreboard for three-and-a-half quarters.
First play success
Seth Sacco gave Viking fans something to cheer about right away, bursting through a hole at the line of scrimmage and then outrunning Northeast defenders to the end zone.
Head coach Jon Cadigan said it was a well-coordinated blocking scheme and pitch-fake that sprung Sacco to paydirt.
“It started with a good double-team [block] by Roy Konopaska and Matt Reardon, the center and the guard,” explained Cadigan. “Nicky Romano had to block the defensive end and did a good job. Gabe Grein blocked one of the linebackers. Riley Moccio from the backside picked up the other playside linebacker with a perfectly timed block. Nick Cappuccio’s great fake [in synch with quarterback Matt Noonan] ended up taking the outside linebacker and safety with him, and that allowed Seth to run right through the secondary.”
Said Sacco, who wears jersey No. 0, “I have to give credit to the whole line. It was a good play call by the coaches, and everyone blocked. Once I got through, I didn’t look back. We prepared all week, and it feels good to come out with a win.”
Sacco surged past the 100-yard milestone with eight carries for 114 yards. Cappuccio was a second 100-yard rusher on eight carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. Will Murphy (4 carries, 30 yards, two-point conversion reception from Noonan) and Sean Dolen (6 carries, 16 yards) also contributed to the Vikings’ dominance in the ground game. Noonan had a successful QB sneak for the final touchdown.
Spinale perfect at PATs
Sophomore placekicker Dom Spinale was 3-of-3 on extra points, making it an all-around strong day for the Winthrop special teams.
“I thought we played a great game in all phases,” said Jon Cadigan. “One of the plays that got overlooked was when Northeast tried an outside kick to start the second half, and Riley Moccio recovered the football, which is a huge play. We scored four plays later [on a Cappuccio 35-yard run) and really put the game away.”
Vikings host unbeaten Shawsheen Friday
The Cadigan Crew has a big test Friday night when undefeated Shawsheen Tech travels to Miller Field. The Rams have rolled past Bedford (35-20) and Belmont (48-0) to start the season and are 24-2 the past two seasons with senior quarterback Sidney Tildsley, the reigning two-time Commonwealth Athletic Conference MVP, at the helm of the Rams’ explosive offense.