One of the major results from the weekend was Worcester South earning a 14-13 victory over Grafton.

With the win, the Colonels improve to 2-0, having defeated Leicester the opening week. Grafton dropped to 1-1.

We expected South to be strong this year, but the Colonels were replacing one of the top running backs in the state in Angelo LaRose.

But coach Bob LaRose has restocked the shelves, and South could make a run in D4 this year. We spoke to him Sunday.

Here is an edited transcript of that conversation.

Adam Kurkjian: I assume, since you guys lost Angelo, that it would be tough to get back to that level this year, but that’s a big win (over Grafton). What does that win mean for your program?

BL: Yeah, listen, I mean, he wasn’t the only guy we had. You reset, right? You reset, you do it all over. We’ve got a senior-laden team this year. We’ve got a quarterback that’s a stud.

AK: Tell me a little bit about him.

BL: So, Ransford Adri is his name. He’s a junior. He’s about 6-2, about 225 (pounds). He can run. He’s got a John Elway-type arm.

AK: How did he play against Grafton?

BL: Well, with five minutes left, we took the ball and he drove down the field, and he went 5-for-5, and he has scored every point this year for us.

AK: So he’s got the two-point conversions for you, too?

BL: Yup.

AK: What kind of confidence does it give you guys to beat a team like Grafton? I know you’ve been good the last few years, but what kind of confidence do your kids have after you beat a team like that?

BL: Five years ago, when we started here, that was the stage we wanted to be on, and it finally played out. We beat Shrewsbury last year in a game that didn’t mean anything, but that was a big win for us. But this game, that it means something, is way better. And (Grafton) hadn’t lost a regular season game around here in three years.

AK: What was it like after?

BL: It was mayhem.

AK: Who are some of the other players that are making a big impact for you this year?

BL: Lexi Estrada, my middle linebacker, he was a Division 4 state all-star last year. He’s the real deal, man. He’s about 6-1, about 250, and he made about 20 tackles the other night. He’s killing everybody. We have some big guys up front. We got some receivers. We’re actually a running back away. I think we’re a running back away from really making a run.

AK: Do you think some of the experience you gained last year helps you move forward this year?

BL: That Covid year, I started all these kids as freshmen, and we took our lumps. We had the five games. We got walloped in three of them. We won two, but got walloped by some really good teams. I think that’s finally played itself out. There was a maturity level we needed to get to that we didn’t even have last year despite the fact that we went 9-2. We upped our schedule this year, and we’re hoping to get a better seed in the playoffs.

AK: What’s the state of Worcester football, because you guys won, and Doherty beat Leominster?

BL: Worcester football right now is 8-0. I don’t think that’s ever happened. I’ve been around since 1980 either as a player, fan, or coach. I never remember the city being this (good). Now, I don’t think the other two teams, I don’t think Burncoat or North play the schedule that Doherty and South do. They certainly don’t, but I’m still a fan of them, unless they play us.

AK: Who do you guys got next week, and what are you looking forward to?

BL: We have Hudson next week, then Uxbridge after that. There’s no days off for us. In Central Mass., we’ve got a tough schedule this year. Then we’ve got Tantasqua, and then Doherty.