MILTON, Mass. – Sophomore quarterback Mike O'Hearn (Billerica, Mass.) threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to freshman Rocco Laugelle (Cohasset, Mass.) on Curry's second possession of overtime, giving the Colonels a 7-0 win over visiting New England Football Conference (NEFC) rival Western New England Saturday afternoon in Milton. On the final play of the game, Golden Bears' senior running back Kevin Cook (Hamburg, N.J.) fumbled near the Curry goal-line with his team driving for a game-tying touchdown, and the Colonels recovered to secure their first victory of the season.
Hampered by a persistent, wind-swept rain, both offenses struggled in regulation. The two teams combined for eight punts and five turnovers in the first half alone. Curry had the first opportunity to put points on the board. A seven-play, 41-yard drive midway through the third quarter stalled at the Western New England six yard-line. But a 24-yard field goal attempt by freshman Eli Horne (Gloucester, Mass.) fell short, keeping the game scoreless with 5:34 left in the third.
After neither team was able to score on its first possession of overtime, the Colonels advanced the ball from the Western New England 25 to the 13 before O'Hearn connected with Laugelle at the three yard-line, and the rookie strode into the end zone with what proved to be the winning score.
O'Hearn finished 10-for-24 for 102 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Freshman quarterback Spencer Tyler (Yarmouthport, Mass.) started the game, going 9-for-19 for 66 yards with one interception. Sophomore Jake Cawlina (Danvers, Mass.) had seven catches for 75 yards. Cook accounted for well over half his team's offensive output on the day. On 40 carries, he gained 153 of the Golden Bears' 255 yards of total offense. With starting quarterback Tyler Ward (Wyckoff, N.J.) sidelined by injury, junior back-up Kevin Peabody (Norwalk, Conn.) struggled. Peabody went 5-for-24 for just 26 yards with a pair of interceptions.
Both defenses produced a number of outstanding performances. Curry senior defensive lineman Parrish Rogers-Reed (Westfield, Mass.) and junior defensive back Dylan Spence (Newton, N.H.) shared game-high tackling honors with 13 apiece. Freshman linebacker Devin Williams (Gardner, Mass.) contributed nine total tackles (7 solo), a fumble recovery, two pass break-ups, and an interception with a 46-yard return. Western New England was led by junior linebacker Dean Soucie (North Easton, Mass.), who amassed a team-best 11 total tackles (10 solo). Junior defensive lineman Steve Melino (Mount Laurel, N.J.) chipped in with six solo tackles, including three tackles for loss (-19 yards) and two sacks (-10 yards).
Both teams return to action next Saturday, with Curry (1-7, 1-4 NEFC) visiting Nichols at 12:00 p.m. and Western New England (6-2, 3-2 NEFC) hosting Endicott at 1:00 p.m.
