Div. 1 Pee Wees Finish Regular Season at 7-0-1

The Barnstable Division 1 Pee Wee's - coached by BHS Red Raider alums Kerry and Mike Delaney, Mark Kullas, Mike Evaul and MMA coach Doug Crook - finished their regular season slate in fine fashion Sunday afternoon at W. Leo Shields Memorial Field, defeating the Dennis-Yarmouth Junior Dolphins, 24-14.
      The D1 Pee Wees ended at 7-0-1 and head this Saturday night to Rockland to play Marshfield in the Old Colony Youth Football League playoffs.
      Following last week's disappointing tie (6-6) with Scituate, the D1 Pee Wee's entered their match-up with D-Y looking to get back on track toward defending their 2003 OCYFL Super Bowl crown. The Div. 2 Junior Dolphins, enjoying a successful season in their first season in the OCYFL, came into Sunday's affair inspired and bent on upsetting their new rival, Barnstable.
      Barnstable appeared to be right on track and in spectacular fashion on the opening kick-off when kick-returner William Stewart broke free of Dolphin coverage to go 65 yards into the end zone. A needless block in the back, however, negated Stewart's instantaneous heroics. Regardless, the kickoff return was a portent of things to come.
      Taking possession back on the D-Y 30-yard line following the kickoff penalty, the Silver Bullets were unable to capitalize on good field position and turned the ball over on four successive downs.
Two plays into their first offensive stint, however, D-Y turned the ball over as defensive end Stewart raced in and ripped the ball from the D-Y ball carrier's hands. Quickly back into a first and 10 situation on the D-Y 30-yard line, Barnstable once again could not capitalize and a six-yard Matt Delaney run went for naught.
      Time and again, a fired-up D-Y defense stymied the Barnstable offensive attack. Five times in the first half Barnstable turned the ball over on downs and was unable to garner a first down.
      The D-Y offense met its match, however, when it faced the unrelenting Barnstable defense.
      Jimmy Needham, Mason Lavallee, Justin Blaze, Stewart and Chris Hadawar led the charge for the boys in Red and White, stopping anything the Junior Dolphins offered. That is, of course, until running back Justin Wilson-Borden made a beautiful, against-the-grain cut with five minutes remaining in the first half, and jaunted 84 yards to put the visitors on top, 6-0. The two-point conversion was successful and D-Y enjoyed an early, 8-0 lead.
      The early lead was short-lived, though, as the speedy Alexander Pernick decided enough was enough and took the ensuing D-Y kickoff 62 yards into the end zone to make it 8-6. Quarterback Doug Crook's graceful pass under pressure to a wide-open Jimmy Needham knotted the contest at 8-8.
      A second William Stewart fumble recovery and a Matt Delaney interception would offer Barnstable a number of opportunities to jump ahead of D-Y before the end of the first half, but the Silver Bullets just seemed unable to capitalize. The offense seemed incapable of deciphering the D-Y defense. The half ended at 8-8.
      At the onset of the second half, D-Y's Wilson-Borden gave the visitors great momentum when he took the kickoff 75 yards into paydirt. D-Y suddenly had an unexpected but well-earned, 14-8 lead.
      Barnstable decided the time had come to shift gears and went to the option game, a mainstay on the high school and collegiate gridiron circuits, but an offensive strategy rarely seen in youth football ranks. Still, Barnstable had quarterback Doug Crook at the helm.
      With the Bullets trailing, 14-8, Crook took charge and got the Red and White offense rolling. Faking a pitch on first and 10, he rolled 11 yards for the first down, followed by a three-yard pitch to Delaney, a 16-yard pitch to Stewart, an 8-yard pitch to Stewart and then the piece-de-resistance, his own 11-yard jaunt for the game-tying touchdown. Stewart went in for the two-point conversion to make it 16-14, and Barnstable had what it would need to remain undefeated on the regular season.
      Led by Justin Blaze, the Barnstable defense continued to assert itself. Add the likes of Needham and Lavallee - including a brilliant 4th down stop by Lavallee with about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter - and the recipe for a D-Y meltdown was in the making.
      Following Lavallee's late fourth quarter stop, and Barnstable's takeover on downs on the D-Y 34, Crook opted for tailback Stewart for runs of 8- and 4-yards, respectively and a quick first down. Pernick followed suit with a 7-yard run, with Stewart gaining another 10 yards on the ensuing play. Poised to strike on the D-Y 6-yard line, Crook opted for Pernick who followed a nice lead block by Delaney for his second touchdown of the day and a 22-14, Barnstable lead. Crook's two-point conversion pass to a wide-open Delaney sealed the deal at 24-14.
      In the waning minutes of the affair, Barnstable did not relent and Peter Bertucci entered, making three beautiful tackles, including a game-ending sack.
      Another player of note included Scott Lima who, prior to the game, was named game captain after weeks of dedication and hard work in a support role. Following a week of hard work in practice, Lima earned himself a starting spot at noseguard.
      The Pee Wees finished in first place in the OCYFL regular season standings and face Marshfield this Saturday night, Nov. 6, 2004 at Rockland. The game will begin immediately following the Division 1 Mites Playoff game which begins at 5:00 p.m. The Division 1 Pee Wees game should begin at approximately 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.