The Journey of the Football Team
By Juliana Agnitti and Lilah Milton
At 23 degrees, Thanksgiving Day, the Canton Bulldogs took on the Stoughton Knights on our very own Memorial Field. Just earlier in the season, the Bulldogs and Knights went at it on the same field, where the Bulldogs came out with a win, 14-7. The 8-2 Bulldogs desired another win against the 3-6 Knights; they practiced relentlessly for two weeks after their devastating loss against Scituate in the semifinals. After a winning season filled with long hours and hard work, the final game was just moments away, where our eight seniors would play the last game of their career.
Before the 10:00 am game, anticipation grew as the line to get in stretched longer and longer. The bleachers were packed by students, parents, alumni and many other Canton citizens who dedicated their Thanksgiving morning to support our very own Bulldogs. The Dogs stormed the field in their white jerseys, filled with expectation and excitement. Within no time, the whistle sounded and the game began. The Bulldogs scored the first touchdown of the game and kept the lead for most of the first and second quarters.
The first quarter ended in a tie, 7-7. With just 3 minutes left in the second quarter, the Knights tied it up once more. The third quarter soon started and both teams came out fighting with fierce intensity. After a long hard fight, Stoughton scored three more touchdowns ending the game 28-7. Our rivals played a great game, and we congratulate them for taking home the Thanksgiving Day Trophy.
The Bulldogs may have lost their last game, but this does not change any of the great success the Bulldogs had throughout their season. It is true that for the past several years the Bulldogs had not been successful in the playoffs, however, everything changed this year. A very talented group of football players came into the new season, uniting and exemplifying what it takes to win. They prepared for this all summer, anticipating that this would be the year they find success.
To kick off the season, the Bulldogs travelled to North Dighton, Bellingham, Milford, and Foxborough, and came out with a 4-0 record. The first home game finally came against Stoughton, and another win was added to their record making them 5-0. With the playoffs clinched, they continued with a blowout against Sharon. The last game of the regular season was against North Attleboro where their lost for the first time of the season. Yes, it was a tough loss, but it didn’t change the fact that in seven days, they hosted and won the first playoff game against Hanover. They then traveled to Falmouth on a rainy Friday night, and advanced to the semifinals to play Scituate. Unfortunately, their playoff ride came to an end when they faced the very talented Scituate team a week later.
Our juniors and seniors of the team had an outstanding year and were noticed for it. We had four Hockomock League All Stars- Ben Seamen, Brendan Albert, Brian Campagna, Johnny Hagan. Brendan Albert was also named Boston Herald All Scholastic. Ryan Colby was named Honorable Mention. Kyle Fitzgerald won Boston Globe Player of the week. Not to mention, a huge team victory winning the Hockomock League.