By Tyler Amaral
NEFJ Staff
FOXBOROUGH – Fourth-seeded North Attleborough completed a dominant run through the Division 3 playoffs with a 35-0 rout of Hockomock league rival Mansfield on Friday night to claim the program’s first Super Bowl title since 2002.
North Attleborough was the more physical team throughout the night, dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Red Rocketeers outgained Mansfield 317-155 in total yardage and 238 to 26 in rushing yardage.
North Attleborough set the tone early when junior Nathan Rivera recovered a Mansfield fumble on the game’s first possession.
“Patrick Hamilton had the strip and the ball just ended up at my feet” said Rivera.
North Attleborough converted on the early takeaway on a five-yard touchdown by senior captain Chase Frisoli.
Later in the first half, Rivera came through with a sack of Mansfield quarterback Tommy Vallett. Frisoli got the next drive started on the right foot with a 19-yard run. Several plays later, Frisoli connected with senior receiver Bryce Kiser on a 33-yard pass.
Frisoli made his second career Super Bowl start. North Attleborough lost to Marblehead in the 2021 Division 3 title game.
“Coming into tonight, the experience was huge” said Frisoli. “I went from the youngest kid on the field to the oldest kid on the field. The experience and all the games I’ve played was really big for me. [The experience] really helped me get the guys’ nerves under control so that was great for us.”
Two plays later, the Red Rocketeers finished off the drive in punishing fashion – a 10-yard rushing score by Georgetown-commit Ryan Bannon who bulldozed his way through a would-be Mansfield tackler to send North Attleborough into the locker room up 14-0 and with momentum in its favor.
“I’ve got to give all the credit to the kids” said North Attleborough head coach Mike Strachan. “I’m super happy to bring one back to North Attleborough. It’s been 22 years. This is a big deal. It’s a really big deal and I give all the credit to the coaches and kids.”
North Attleborough got the ball to start the second half and kept its foot on the gas. Bannon finished off the drive with a one-yard score to put the Red Rocketeers up 21-0.
The Red Rocketeers (11-2) added two more rushing scores in the game’s final 14 minutes – a four-yard rush by junior Frankie Strachan and Bannon’s third score of the night, a one-yard plunge to give the game its final score. Mansfield finishes its season at 9-4, earning the program’s first trip to Gillette since 2019.
“[Bannon] fought through a high ankle sprain” said Mike Strachan. “It was not great even a week ago. He just did everything to get himself ready and prepared. Again, he’s a senior captain and did an unbelievable job.”
In their four postseason wins, the Red Rocketeers outscored opponents Woburn, Westborough, Reading and Mansfield by a combined score of 154-34. North Attleborough scored at least 35 points in all four games and won each game by at least 22 points during its dominant November and December run.
Coach Strachan is a Class of 1985 graduate of North Attleborough High School. “To be able to do this with this group of kids and my brothers coaching with me and the staff we’ve put together, I’m just super happy.”