On the night of September 9, Head Coach Barry Greener and his Rebels took to the field for the first football game of the year as they faced the Braintree Wamps at Turco Field. As usual the Rebels took care of business and thanks to exceptional games by senior quarterback Tom Donnellan and junior running back Mike Rando started the season with a convincing 40-21 win.
Rando got the ball rolling for the Rebels’ offense as he capitalized on great blocking to go for a big run and the first touchdown of the game. After a missed extra point, Walpole held onto a quick 6-0 lead. With the first quarter drawing to a close, Donnellan showcased his arm strength in a 38 yard bomb to junior wide receiver Bradley Webber for another Rebel touchdown. Junior running back/linebacker/kicker Cam Hanley tacked on the extra point – making the score 13-0 – and at the end of one quarter, Walpole was beginning to take over the game.
The Walpole defense forced the Wamps to punt the ball away, yet again, and the offense began the second quarter where they had left off in the first. Donnellan once again showcased his accuracy with another touchdown pass- this time to Cam Hanley from 20 yards out. The score now stood at 20-0 as Hanley added the extra point with ease. Braintree responded with a drive of their own that lead to their first points of the night. With only two minutes left before the half, and Braintree trying to climb out of a 20-7 deficit, some luck began to turn for the Wamps, recovering an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. Any worries that Walpole had soon faded as the formidable Rebels defense forced and recovered a fumble. Coach Greener played it safe and ran the clock out to go into halftime.
Rando built on the Walpole lead as the second half started when he showed his versatility and speed and ran back the opening kickoff. The Rebels would not look back for the rest of the game. On Walpole’s very next possession, Rando found a hole in the Wamps defense and broke a long run that lead to a one year touchdown run for him. With the score now at 33-7, Walpole gave Donnellan a much-deserved rest and opted to put in junior Jared Porack at quarterback mid-way through the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Coach Greener gave some young Rebels a chance to show the coaching staff some of their talents and the Rebel faithful what the future of Walpole football holds. A future star on the gridiron could very well be sophomore running back Kyle Raftery. Not only did Raftery run hard and hit his holes, but showed tenacity and heart as he hustled to the end zone to add six more points to the already impressive lead that the Rebels held. After putting up 40 points on a lackluster Braintree team, Greener gave the second-string defense some playing time and although they played hard, the starting Braintree offense was too much for them and the Wamps would add 14 points before the final horn blew. As the Rebels walked off the field after a 40-21 victory, senior Captain lineman Dan King said, “Rando showed how he can take over a game and Donnellan proved that he can be a very good quarterback.”
On both sides of the ball, Walpole looked sharp. Granted, they were playing Braintree – a not-so-impressive foe – but with the play of some key players – like Donnellan and Rando – the Rebels sent a message to the Bay State League that once again, Walpole is the team to beat. The Rebels travel to Framingham this Friday night to take on the Flyers in what will be a heated Bay State League showdown.
