Xaverian Defeats the Crimson Tide 20-8

It was a hard-fought battle for the Everett High football team on Friday, but too many mistakes and a breakout performance from Xaverian quarterback Jake Farrell led to a 20-8 loss to the Hawks Friday night at Veterans Memroial Stadium.

“We didn’t play well,” Everett coach John DiBiaso said after the game. “We didn’t execute.”

In the first quarter, it was the Hawks who struck first on a 12-yard touchdown run from Noah Sorrento. It wasn’t until the second quarter with 4:13 left in the half that Raheem Wingard took off with a 29-yard touchdown run. The kick for the extra point may have been blocked, but Xaverian was charged with an offsides penalty, allowing the Tide to move up a yard and try again. Everett decided to go for two and it paid off. Marquis Holman ran in the two-point conversion, giving the Tide a one-point advantage at 8-7 going into half time.

That was all the scoring Everett would do in the game. Numerous sacks and costly interceptions overshadowed Wingard’s touchdown run and the Crimson Tide as a team faced a slew of penalties.

Even with the offensive woes the dominant defense stepped up, protecting the one-point lead until the fourth quarter. The defense forced a fourth-and-11 for the Hawks with time winding down. Rather than kicking a field goal, Xaverian’s offensive line allowed Farrell to take off for a 25-yard run; scoring what was eventually the game winning touchdown.  Even though Xaverian’s two-point conversion failed, the visitors still had a 13-8 lead with eight minutes left to play.

The Crimson Tide offense returned to the field to answer back, but couldn’t put a drive together. The Hawks defense forced another three-and-out, allowing for Farrell to finish his night on top. A gorgeous fade to DJ Sperzel put the final points on the board, giving Xaverian a comfortable lead going into Everett’s last drive. With a Wingard interception picked off by Sperzel, the Hawks ended the game with a flourish, sealing their victory.

With a tough win over Springfield last week and Friday’s sloppy play, DiBiaso has not been thrilled with his team’s production early in the season. When asked about Friday’s loss he simply said, “There were no positives. They kicked our butts up and down the field, in every aspect of the game.”

The Week 2 loss has caused Everett to drop to No. 5 in the ESPN Boston’s Top 25 Poll. They were ranked No. 2 going into the season. Bridgewater-Raynham now holds the top spot in the state going into Week 3.

Heading into the bye, the Crimson Tide will have an extra week to prepare for St. John’s Prep. The long-time foes will face off in Danvers next Saturday, September 28 at 1:30 p.m

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