On Sept. 19, Walpole football faced Natick in their first season game. After a six year losing streak against Natick, Walpole was determined to turn around the statistics with a victory. While they maintained a lead of 7-0 throughout the majority of the game, Natick came back in the final quarter, tying up the game with little time to spare and causing the game to go into overtime.

Captain Tucker Hazell went down hard in Natick’s first drive. The play began in Walpole’s red zone, or within 20 yards of the endzone, and Hazell was covering a Natick wide receiver. Natick’s quarterback threw the ball deep into the corner of the endzone, causing both Hazell and the receiver to jump to compete for the ball.

“We both went up for the ball, and when we came down I landed really awkwardly on my left leg,” Hazell said. “The trainer came onto the field and I had to be helped off.”

Hazell remained on the sideline for the rest of the game with crutches as he awaits the verdict from a doctor on what the diagnosis and recovery process will be. He stayed positive for his teammates and encouraged the school fan section to join him in rooting for Walpole’s offensive and defensive lines.

The Timberwolves scored soon after Hazell’s injury in the first quarter from a pick six from Andrew Falzone, or a throw from Natick that was intercepted by Walpole’s defense. Falzone ran the ball down to Natick’s endzone, putting six points on the scoreboard for Walpole. After making the field goal, Walpole had a lead of 7-0.

The score held for most of the game as both teams fought through the second and third quarter. By the fourth, Walpole quarterback Cory Kilroy threw an interception to Natick’s defensive line, causing the ball to be overturned. After a few minutes of possession Natick scored a touchdown with only 7 minutes to spare in the game, changing the score to 7-6. They completed the field goal, tying the game up at 7-7 and causing the game to go into overtime.

Minutes into the overtime period, Natick ran the ball into the Timberwolves’ endzone, ending the game at a 13-7 loss for Walpole.

“It was an all around good game,” senior linebacker Tim Brady said. “We were two strong teams and we battled until the last minute.”

“We just need to bounce back for the next one,” captain TJ Farrell said. “It was tough to lose against a very good team when we put ourselves in a position to win, but we are preparing as a team to make sure we are ready to go for future games.”