They don’t have the firepower of Bridgewater-Raynham or Plymouth North, but the Quincy Presidents were just what the Dragons needed on Friday night in Duxbury, as they fell to the home team, 33-6. The special teams play of senior captain Matt Savard and the passing and running of sophomore QB Matt O’Keefe told the story for Duxbury, as the team broke out of its scoring slump in winning its first game of the season.

Coming off one of the toughest outings of his young varsity career against Plymouth North, O’Keefe went 10 of 14 for 140 yards and two TDs, while also scoring a TD from one yard out late in the first half to lead his team to a 20-6 lead at halftime.

“Matt is doing a nice job, but he’s still making some mistakes,” said Coach Dave Maimaron. “He’s progressing and is heading in the right direction like the rest of the team.”

Meanwhile, Savard showed the explosiveness he brings to the team that was missing in the first two games after he was hampered by a concussion in the preseason. With 37 seconds left in the first quarter, the senior receiver grabbed a short punt on the bounce and bolted down the left sideline to score on a 32-yard punt return. Ben Startzell nailed the extra point to give the Dragons a 7-0 lead.

Defensive back Rob Kates recovered a loose ball on the next series, giving Duxbury great field position at the 23 yard line.

On the first play of the drive, O’Keefe dropped back and spotted Matt Hallisey running a slant from left to right. He hit the junior receiver in stride as he turned upfield, splitting the President’s defensive backs and running into the end zone for a 23-yard TD pass. Startzell’s PAT was wide right and the Dragons lead stood at 13-0 with 9:08 left in the half.

With less than five minutes to go in the half, the Duxbury defense forced a Quincy punt after they moved the ball out to midfield. Savard went back to field it and it bounced off his hands, rolling through the grasp of a half dozen players before coming to a stop at the Duxbury one-yard line with Quincy in possession.

It took junior Rod Newsome just one play to get the Presidents back in the ball game, as the Duxbury lead shrunk to 13-6 with 3:52 left in the half.

The next series almost proved disastrous for the Dragons, as they turned the ball over on an O’Keefe fumble at the Quincy 44-yard line.

A stellar defensive effort by the Dragons forced another Quincy punt that was fielded by Savard on his own 15-yard line. He sprinted to his left and turned his defenders, racing up the left sideline for 80 yards before being taken down on the Quincy 5-yard line. Three plays later O’Keefe was into the end zone and the hosts went into the locker room in the lead.

The Dragons came out for the second half and struck immediately with a 63-yard drive, culminating in a spectacular TD grab of 35 yards by Savard, as he beat senior captain Ken Nguyen down the left sideline to make it 27-6 after Startzell’s PAT.

Quincy was now forced to go to the air, and C.J. Cote and Aaron Kramer made life uncomfortable for Peterson, as consecutive sacks by the duo forced another punt to the Duxbury 40 yard line.

Junior Kane Haffey took over at QB and made his presence felt right away, engineering a 60-yard penalty-aided drive that ended when he scored on a 23-yard keeper to make it 33-6.

continued on page 4

continued from page one

Maimaron was able to unload his bench in the victory, with everyone seeing game action.

Sophomore Henry Buonagurio did an admirable job once again filling in for injured senior captain Bobby Murphy, as he rushed for 50 yards on nine carries, while Savard hauled in five passes for 75 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore safety James Burke continues to be a shining light for the Dragons, as he was credited with 11 tackles on the night. Junior linebacker Wes Dow also had a big evening with seven tackles, while sophomore safety Reilly Naton and senior linebacker John McGeady racked up six tackles each.

“We had to change our direction and get back on track,” said Maimaron. “I think this got us in the direction we want to go.”

On Friday night the Dragons will take on Hanover High School, with the game being played at Whitman-Hanson at 7 p.m.