By Tyler Amaral
NEFJ Staff
WALPOLE – No. 23 Foxborough ran the ball well and kept Walpole in check defensively in a 27-21 road win Friday night at Turco Field.
The Warriors (2-0) dominated the middle two quarters, outscoring the Timberwolves 20-0 in the 24 minute period to give themselves some cushion heading into the final quarter.
Senior Ryan Foley (20 carries, 113 yards) was the star performer for Foxborough. Foley had arguably the biggest momentum-shifting play of the game when he intercepted a pass from Walpole quarterback Blake Pilieski in the second quarter.
“We’ve been practicing that play all week, actually” said Foley. “Coach told me to jump back to the hook-curl because they think they are throwing to the flat, and I did it. And it worked. You’ve got to listen to your coaches.”
Foley returned the interception 50 yards, positioning his offense at the Walpole five yard line.
After losing a yard on first down, junior Jack Taft plunged into the endzone for a six-yard touchdown putting Foxborough ahead for good, 13-7.
The Warrior defense stood tall on the next two drives, as well, forcing Walpole punts on both possessions. After forcing the second punt, Foxborough went on a surgical four minute, 13 second drive culminating in a touchdown on a one-yard dive from Foley with 15 ticks left in the half
“Foley’s a very bright child” said Foxborough head coach Jack Martinelli. “This is what he’s been waiting for; the 15-20 carry a game type thing on offense and he’s our adjuster linebacker on defense.”
On the first play of the second half, the Foxborough defense came away with its second takeaway. Pilieski dropped back to pass and junior Kameron Rice came down with a contested interception on a deep ball.
On the next offensive play for Foxborough, senior quarterback Cam Deleskey connected with Rice for a 33-yard drive-starting play.
Rice – who made his season debut – totaled 67 yards on four touches, adding another element to the Warrior offense.
“We couldn’t play [Rice] last week because he didn’t have enough practice days in” said Martinelli. “He was one day shy and we were waiting for this. I know how fast he is. And I know how athletic he is.”
Martinelli added “[Rice] sort of defies the height-weight type thing” as Rice stands at 5’6” 145 pounds.
The drive ended with another Foley touchdown from four yards out to put Foxborough up 27-7 with 17 minutes to play in the game.
“[The win] feels amazing” said Foley. “My O-line was blocking out of their minds. We’re a gritty team and we pride ourselves on our toughness.”
Walpole (0-2) made the final score respectable in the fourth quarter with two touchdown strikes from Pilieski to Aiden Hoyle from 12 and 23 yards out, respectively.
The second Pilieski-to-Hoyle connection came with only 71 seconds left in the game and Walpole was out of timeouts.
The ensuing onside kick attempt sailed out of bounds, giving Foxborough the ball back, allowing the Warriors to take a couple knees and leave with a victory.
“The last three times we played Walpole, they beat us. So, this was important for us” said Martinelli.
Next up for Foxborough is Putnam Vo-Tech of Springfield. Walpole eyes its first victory of the season in a tough Bay State road battle with Natick.
