D5-6 Football Notes: Worcester Tech aims to slow down high-flying St. Paul squad
Worcester Tech notched a big 16-6 over a quality Monty Tech last Friday, keeping its Division 5 MIAA playoff hopes alive as the Eagles set their sights on a big road tilt against St. Paul at noon on Saturday.
Worcester Tech coach Derek Robbins said it was a must-win for his team against the Bulldogs.
“You have to have it, there is no more hey, don’t worry, we have next week,” Robbins said of his team’s mentality heading into the game against Monty Tech. "The kids responded. As we get down to this part of the year, we are going to need that kind of mentality.”
Standout Charles Manu Jr. rushed for 126 yards to lead the Eagles, while Gabe Thorin and Keenan Fleming each scored 3-yard rushing touchdowns as the Eagles overcame an early 6-0 deficit.
Robbins said finding the right combinations offensively knowing teams will be keying on Manu Jr. has been a key.
“Anytime a team has a back (like Manu Jr.), especially coming off the year that Charles had last year, teams definitely have film on him,” Robbins said. “We’ve been able to get other guys involved in a big way. Teams definitely scheme for Charles, but we still have been able to have some production.”
Part of that scheme is moving players around to maximize opportunities. For example, Fleming has moved from his primary position of quarterback to other skill positions on the offensive side of the ball, while Thorin has taken a majority of the snaps of late as quarterback.
“We’re trying to spread it out,” Robbins said. “How do we get teams to respect our best players? We’ve done some mixing and matching.”
Robbins said another key will be finishing drives late in the season.
“The biggest thing for us is punching it in,” Robbins said. “We’ve moved the ball up and down the field all year, but it’s just finishing drives.”
The Eagles, who are ranked 13th in the latest MIAA Division 5 power ratings, will have another must-win this week against St. Paul, a team that has a prolific passing offense led by the duo of quarterback Tevin Mazyck and receiver John Walsh Karam. Robbins said St. Paul’s biggest strength is his team’s biggest weakness.
“Our Achilles’ heel has been the pass and this team probably does it better than most, especially in Central Mass.,” Robbins said. “The quarterback can definitely sling it, and despite their record, you can tell that when they are on the field offensively, their kids are dialed in and everybody knows what they’re doing and they have a pretty good scheme.”
For St. Paul, they will be seeking their first win of the season when they host the Eagles on Saturday. Last week, the Knights had to forfeit their game against Valley Tech, because the flu left them without enough healthy players to play.
Despite that, and a young roster that features all freshmen except five seniors, two juniors, and four sophomores, coach Jim Pisenga said there is a lot to like about his team this year.
“Our kids have battled every week and that’s all you can ask,” Pisenga said.
St. Paul has been able to put up points, thanks in large part to the before-mentioned Mazyck to Walsh Karem tandem.
Mazyck has thrown for 13 touchdowns in his last four games and Walsh Karam leads all of Central Mass. in receiving yards (844) and touchdowns (12).
“(Mazyck) can make all the throws, he’s a good quarterback,” Pisenga said. “(Walsh Karam) is 6’ 2” and can catch anything.”
As for the key against Worcester Tech, Pisenga said his defense will need to rise to the challenge.
“Defensively, we’ve got to get some stops,” Pisenga said. “That’s been a big problem for us all year.”
Auburn suited for closer role
Coming up big when it matters most seems to be the hallmark of the Auburn football team this season. A week ago against Worcester Tech, the Rockets overcame a 6-0 halftime deficit to prevail, 15-6. Two weeks before that, Auburn came from behind using a 23-point fourth quarter to upend Westboro, 29-7.
MORE: Second-half surges pay off as Auburn moves to 5-1
Last Friday against Northbridge, Auburn was clinging to a 28-21 lead late in the game when the Rockets were forced to punt it away. Fortunately for Auburn, Zack Wetzel came up with a game-sealing play when he recovered a fumble on the punt, which also helped erase a bad memory from a year ago when Northbridge scored on the last play of the game to stun the Rockets.
“It was a big moment,” said Wetzel following the game. “I was at the right place at the right time. I couldn’t see the punt at first. I hustled. I was excited. I saw the kid moving in, and it bounced off his knee. I got right on top of it. A couple of guys tried to rip it, but I made one big pull (to secure the ball).”
Auburn now sits at 6-1 with one regular season game remaining against South High. The Rockets are ranked 10th in the latest Division 5 power rankings, while the Colonels are 18th in Division 4. The top 16 teams in each division with at least three wins and seven games played will qualify for the state tournament, which starts in two weeks.
Nipmuc gets on winning track
Nipmuc snapped a five game losing streak on Saturday thanks to a 34-6 win over Sutton. Christian Morrice had two 14-yard touchdown carries as the Warriors beat the Sammies. Teammate Vincent Leombruno rushed for a 51-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 5-yard score in the second, while Thomas Howell punched in a 1-yard score in the fourth.
The Warriors opened the season with a win over St. Paul but had been unable to get back into the win column until Saturday’s effort against the Sammies.
“It was nice to get a win,” Nipmuc coach Dave Tupper said. “I was really happy for the kids. They’ve continued to work hard and I’m also happy for our coaching staff. Week after week, they’ve really put the time and effort in and it’s good to get it rewarded finally. Our kids played pretty well against Sutton and we were just happy all around with that one.”
If Nipmuc wants to make it two in a row, they will have to figure out a way to slow down an undefeated Millbury team that has scored 30 or more points in each of their last four contests.
MORE: Millbury football vaults to 7-0 after outlasting Uxbridge in one-point thriller
“They are something else,” Tupper said, referring to the film he has seen on Millbury. “They’re just so athletic on both sides of the ball. It’s a challenge that we are looking forward to. We’re kind of excited about it.”
Contact Chris Kyne at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: D5-6 Football Notes: Worcester Tech aims to slow down high-flying St. Paul squad
