Dom Farrell rushed for 92 yards and three touchdowns as the Winthrop High School football team scored 21 unanswered points on its way to a 42-22 victory over Salem High last Thursday night at Bertram Field.
Farrell’s stellar contribution highlighted an exceptional two-way performance for the Vikings (4-4) who enter the MIAA playoffs (Thursday at Stoneham) on a high note.
Senior safety Michael D’Ambrosio led the Vikings’ defense with 10 tackles and two interceptions. Johnny Ferrara also had two interceptions while Nathan Previte picked off a pass and caused a fumble.
Head coach Jon Cadigan felt the Vikings played their best second half of the season.
“We talk about having a good drive coming out of the half and we did that, and we made quite a few big plays on both sides of the ball,” said Cadigan. “When you score 42 points on offense, you’re playing pretty well.”
Farrell opened the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run followed by Previte’s two-point conversion. Johnny Ferrara’s 15-yard run and Dom Spinale’s PAT gave the Vikings’ a 15-0 lead, and a rout appeared to be on.
However, the Witched regrouped and quickly closed the gap to 15-14 on a pair of touchdowns sandwiched around a successful onside kick. Senior quarterback Charlie Ferrara answered with a screen pass that Spinale turned into a 37-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead. Salem turned in a safety and then returned the ensuing free kick for a 62-yard touchdown and a 22-21 halftime lead.
Farrell’s two-second half touchdowns and Charlie Ferrara’s 19-yard TD run with just under a minute left helped the Vikings nail down the victory.
Cadigan felt Winthrop forcing six Salem turnovers was a propellant to victory.
“Any time you force six turnovers (five INTs and one fumble recovery), you have a high probability of winning the game,” said Cadigan. “I feel good about our defense against teams that are going to throw the football because we have athletes back there that can play the pass.”
VIKING NOTEBOOK
D’Ambrosio earns multiple honors
Michael D’Ambrosio’s 10-tackle (7 solo) two-interception performance resulted in him being named the Vikings Defensive Player of the Game. D’Ambrosio was also a Boston Globe Star of the Week honoree.
“I think Michael flies under the radar, so I’m glad that he finally got the recognition from the Globe that I think he deserves,” said Coach Jon Cadigan. “He’s a valuable part of our team, and a lot of the time it goes unnoticed.”
D’Ambrosio leads the team in tackles (70 in eight games). “ He’s a smart, instinctual football player who knows when to come up [from his safety position] and make a tackle near or at the line of scrimmage,” said Cadigan. “He’s shown the ability the last two years to do that. He’s also been a phenomenal blocker for us on offense and in the game against Salem, he made two pretty big catches on third-down plays.”
D’Ambrosio will surely be a nominee for the Northeastern Conference All-Conference Team, and if the Vikings can make a substantial run in the postseason, the sky is the limit for D’Ambrosio.
“I think he’s one of the best safeties in our league, for sure,” lauded Cadigan.
The other major contributors on defense versus the Salem Witches were:
Riley Moccio – 8 tackles (7 solo), sack, QB hurry, pass breakup;
Dom Spinale – 5 tackles with a sack, recovered fumble and blocked extra point;
Desmond Cassidy – 9 tackles (6 solo) and 2 pass breakups;
Johnny Ferrara – 2 interceptions; and Nathan Previte – interception and caused fumble.
Winthrop versus Stoneham
Winthrop drew a familiar foe in the first round of the MIAA playoffs. The Vikings played Stoneham in the 2025 playoffs (a 30-20 defeat) and were regular-season non-league opponents in previous years.
“There will be no surprises to what they’re doing, and I don’t think there will be many surprises to what we’re doing,” said Cadigan. “They have a ball-control offense and like to run the football and control the clock.”
Stoneham and Winthrop coaches and officials consulted and decided to move the game to Thursday due to Friday’s forecast for inclement weather.
Charlie Ferrara looms as the key
We look for Winthrop quarterback Charlie Ferrara to have a big night and lead the Vikings to a victory over Stoneham.
Ferrara has shown much improvement as the Vikings’ signal caller in 2026, and with the Stoneham defense likely keying on Winthrop’s running attack, the openings will be there for Captain Charlie to dent the Spartans’ secondary in what looks to be ideal weather conditions for throwing the football.
“It’s a teamwide feeling this year that we can throw the football on any down and feel pretty confident about it,” said Cadigan. “That’s a direct correlation to Charlie, and how much better he’s gotten this year and how much more comfortable he is in the offense.”
