As the football team entered the most important phase of their season – Thanksgiving and the postseason – they faced two very talented squads. On Thanksgiving Day, the Rebels had their annual showdown against Weymouth and on the following Tuesday, November 29, they squared up against the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins in the Division 2A playoff game. Although both of the games ended in losses for the Rebels, they did not go down quietly as the team gave both opponents a good game.
Walpole once again hosted Weymouth on Thanksgiving Day, seeking to avenge last year’s loss to the Wildcats and to prepare for their playoff game. Weymouth began the game strong as they marched down the field, but their drive came to an abrupt halt when senior Captain Dan Woods hopped on a fumble that gave the Rebels the ball at their own 14 yard line. The impressive Wildcat offense would not be stopped this day as they took their next possession into the endzone for six points. With the extra point added on, Weymouth was on top of Walpole 7-0 after the first five minutes. Walpole and Weymouth were locked in a defensive struggle for much of the first half until about two minutes left until halftime when Weymouth got a 29 yard touchdown pass that put the Wildcats ahead 13-0 going into halftime.
Early in the second half, Walpole did not show signs of turning this game around as the Rebels fumbled which gave Weymouth the ball at Walpole’s 40 yard line. However, the defense stood strong and thwarted any attempt Weymouth tried at scoring. The Wildcats offense refused to be bridled, however, and scored another touchdown off of a long touchdown pass. Entering the fourth quarter, the Rebels were held scoreless as the scoreboard read 20-0 in favor of Weymouth. The Rebels jumped to life late in the game as senior Captain Craig Hanley scored with four minutes left in the game. A blocked punt set up another Walpole touchdown, this time a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Tom Donnellan to senior wide receiver Dave Thibault. This score made the score 20-14 with Weymouth on top. This would be the final score as Weymouth’s victory gave them a postseason berth.
The Rebels had to do a quick turnaround as they played on the following Tuesday, November 29, at Bridgewater-Raynham High School against the undefeated Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins. From the beginning of the game, Dennis-Yarmouth dominated. There were times when the Rebels looked like they could start a rally. but the Dolphins would come up with big plays that crushed any hopes of a great Walpole comeback. Walpole’s first drive was promising, but the drive began on Walpole’s 2 yard line and the gains by junior running back Mike Rando and Hanley did not add up to much. Dennis-Yarmouth was about to score on their next possession, but as the D-Y player was within five yards of the goal, he had the ball stripped from him. The ball was recovered by Thibault in the endzone; however, the Rebels were not able to capitalize on D-Y’s mistake.
The second quarter was when D-Y began to make the game out of reach for Walpole. The Dolphins beat up on the fatigued defense of Walpole in a drive that lasted almost half the quarter and was capped off with a one yard touchdown run. Walpole answered D-Y’s first score when junior Brad Webber slipped out of several D-Y tackles to return the ensuing kickoff for six points. Since the Rebels missed their extra point attempt, D-Y still held a 7-6 lead with five minutes left until halftime. Within two minutes, the Dolphins built on their lead when they scored on another long touchdown pass. Walpole’s woes continued as D-Y again scored only two minutes later to put the score at 21-6 with 54 seconds left. On Walpole’s very next possession, Donnellan threw an interception that set up D-Y’s final score before the half and gave them a 27-6 advantage.
D-Y did not let up at all in the second half as they scored another touchdown, this time in the form of a 20 yard run, which extended their lead to 33-6. The Rebels never faltered in their efforts and on their next drive the passing game paid off for the Rebels as the offense quickly moved down the field. Junior Steve Thulin cut the deficit to 33-14 with his 6 yard touchdown run. D-Y could not be stopped as they moved the ball seemingly effortlessly. The Dolphins added another six points to their lead right before the fourth quarter began. The onslaught of the Dolphins offense ended in the beginning of the fourth quarter as D-Y got seven points off of a 1 yard dive. Hanley ended the game on a positive note when he battled his way towards the endzone for one last Rebel score. The football team’s quest for a Super Bowl was cut short by their 46-20 loss to D-Y.
