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Walpole Football snapped a four game losing streak by defeating Framingham, 29-12, on Friday, Nov. 3. Walpole’s record improved to 3-6.
The Rebels took the lead through a nine yard passing touchdown from quarterback Brett Lavanchy to Kyle Smith. Lavanchy led the Rebels offense with three total touchdowns with two passing and one rushing. Walpole’s scoring drive started at the Framingham’s 29-yard line after a blocked punt by captain Dan O’Leary.
“I coach the quarterbacks and I think Brett Lavanchy has stood out this year,” assistant coach Todd Collins said. “He has a skilled throwing arm, can run the football, and displays a lot of toughness on the field.”
Framingham responded to Walpole’s drive with a touchdown on the next possession, highlighted by a 67-yard rush by the Framingham quarterback. However, Framingham failed on a two point conversion, allowing the Rebels to keep the lead with a score of 7-6. Framingham had an aggressive game plan that included several onside kicks to gain extra possessions, but it did not work out as expected.
However, the plan did not pay off for Framingham as Walpole recovered the first of these onside kicks and drove the ball down the short field to extend their lead. Drew von Klock capped off the 54-yard drive with a two yard rush touchdown, but the Rebels failed on the two point conversion, so the score was only 13-6. Junior Chase Conrad repeatedly ran the ball, helping the Rebels enormously with the win against Framingham.
On the following possession, Framingham ran the ball several times but failed, making the score at halftime 16-6 with the Rebels still in the lead after making a field goal.
In the second half, the team got two more touchdowns and relied heavily on the rushing attack in order to lead themselves to victory. Lavanchy kept the ball and had a one yard run, making the score 22-6 with Walpole still in the lead. Framingham did score a late touchdown against Walpole’s defense, but they still trailed behind Walpole. The final score of the game was 29-12, adding another win to Walpole’s record this season.
After the game against Framingham, senior Conor Riley reflected on the season and said, “I think we need to have a combined effort, putting good offense and defense together.”
For the Rebel’s next game against Braintree, the team hopes to improve on their skills overall to end the season on a higher note, while incorporating new skills into the next season. Even though the Rebels only have three wins so far this year, they hope to defeat Braintree and Weymouth in order to finish the season strong.
Assistant coach and former NFL quarterback, Todd Collins, said “Hopefully next year our returning players learn from this year’s experiences and improve their skills while working hard for a better year next season.”
