D1 Mites Shut Down Duxbury

HYANNIS – In a driving, bitter rain, the Barnstable Silver Bullets D1 Mites upped their record to 4-1-1 in a handy 16-0 victory over the visiting Duxbury Green Dragons Sunday afternoon at W. Leo Shields Field.
The Silver Bullets tough running attack was led by Charlie Rice who picked up 66 yards on three carries, his first carry an 18-yard jaunt for a first down on 3th and 13 with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter. Rice’s run put the ball at the Duxbury 20 yard line, setting up two consecutive 10-yard runs by Tedero France . France ’s second carry was good for six points ( 2:06 ), followed immediately by a perfectly executed bootleg keeper by quarterback P.J. Crosby for the two-point PAT to make it 8-0, Barnstable .
Fullback Cam Crocker picked up 17 hard-earned yards on five carries. Backup quarterbacks Joe D’Olimpio and Ryan Desmond also played well, while running back Robby Dombrowski collected 20 yards on five carries late in the game.
It was the second consecutive week that the hard-charging Barnstable defense shut out their opponent. In six games this season, the Silver Bullets’ defense has allowed just 20 points. All totalled, the Silver Bullets have outscored their opponents 54-20, with two games remaining in the regular season. This week, the D1 Mites face Silver Lake on the road, followed by Hingham at home.

First Quarter
Joe D’Olimpio recovered the loose ball on the opening kick-off, giving the Barnstable offense a quick jump on their own 40.
Crocker carried the rock first, busting through for four yards to make it 2nd and 6, followed by Bobby Melley who matched his predecessor’s run of four yards. Crocker then picked up the first down with a three-yard burst up the gut, putting the ball on the Scituate 40 yard line. Crocker and Melley continued to punch the ball deeper into Duxbury territory, but an inopportune offsides call put Barnstable in a precarious 3rd and 13 scenario. Rice took the ball around the left end for 18 yards, giving Barnstable a much-needed first down and the ball on the Duxbury 20-yard line. With 3:05 remaining in the first, Barnstable was poised to strike.
Enter the dimunitive but scrappy Tedero France .
Hit hard at the line of scrimmage almost simultaneously with the hand-off, France kept his feet and poise and broke two more tackles en route to another first down and the ball on the Duxbury 10-yard line. With 2:37 left in the first quarter, France go the nod again and again he delivered, making a great cut through the left side, for a 6-0 Barnstable lead. Crosby then got the nod for the two-point PAT, faked the handoff left and rolled right and cruised into the end zone untouched. Barnstable ’s lead stood at 8-0.
Theo France then followed his brother’s footsteps on defense, making a superb open field tackle on the ensuing kick-off by Melley. Duxbury had the ball on its own 37-yard-line with 2:00 remaining in the first quarter.
Captain-of-the-Week Damian Johnson got the defense charged up with the first hit, followed by Tyler Kennedy who made a rock-solid stop to make it 3rd and six for the visitors. Defensive end Everett Walsh made the final hit of the quarter on the ensuing play for no gain. At the onset of the fourth quarter, Duxbury had the ball on the 43-yard line with 4th and 6.
Second Quarter

With Duxbury facing a difficult 4th and 6 at midfield (45), Walsh again made a solid stop, erasing a chance for the first down. The Silver Bullets took the ball at midfield poised once again to put points on the scoreboard.
A pair of fumbled snaps on the first plays, left the Silver Bullets in a difficult 3rd and long scenario. Not quite able to gain ground, Barnstable lost the ball on downs with 5:08 remaining in the second quarter.
The Silver Bullets defense, though, would not relent as Andrew Ellis collected a pair of outstanding tackles, followed by a fumble recovery by Walsh deep in Duxbury territory. Barnstable quickly found itself on offense again and in prime position to take advantage of the visitors. With 2:49 remaining, Barnstable did not want to squander another opportunity.
A holding call on the heels of another sweep to Rice, then an incomplete pass to Walsh on third down, left the Silver Bullets wondering how to gain ground. Quarterback Crosby had the answer, and with the ball on the 43 and 3rd and 18, he faked a hand-off and rolled right once again, this time for 16 yards. On 4th and 2 to go, Crocker got the pigskin and hammered his way off-center for the first down.
Barnstable had the ball on the 25-yard line and this time opted to go to Rice once more. Rice did not disappoint, taking the ball 24 yards to the goal line with 1:13 to go in the half. Melley tried to bust through on the ensuing play but was stuffed, so this time Crocker seen enough, bursting through for the touchdown and a 14-0 Silver Bullet lead. Tedero France followed suit and scrambled in for the two-point Pat to make it 16-0, Barnstable with 0:39 left in the half.
Again “The Bear’s” brother followed suit, making his second great kick-off tackle of the day, leaving Duxbury with little time to do much before the half with 0:30 to go.
On 1st and 10, cornerback Kevin Hardy made a great stick, leaving Duxbury with 2nd and 10 and 0:21 to go. Ellis quickly followed suit, bringing the Green Dragon ball carrier down hard to make it 3rd and 10 and the half expired. Barnstable ’s lead at halftime stood unblemished at 16-0.

3rd Quarter
Cam LaRiviere made a solid grab on a Duxbury onside kick attempt to start the second half, and carried the ball five yards to give Barnstable good field position. Quarterback Ryan Desmond zig-zagged back and forth on the first play for a gain of two, eluding several would-be Green Dragon tacklers. Dombrowski carried the ball twice for good runs of five yards apiece, but it was not enough as Barnstable gave up possession downs.
Chris Lawler stepped it up a notch on defense, laying out the Duxbury ball carrier, followed immediately with more of the same when he converged with Kevin Hardy to stuff the Duxbury running attack once more. Tyler Kennedy and Tedero Franz then combined on fourth down to tag team the Duxbury quarterback for a 10-yard loss. Linebacker Jake Kipnes also played well on a collective Silver Bullet defensive stint that could only be characterized as outstanding.