Thanksgiving Day Round-up: South’s LaRose Breaks State Record on the Ground

WORCESTER – Powered by a record-breaking rushing attack, South overwhelmed Thanksgiving Day rival Worcester North, 50-16 last week at Commerce Bank Field. Colonel’s junior running back Angelo LaRose broke the state rushing record with 2,905 yards on the ground for the season, breaking Putnam Voke’s Melquawn Pinkney’s previous 2,899 yards set back in 2011.

LaRose has proved to be a versatile back possessing excellent vision to find the correct holes to run through. He has sneaky quickness for his 5-foot-9-inch, 195-pound frame. He has the swift ability to power through the holes with acceleration. Once he gets to the second level of the defense, he has the breakaway ability to get huge chunks of yardage. However, LaRose said he is only the beneficiary of the work his offensive line has done opening holes in front of him.

“My success is everyone else’s success,” LaRose said this season. “I can’t go anywhere without my lineman.”

The Colonels’ rushing attack starts with their five starting linemen and one tight end. Anchoring the line’s interior as the starting center is Vickers at 6-feet, 250. Vickers is bookend by two sophomore guards, Alexi Estrada at 5-feet-10, 230, who starts at left guard position with Chris Winfield at 5-feet-8, 260, manning the right side. Lining up at left tackle is freshman Julio Salinas at 5-feet-10, 268, and the right tackle is the Colonels’ biggest lineman, junior Andrew LaPlume at 6-feet-4, 330. The line is reinforced by 6-foot, 310-pound junior tight end Noah Barrera, who can line up on either side of the line. Barrera’s versatility as a reliable receiver and strong blocker creates a lot of difficulty for opposing defenses.

LaRose also scored the first three touchdowns against North giving him a total of 38 on the season to lead all Central Mass running backs. The Colonels finished 8-3 on the season, while North fell to 4-7. However, North still holds a 12-10 series lead against their cross-town rival.

Worcester Tech 32, Abby Kelley 14

Worcester Tech’s Charles Manu Jr. Photo by Kevin Paul Saleeba

WORCESTER – Opportunistic defense and two key Charles Manu Jr. touchdowns helped power Worcester Tech past Thanksgiving rival Abby Kelly, 32-14 last week at Foley Stadium.

After trailing 8-0 early in the first quarter of their Turkey Day game, Worcester Tech tied the score quickly on a Manu 76-yard kickoff touchdown return and successful two-point conversion. Manu, the Eagles’ 5-foot-10, 160-pound junior, would later score on a 12-yard run, while Jan Valls of the defense intercepted the Bears quarterback Ben Paluk twice ending two potential scoring drives as the Eagles outscored Abby Kelly 24-6 in the final three quarters.

Manu finished a fantastic season rushing with 1,155 yards on 142 carries for an average of 8.1 yards per carry. He also scored 15 touchdowns on the ground while his team, Worcester Tech, completed its successful 2021 campaign with an 8-3 record. Abby Kelly dropped to 2-9. The Eagles now lead the Thanksgiving series 3-1.

Blackstone Valley Tech 32, Nipmuc Regional 14

BOSTON – The Blackstone Valley Tech became the first vocational school to play and win at Fenway Park after they routed Nipmuc Regional, 47-19. The Beavers took a 21-0 lead on three Josh Mateo rushing touchdowns and they never looked back. Mateo finished the season with 714 yards on 78 carries, an average of 9.2 yards per carry, and nine touchdowns. Senior captain Trey Howe also scored on a 26-yard touchdown run and capped off his season with a team best 829 yards on 79 carries, an average of 10.5 yards per rush, and 10 touchdowns. BVT improved to 8-3 on the season while Nipmuc dropped to 3-8.

Tantasqua 20, Shepherd Hill 16

Nolan Legere

FISKDALE – Despite two late Nolan Legere fourth quarter touchdowns for Shepherd Hill, the Rams were unable to overcome an early 14-0 deficit to Tantasqua and lose a close 20-16 Thanksgiving Day game at Fiskdale. Tantasqua’s ground attack was too much for the Rams as Warriors junior Abner Colon-Martinez ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns and senior captain Aidan Filler had 110 yards on the ground. Tantasqua quarterback Caleb Thompson also tallied 40 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. For the Rams, Legere scampered for 20 yards on seven rushes, which included his two scores, and he passed for 59 yards in the losing effort. The Rams still hold the series lead with a record of 37-9-1, but fall to 4-6 on the season. Tantasqua finishes 2-9.

Leominster 32, Fitchburg 0

Leominster senior quarterback Caeden Constant. Photo by Kevin Paul Saleeba

FITCHBURG – Prior to the annual Thanksgiving Day game between 127-year-old rivals Leominster and Fitchburg, the Blue Devils players were looking to avenge their 27-12 loss to the Red Raiders in the first game of the season. They got their payback as Leominster quarterback Caeden Constant threw two touchdowns passes and ran for another on their way to a 32-0 dismantling of Fitchburg at Crocker Field. Ma’Kai Newton and Ricky Encarnacion each caught Constant passes for scores, while Encarnacion ran for another 28-yard touchdown. The Red Raiders fall to 6-4, while the Blue Devils increase their lead in the all-time series to 69-61-10 and improve their record to 4-7.

Central Mass

Thanksgiving Game Scores

Monty Tech. 28, Nashoba Valley Tech 8

St. Bernard’s 48, St. Paul 14

Lunenburg 28, Oakmont 14

Quabbin 34, Gardner 0

Quaboag 22, Ware 7

Oxford 41, Bay Path 14

Sutton 23, Blackstone-Millville/Hopedale 13

Doherty 38, Burncoat 7

Algonquin 49, Westborough 0

Shrewsbury 14, Wachusett 13