Walpole varsity football made the trip to King Philip Regional High School for their season opener on Sept. 8. With a packed crowd in the stands and players ready for the first game of the 2023 season, King Philip dominated in every aspect of the game and defeated Walpole 31-0.
The game started with Walpole possessing the ball, but was almost lost straight from the start of the game. A lack of communication between wide receiver Jamal Abdal-Khallaq and running back Logan Keyes almost caused a muff of the kickoff, and this could have led to King Philip having the first possession of the game. Walpole luckily ended up having possession and started the game on offense.
King Philip then forced Walpole to a third down play, but junior quarterback Noah Mackenzie completed a 16-yard pass to junior Matthew St. Cyr for a first down. This would only be one of the few bright moments for the Walpole offense this game.
Walpole punted the football off the leg of senior Nick Foynes and into possession of King Philip in the first quarter. Senior quarterback Tommy McLeish would display his talent on this drive as well as junior Andrew Laplante on their opening drive for King Philip. Walpole would force the Warriors to a 4th down play. McLeish handed it off to Laplante for the first down.
Laplante then scored the first points of the game with a 10-yard touchdown to put King Philip ahead 7-0. Walpole got possession back with a chance to tie the game, but Keyes fumbled the football, which would lead to another possession for King Philip. After that fumble, the first quarter came to an end, and everything seemed to fall apart for the Timberwolves after that.
While the defense held strong, a horsecollar penalty drove the Warriors closer to another touchdown. A field goal kicked by sophomore Brodie McDonald extended the score to 10-0 for King Philip in the second quarter. Another fumble by Walpole, recovered by Laplante this time had the Warriors in Walpole territory with about nine minutes to go in the quarter.
Laplante was all over the field for King Philip as he ran into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game, this time a 31-yard touchdown run. This now made the score 17-0 King Philip.
Walpole took possession in an attempt to try and get on the scoreboard, but they could not seem to find any opportunities. With a strong running game behind Keyes and senior John Daher, the Timberwolves could not get anything going. At halftime, the score was 24-0 King Philip.
The student section was heading for the exits as King Philip put in their bench players and still was able to put up more points on the scoreboard. Later, Junior Aiden Astorino rushed in for a touchdown to make it 31-0 Warriors. That would be the final score.
Walpole looks to bounce back after an abysmal first game of the season with their home opener on Friday, Sept. 22 against Wellesley.
