Senior running back Shane Blass has been either hot or cold this season. After Walpole lost their premier running back – junior Mike Rando – to an early season injury, many of the Rebel faithful were worried that the run game would be affected. Their fears were taken away when Blass stepped into the backfield and completely torched the Brookline defense. Yet, in a pivotal Norwood game, Blass proved lackluster and the Hanley brothers, with their bruising rushing, were able to get the job done. In the Wellesley game on October 15, Blass reemerged as an offensive threat for the Rebels as he ran for 220 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to Blass’s performance, senior running back and Captain Craig Hanley also had an impressive day as he tacked on two touchdowns of his own.
It wasn’t long before the Rebels were on the scoreboard as Blass took the first play from scrimmage 51 yards to the end zone. Following the extra point, Walpole held the early 7-0 lead. The Rebels were almost up two scores on the Raiders when with a minute left in the first, Blass went 60 yards for another touchdown. The six points were taken away immediately though, as junior tight end Chris Collins was flagged for holding on the play. The Walpole drive carried over to the second quarter where Wellesley ended up taking over on downs at Walpole’s 49 yard line. As they have this whole fall, the Rebels defense was a stalwart against any offensive attack that the Raiders threw at them. When the Rebels had the ball back, about midway through the second, Blass had another long touchdown run. The 85 yard touchdown run gave the Rebels a 13-0 lead going into the half.
In the third quarter, the Rebels were poised to put the game out of reach for the Raiders. Craig Hanley intercepted a Wellesley pass, which gave Walpole the ball at midfield. It seemed that another score was imminent when, on the very next play, Blass fumbled and the Raiders recovered. The Raiders had luck on their side in the third quarter as there were faced with a third down and long situation and a pass interference call on Walpole gave them a fresh set of downs. The defense of Walpole seemed to wake up and forced Wellesley to punt the ball away.
The fourth quarter came and so did another Hanley touchdown. Walpole tried and failed at a two point conversion which left the score at 19-0 in favor of the Rebs. With 7:35 left in the game, the Raiders would not stop fighting and their perseverance paid off – following a high snap to junior punter Steve Thulin, Wellesley had a 1st and goal on Walpole’s 7 yard line. Senior Captain and defensive lineman Dan King made the Raiders pay though, as he had a big sack on second down that forced a 3rd and 18 for Wellesley. On 4th down, Wellesley finally got on the board with an 18 yard touchdown pass. A 19-7 game was considered to close for Hanley as he broke for another long touchdown run on Walpole’s next offensive series. The 40 yard touchdown sealed the win as the Rebels won 25-7. This Friday night, October 21, the Rebels journey to Needham to take on the red-hot Rockets in a game between two of the best in the Bay State League.
