Div. 5 Pee Wees Silver Bullets Post Solid, 22-6, Victory

The Barnstable Silver Bullets Division 5 Pee Wees upped their record to 4-1-1 on the season with a fine win over host Hanover Saturday night, 22-6.
      Touchdowns were turned in by tight end Everett Walsh, fullback Kevin Ostrom and tailback Theo France, with Ostrom's being the backbreaker and France's being the added insurance. Two-point conversion runs were turned in by Charlie Rice and France.
      Solid defensive efforts were turned in by several Silver Bullets, including Kevin Hardy, William Joyce, Joe D'Olimpio, Curtis Collopy, Damon Blake, Nick Cincotta, Stephen Huska, Ostrom, Rice, Everett Walsh, Zach Stevens, Alex Grove, Bob Melley, Cam LaRiviere, Rob Dombrowski and Dominique Tillman.
      One of the most notable defensive efforts was turned in by Collopy who collected 4.5 tackles on the day, three of them on kickoffs (two combined with D'Olimpio) and two fine hits from his slot at cornerback. From his slot at middle linebacker, Ostrom made a brilliant play ripping the ball out of the Hanover ball carrier's hands and taking it three yards before being taken down. Huska collected his second interception of the season (fifth career interception) and Walsh broke through a double team at defensive end to nail the Hanover runner on its sole two-point conversion attempt of the evening. D'Olimpio also added two nice tackles from his slot at outside linebacker. Defensive tackle William Joyce had two tremendous hits and defensive end Zach Stevens showed great pursuit and a tackle on one attempt to the outside.
      But Barnstable did not get on the board first.
      Just 1:30 into the first quarter, Hanover struck paydirt on an outside run to go up, 6-0. The two-point conversion failed on a nice hit by Walsh.
      The two teams then exchanged the ball on downs on successive series before Barnstable took over on the Hanover 39-yard line and orchestrated a beautiful drive to get on the board.
      Rice got the nod first, gaining five yards to bring up 2nd and five with 1:29 to go in the first quarter, Barnstable behind, 6-0. Ostrom, aka "The Raging Bull," then barreled his way for six yards and the first down to put the ball on the Hanover 28-yard-line. Rice picked up a yard on the ensuing play to bring up 2nd and 9, then picked up five more to bring up 3rd and 4 to end the first quarter. Again, Ostrom bulled his way forward for a gain of seven, a first down and the ball on the Hanover 15-yard line. Rice then picked up three yards to bring up 2nd and 7. Damon Blake tried a pass in the middle of heavy traffic, but it went awry to bring up 3rd and 7. Rice then got the nod but took a hit in the backfield instead to bring up 4th and 9. This time, Blake maintained his poise and rolled left and with a cornerback coming hard toward him, fired a perfect strike to Walsh in the end zone to make it 6-6. The two-point conversion failed, but Barnstable had regained its composure.
      Collopy set the defensive tone with a nice kickoff tackle, quickly followed by Ostrom's brilliant defensive move when he tore the ball straight from the hands of the ball carrier in great field position to strike, but Barnstable could not punch it home in spite of chewing up the entire remainder of the second quarter. The half would end, 6-6.
      France started the second half off with another great kick return of 20 yards to midfield and Barnstable quickly went to work gaining the upper hand.
      On first and ten, Rice gained five yards to bring up 2nd and 5. He then followed with a one-yard carry to make it 3rd and 4. Ostrom then got the nod and he produced. Punching through the line, Ostrom was then met head-on by a duet of Hanover would-be tacklers who collided with the stocky ball carrier, then fell helplessly to the ground as he stormed through them. Thirty-five yards later, Ostrom was in the end zone and the Silver Bullets were ahead, 12-6. Rice got the nod for the two-point conversion and Barnstable had all it would need with a 14-6 margin.
      Collopy and D'Olimpio made a nice kickoff tackle, followed by a solid tackle by Nick Cincotta. Hanover then went to the air on 2nd and 6 and waiting for the airborne ball was Stephen Huska who picked it off and ran it back to the Hanover 32-yard line.
      On the ensuing play, Theo France put an exclamation mark on the day with a 32-yard touchdown jaunt. He followed suit with a two-point conversion and through the remainder of the game, the Barnstable defense stepped up and shut Hanover down.
      The Div. 5 Pee Wees head to Marshfield Saturday. Both the Division 5 Mites and Pee Wees have clinched playoff berths. The first round of the playoffs will be hosted at Barnstable on Saturday, November 6.