hopkinton-independent-logo2x
Hopkinton, MA
loader-image
Hopkinton, US
2:06 pm, Wednesday, December 4, 2024
temperature icon 36°F
Humidity 45 %
Wind Gust: 9 mph

SIGN UP TODAY!
BREAKING NEWS & DAILY NEWSLETTER





Hillers can’t stop Ashland’s ground game in Thanksgiving loss

by | Nov 28, 2024 | Featured: Sports, Sports

Like the rain that fell at Hopkinton High School’s David Hughes Stadium on Thursday morning, the Ashland running game left Hopkinton feeling all wet. The Clockers pounded the ball up and down the field all game, scoring on every possession to take a 34-14 victory in the 100th meeting of the Thanksgiving Day rivals.

The Hillers (2-9) got off to a great start, taking the opening kickoff to their 44 and then marching 56 yards on eight plays — all runs, six of which came from quarterback Josh Buentello. His final carry was a 3-yard touchdown run.

Ashland (6-5) answered with a 62-yard drive to the end zone, capped by a 6-yard burst up the middle from running back Kevin Ozulumba.

Both teams failed on their PAT, leaving the score tied.

Hopkinton’s next possession started at its 35, but it went nowhere. On fourth down, the Hillers went to punt, but the punter fielded a low snap with his knee on the ground, giving the ball to Ashland at the 30 early in the second quarter.

The Clockers proceeded to run a series of tight-formation carries. On the fourth such play, from the 17, quarterback Devin O’Brien tried to go right up the middle. Running into a wall of blockers, he switched to the outside and cruised into the left corner of the end zone. Ozulumba ran in the conversion for a 14-6 lead.

Hopkinton started its next drive on its 40. With Laurent Rivard now rotated in at QB, the Hillers went on the move. Key plays included long third-down passes to Buentello and Nick Pedroli and a 4-yard run on fourth-and-3 by Buentello to keep the drive alive.

On fourth-and-5 from 18, Buentello took a shotgun snap, ran right, then flipped it to Pedroli on a reverse. The speedy senior got a key block from Evan Fitzpatrick and then outran the defense to the left corner of the end zone. Fitzpatrick then caught the 2-point conversion pass from Buentello to tied the score at 14 late in the second quarter.

A solid return put the ball right at midfield for Ashland, and a 25-yard run by Cauan Amirault on the first play had the Clockers back in business. With 16 seconds remaining in the half, Ashland again went tight formation, and O’Brien was able to follow the pile in from the 1-yard line for the go-ahead score. Amirault ran in the conversion for a 22-14 lead.

Ashland started the second half with the ball at its 28 and again embarked on a methodical march down the field via the run. Amirault punched it in from the 1 with 3:29 left in the third quarter. The Hillers stopped the conversion to keep the score at 28-14.

With the momentum on Ashland’s side, Hopkinton started its next drive at its 43 and showed some grit. On third-and-7 from the 46, Buentello ran for 9 yards. Then on third-and 10 from the Ashland 41, Buentello found Liam Grady for a 13-yard pass. However, on fourth-and-12 from the 15, Aaron Butkus took a screen pass and came up a couple of yards short of a first down early in the fourth quarter.

From their 5, the Clockers again went to work on the ground, culminating with a 1-yard TD run by Nolan Soderberg and the 34-14 final score.

With its second straight T-Day win, Ashland now has 41 victories in the series. Hopkinton has won 54 times. There have been five ties.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Move In Style Athlete Spotlight: Katie Dellacioppa

A third-year member of the program, Dellacioppa helped lead the Hillers to a 12th-place finish at the state competition last month. “Katie has always pushed through injury and illness, and even from the sidelines gives her all to the team,” coach Rachel DeMore...

Hillers seek T-Day win after challenging season

After the Hopkinton High School football team suffered a 28-13 setback against Oliver Ames on Nov. 15, coach Mark Sanborn had a message for his team leading into the final game of the season: Forget about everything that’s happened through the first 10 games. “We...

HHS football team

HHS athletes announce college commitments

Hopkinton High School on Friday hosted a signing day ceremony to celebrate seven student-athletes who plan to continue their careers at the NCAA Division 1 or 2 level. The list of Hillers who will be competing at the next level includes athletes from five different...

HHS signing day November 2024

Move In Style Athlete Spotlight: Stephen Leighton

A top runner for the Hillers since his freshman year, Leighton won the Tri-Valley League Showcase Meet this fall. He the helped lead his team to a fifth-place finish in the Division 1C meet and 17th-place finish in the Division 1 Meet of Champions. “Stephen is...

Athlete Spotlight-Leighton

HHS cheer team savors state bid

Midway through Hopkinton cheerleading’s routine during the state competition on Sunday, coach Rachel DeMore started to tear up. “I knew that they left everything on the mat,” DeMore said. “I started crying. It was embarrassing, but I was just so happy for them.”...

Hopkinton High School cheer team

Photos: Hopkinton Tap-Off Tournament

The Hopkinton Basketball Association hosted its annual Tap-Off Tournament this weekend, with 210 teams from area towns participating.

Hopkinton youth basketball
Key Storage 4.14.22