On the Friday of May 8 at 3:45, there was another classic match up between rivals Norwood and Walpole. The lacrosse teams squared up against each other on the Turco turf. The first time the two teams met was in Norwood, where Walpole walked away with a victory there. The Stangs showed up at Walpole with only one loss, the loss from earlier in the year against Walpole. Hence, Norwood wanted nothing more than sweet revenge. The Mustangs, however, would not be able to deliver a glorious payback.
The Stangs started off the game on the right foot. After winning the open face-off the Stangs ran down the field and after a series of passes scored with 10:01 left in the first period. The Rebels were having none of it though. Walpole responded strongly to Norwood’s goal, scoring two quick goals in two minutes. The score was now 2-1 in favor of Walpole. With 8:45 left in the first period, the Stangs were within striking distance. A Norwood attack-man caught a pass from behind the net and then ripped a shot at the brick wall that is Brian Merrigan. Merrigan’s save kept the score at 2-1.
Norwood was still on the offensive and was looking to score quick. One of Norwood’s long poll defense men, #12, scooped up a lose ball that was being fought over between a host of Norwood and Walpole players, ran down the field, dangled through Walpole’s D and then ripped a shot – top left corner. The score was now tied at an even 2-2.
After a time-out called by the Walpole coach, the Rebs got the momentum rolling in their favor. They knew that they were a better team than Norwood, and started playing like it. The Rebels went on a tear, scoring four unanswered goals, three by Senior Mike White, giving him a hat trick. Norwood was able to squeeze in one more goal before the quarter ended, put the score at 6-3 in favor of Walpole.
The second quarter was dominated by the Walpole midfielders. Senior Davis Butts scored two stylish goals, showing why he is going to play Division 1 lacrosse at Loyola University. Butts won the opening face off, calmly ran down the field, juked, spun, and then ripped a shot. The moves were too much for the Mustang defencemen and goalie alike. Butts’ second goal in the quarter came from a very well executed play. The offense was set up by Junior Ryan Izzo. Izzo called a play, and saw his teammate Davis Butts cutting across the middle, in between the goal and the defense. Izzo made a laser-like pass to Butts who then shot the ball before it even settled in his net. The Mustangs did manage to sneak in a few more goals in the second quarter but could not close the gap. Heading into half time the score was Walpole 10, Norwood 4.
With the beginning of a new half the Stangs thought that they could start off with a clean slate. The Rebels though completely shattered this dream though. The Rebs poured on goal after goal after goal. At one point the Rebels had a lead of 14-4. This is when the bench players made their entrance. The rest of the game consisted of solid defense mixed with solid passes, making sure that the Stangs did not get any goals that they didn’t deserve.
The horn signaled the end of the game – Walpole with the victory, 17-8. Norwood was thought to be the second best team in the Bay State League and was supposed to give Walpole some trouble. Making light work of Norwood, Walpole showed that they are definitely one of the best teams in the state. A big win like this one grabbed the eye out-of-league rival, Medfield.