Charlie Breitrose
Watertown senior running back tries to escape a Belmont tackler in the Thanksgiving Game, won 34-13 by the Raiders.
Watertown High School’s football players started the Thanksgiving feast early by rolling out to a quick lead over rival Belmont and never looking back.
Watertown ran the ball all game, often ripping off five yards or more at a time, despite a snow-covered Harris Field in Belmont. The Raiders prevailed 34-13.
“I really think the game was controlled up front at the line of scrimmage especially with the snowy conditions,” said Watertown Coach John Cacace. “Since the weekend when we got the forecast we knew it was going to be sloppy. We wanted to run the ball and establish that and we were able to do it.”
The Raiders wasted no time getting the ball moving, and took the opening kick off back to the 50 yard line. After driving inside the five yard line, senior running back Austin Farry took the ball in for the first touchdown.
After holding Belmont to a three-and-out drive, Watertown moved the ball again on the ground and this time senior quarterback took the ball himself for the four-yard touchdown. They led 14-0 after the first quarter.
The Marauders had even worse luck their second possession, which ended with Watertown senior linebacker Sam Ford intercepting Belmont’s sophomore quarterback Cal Christofori. This time, it was Watertown senior fullback Alex Martinos who punched the ball in from two yards out.
Belmont finally got on the board before halftime after the Marauders stopped a Watertown drive at the 10 yard line. On the next play, senior Max Jones took off untouched for a 90 yard touchdown run. The Raiders blocked the extra point.
Overall, Cacace was happy with how his defense played against Belmont.
“We knew (Jones) was their big play guy and we wanted to contain him. We did a pretty good job other than that long one,” Cacace said.
Charlie Breitrose
Senior quarterback Nick Giordano lead the Raiders to a third straight win over their rivals from Belmont.
The Raiders weren’t done yet, however. Giordano took off for a 40-yard run to the Belmont 3, and sophomore Zachary Rimsa scored on a 4-yard run. The half ended with the Raiders on top, 28-6.
The snow turned out not to be such a big deal, said Giordano.
“I made a couple cuts on that long run and I had faith in the ground the whole time,” Giordano said.
Belmont showed signs of life in the second half, moving the ball, and scoring on a 30 yard pass from Christofori to senior wide receiver Jeahmar Paul.
Watertown struck back instantly. Farry evaded a few Marauders on the kickoff and took off for a long touchdown. The extra point was no good, but the Raiders held a commanding 34-13 lead just before the end of the third quarter.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown players celebrate beating Belmont in the Thanksgiving Day Game.
Cacace said he was proud of his team’s performance both against Belmont and the whole season. He was impressed by “the resiliency of this team, their ability to just focus on the next snap and to play tough: never get down, never give up, every snap is the most important snap.”
The Raiders finished the season 9-2, and won the first Middlesex League title since 1983. Belmont’s three game winning streak ended Thursday and the Marauders ended with a 3-8 record. Watertown has now beaten Belmont three straight years.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown fans enjoyed a win over Belmont on Thursday’s Thanksgiving Game.