Div. 1 Mites Silver Bullets Scrap It Out with Victory, 8-6

     

The Barnstable Silver Bullets Division 1 Mites captured a critical win Sunday afternoon in Bridgewater , defeating their hosts 8-6 to remain undefeated at 3-0.

              According to Head Coach Paul Hickey, though, this game was “ugly.”

“We ran seven plays in the first half on offense and five plays in the second half and gained about 50 or 60 yards all day. Bridgewater beat us all day. They had about 250-300 yards rushing.”

              Amazingly, Barnstable won.

              Down 6-0 at halftime, Barnstable returned the opening kickoff to midfield and on its first play of the third quarter, running back Manny Perry kept his touchdown streak alive by jaunting 51 yards to the end zone to tie things at 6-6. Coach Hickey then opted to throw the ball for the two-point PAT and it worked. Quarterback Andrew Falacci stepped back in the pocket and hit tight end Brian Hardy in the end zone for the two-point conversion and Barnstable had what it needed to win with an 8-6 lead.

              Still, Bridgewater kept pounding away. On its next two series, the Bridgewater offense converted on 4 th and 15 and 4 th and 20 situations for critical first downs. Regardless, the Barnstable defense would not relent and with Bridgewater on the Barnstable 8-yard line with just seconds left on the clock in the 4 th quarter, Barnstable held them and time ran out.

              “There has been only one other game I've ever coached like that. Never before have we been beaten like that on the field and came home with a win. We have our work cut out for us this week,” Hickey said.

      Last season, the Division 1 Mites played Bridgewater at home to a 0-0 deadlock. In the 2003 playoffs, Barnstable eked out a 6-0 victory. In 2002, Bridgewater defeated Barnstable twice – once during the regular season and then handily in the 2002 Super Bowl, 21-0.

      But on Sunday ( Sept. 26, 2004 ), Barnstable showed a collective coolness and determination not to let this game slip away.

      Safety Manny Perry and Linebacker Tedero France made a number of open field tackles to help stave a fierce Bridgewater running attack. Equally important was the prevention of Bridgewater 's two-point PAT attempt after its first and only score of the day.

      It was after an inspirational halftime speech given by Coach Hickey, however, that the Bullets' defense truly kicked things into gear.

       At the onset of the third quarter,   the momentum of the game seemed to change when kick return team member Jake Kipnes delivered a   crushing block to an oncoming, would-be tackler -- the Bullets never stopped hitting with a sort of focused ferocity after that point.

      Bullets' defensive linemen Andrew Ellis, Ryan Litchman and Jonathan Eldredge all broke through the line for tackles in the backfield.   Kipnes and France punished any Badger running back who stepped over the line of scrimmage.   The Bullets used three different cornerbacks to counter a continued onslaught of end-arounds and sweeps.

      On separate plays, cornerbacks Colby Blaze, Gabe DeStefano and Darryl Fry came up big.

      With Bridgewater still leading 6-0 at the start of the fourth quarter, the fate of Barnstable lay solely in the hands of the offensive line. With key blocks from center Mike Dombrowski, tackles Hannah Broberg and Jack Newton, tight end Bryan Hardy and running back Tyler Kennedy, tailback Manny Perry sprinted 58 yards for his team's sole touchdown of the day. The score was tied 6-6.

      Falacci then dropped back on the two-point PAT conversion attempt and hit Hardy with a strike in the end zone for the game-winning score.

      With five minutes remaining on the clock, though, everything fell upon the collective shoulders of the Bullets' defense.

      On the heels of two 4th down conversions, the final play of the game came down to a 4th and 4 situation on the Barnstable 15. The Bridgewater running back was met hard by Kipnes and France who combined to close the door on their hosts.