JV vs. Hanover, 9.15.12

by Sarah Flaherty

September 15, Lynch Field, Hingham:

The Hingham 4^th grade Raiders opened the junior varsity season with a hard fought loss to the Hanover Indians 12-6. Hingham fielded an impressive list of young athletes who played both offensive and defensive positions with great gusto. On the field were Jack Donohue, Luke Milano, Charlie Noering, Nick Johannes, Ethan Gordon, Robbie Driscoll, Dominic Balonis, Nolan Heggie, Cooper Estes, Tommy Wilk, Grant Vanzura, Drew Kenn, Connor Stanley, Jake Steele, Jacob Nolan, Brian Shannon, Griffin Cusack, Ryan Devine, Conor Patten and Max Johnson.

Hanover scored early in a first half plagued by penalties but Hingham’s defense proved to be an offensive force in its own right. Following Hanover’s second TD on a kickoff return to open the second half, the Raiders defense dug in. Corner back Tommy Wilk thwarted the 2 point conversion and the game was on. Corner back Ethan Gordon, just back from a broken wrist, broke up a pass and followed up with a key tackle to halt Hanover’s charge. Denfensive Ends Drew Kenn and Dominic Balonis kept pressure on the Hanover offense all day. Midway through the fourth quarter, Linebacker Jack Donohue recovered a fumble that would set up Hingham’s scoring opportunity. On offense, the Raiders played much better in the second half. Wing back Drew Kenn made a great 20 yard run for a key first down. Quarterback Nick Johannes ran it down 15 yards and the offensive line’s next surge brought the ball to 1^st and goal. On the next play, Fullback Dominic Balonis powered it in for the touchdown.

On Hanover’s next drive, line backer Cooper Estes recovered a fumble with 2 minutes left in the game. This was followed by great offensive plays with quarterbacks Ethan Gordon and Nick Johannes each completing passes to tight end Charlie Noering. The clock ran down with the ball on Hingham’s 12 yard line. Coach Sean Reagan summed up the game, “We saw great improvement in the second half on both sides of the ball. We just ran out of time on our last drive. The team demonstrated an ability to come from behind and that takes great heart. For many of these kids it was their first live action in a football game. We are looking forward to a very exciting season for these boys.”

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