Div. 1 Pee Wees Continue to Roll With Big Win Over Marshfield

     

Running back William Stewart rushed for three first-half touchdowns to lead the Barnstable Silver Bullets Division 1 Pee Wees to a 20-8 victory Sunday over Marshfield at W. Leo Shields Memorial Field.
      The defending Super Bowl Champion Silver Bullets are now 6-0 on the season, leaving them in sole possession of first place in the Old Colony Youth Football League Division 1. They have also won 12 consecutive games dating back to early last season.
       As has been the case all season, the Division 1 Pee Wees' defense has been a dominant force, yielding only a fourth quarter score to Marshfield with the game well in hand. The Pee Wees have not given up more than one touchdown in any single game this season. Stewart was as equally formidable from his slot at defensive end as he was at tailback.
       But it was Alexander Pernick who made the first stop for Barnstable, nailing the Marshfield ball carrier on what appeared to be a clear break away on the opening kickoff. Although Pernick's hard hit saved a would-be touchdown, the visitors still had good field position at the Barnstable 31-yard line. On an attempted reverse play on third down, Stewart made a critical stop, then followed with a break up of an attempted sweep on fourth down.
       From its own 27-yard line, Stewart and the Silver Bullet offense struck quickly. On the first play from the line of scrimmage, quarterback Doug Crook handed the ball off to Stewart who burst through a hole off tackle Mason Lavallee, tight end Jimmy Needham and slot back Matt Delaney. Making a nice cut to the outside, Stewart sped 62 yards to the Marshfield 11-yard line. Two plays later, Delaney slashed through for seven yards to bring up third and goal. Stewart got the nod and hit paydirt on the ensuing play, to put Barnstable up, 6-0. Stewart then added the two-point PAT conversion and the Bullets led, 8-0.
Lavalee, Needham, Chris Hadawar and Matt Bonfiglio all contributed bone-crunching tackles to stop Marshfield's next offensive series and in a matter of moments the Bullets were back at work on offense on its own 40-yard line.
      On second down, Crook went to the air and found his favorite receiver Delaney, but a Delaney took a hard hit and fumbled and Marshfield recovered.
       The vaunted Silver Bullet "D" shrugged off the turn of events as Pernick, Crook and Hadawar all contributed to making key stops to stave off the impromptu Marshfield momentum.
Taking over at midfield, the Bullets called upon Stewart once more. Shaking off a tackler as he swept around left end, "Stewie" raced 50 yards into the end zone to make it 14-0, Barnstable. On the ensuing two-point PAT, an attempted pass was incomplete, but Barnstable had established its dominance with three minutes remaining in the half.
        Bolstered by a 14-0 lead, the Pee Wees' defense was charged up and ready for anything. Defensive ends Stewart and Justin Blaze shut down the outside lanes, while the defensive front line shut down the middle. Facing a stiff wind and even stiffer defense, Marshfield opted to not punt on fourth down and was met with the steely silence of the Barnstable pit crew. With a minute remaining in the first half, Barnstable took over possession of the ball at the Marshfield 31-yard line.
       Dropping back to pass in an attempt at a quick strike, Crook was sacked for a loss of seven. Barnstable called time out and opted to hand the ball once more to Stewart on a left-side sweep. Stewart made it look easy, got the pitch, and scampered 38 yards for his third touchdown of the day and over 200 first half yards rushing. The 2-point PAT conversion failed, but Barnstable went into halftime with a 20-0 lead and all it would need to secure victory.
      The second half, however, lacked the offensive excitement of the first half as the Bullets were stalled by missed blocks and assignments. The defense, however, maintained its earlier intensity and hard-hitting until the final whistle.
      The Bullets host Scituate at home Saturday, Oct. 23, at W. Leo Shields Memorial Field in Hyannis.