Chris Tetreault
Class of 2010
686 points over three years of varsity football is hard to imagine. Very few have clamored and pushed up the ranking to the elite classes of Eastern Mass high school football. Yet on Sunday November 15 at Turco Field, Walpole’s senior running back Ryan Izzo broke the Emass scoring record, passing Austin Prep’s Nathan Sherr who held the previous record at 682. Despite shattering the impressive record, the success of one was clouded by the failure of the group as the Rebels fell to the Natick Red and Blue, 35-14, yielding the Bay State Herget title and Division 2 postseason berth.
After a five score performance last week against the Needham Rockets, Izzo only needed one more score to break the record. That one score came late in the first quarter to put the Rebels up 14-7 going into the second quarter. After nailing the extra point as well to make his point total 686, the loudspeaker rang loud and clear—“Congratulations to Ryan Izzo, who with that score, has broken the Emass scoring record previously held by Nathan Sherr.” The success of the moment was soon overshadowed though, as Natick tied the score at 14 in the second quarter.
At halftime, hopes were high on the Rebel sidelines. “This is what we expected, we knew it was going to be a battle” said head coach Barry Greener to the tired Rebel players at the half. The clash began on the right foot for the Rebels with a 61- yard touchdown pass from senior Pete Bowes to junior Dave Conroy for a 7-0 lead. Right there with them though was the Natick Red and Blue, scoring after a 50 yard reception by Mark Parker.
Unfortunately for the Rebels, the Natick Red and Blue came out on fire in the 3rd quarter, scoring on a 23 yard rush by Natick quarterback Scott McCummings. Pounding the ball play after play, Natick was able to take advantage of a tired Rebel team, and wear down the run-stoppers who had nullified teams all year long. The bruising run game contributed to a large time of possesion advantage held by Natick in the second half. Keeping the Walpole offense and Izzo off the field helped quell any Rebel insurgence. Two more touchdown passes by the UConn-bound Natick quarterback in the 4th quarter on time consuming drives sealed the deal for the Red and Blue, with the game ending with a score of 35-14.
Despite the astounding accomplishment of the day by Izzo, the Natick defense put on a rare, stifling performance, limiting the all-star back to 28 total rushing yards. All season long team after team has tried defense after defense to put a stop Izzo’s domination of the ground. With truly a very physical and tiring battle, Natick’s defense came out on top with a final solution. With the win over Walpole, Natick will propel itself into the Division 2 playoffs to face the nearby Hockomock league champions, Franklin.
Although the loss was discouraging for the Rebels, hearts were lifted upon reflection, as one of its own had risen to an elite level, forever cementing his name among the greats of not just Walpole, but Eastern Mass football as well. “Izzo may have been one of the greatest players to come through the Walpole program” commented head coach Barry Greener. Such a statement is much more of an honor considering the history of Walpole football. In the past 40 years Walpole football has only participated for two losing seasons. Teammates and fans alike appreciate Izzo’s feat and embrace his achievement despite the gloomy air surrounding the loss. “We couldn’t be happier for Izzo, the loss really hurts for us, but as a team we are proud of what he has done” explained senior quarterback Pete Bowes. Pride should not only be held in Izzo but in the entire 2009 team for coming as far as they did while fostering such a lasting star.
