Pigskin Preview: What To Expect in Suthcoast High School Football Week 3

We’ve got a solid slate of high school football on tap for this weekend across the SouthCoast. Bishop Stang and Old Colony are both enjoying bye weeks, but the rest of the area teams will face some stiff competition.

FRIDAY NIGHT’S ACTION:

FAIRHAVEN AT GNB VOC-TECH, 7 p.m.

Fairhaven will travel to GNB Voc-Tech in a match-up that could have big implications on the playoff picture down the line. With the two schools battling for the one playoff berth from the South Coast Conference’s “B” (smaller schools) Division, the winner of this game will hold the edge. The Bears are 1-1 on the season, while the 0-1 Blue Devils suffered a 45-0 loss to Apponequet in Week 1 before last week’s bye.
This is also “Middle School Night” at Voc-Tech, so any sixth, seventh or eighth grade student from New Bedford, Fairhaven or Dartmouth who wishes to attend the game can do so free of charge (please bring a school ID if you have one).
WBSM.COM PICK: Voc-Tech, 27-17

OLD ROCHESTER AT BOURNE, 7 p.m.

The 2-0 Bulldogs are tied with Apponequet atop the SCC’s “A” Division, both without their leading rusher from a year ago, Richie Phillips. He was awaiting a waiver from the MIAA in regards to his eligibility, but now he’ll be back on the field and giving ORR a three-headed monster in the backfield, including his brother Raekwon Phillips and sophomore sensation Darien Dumond, who ran for 99 yards and a score last week.
WBSM.COM PICK: Old Rochester, 33-14

WAREHAM AT SEEKONK, 7 p.m.

The Vikings are 0-1 and were off last week, giving them more time to hopefully get their new single-wing offense a little more polished. They’ll face a Warriors team that gave up 27 points to GNB Voc-Tech last week, and with an offense that has been Jekyll-and-Hyde; they scored 44 points in their season-opening win over Case, but managed just eight points last week against the staunch front seven of the Bears’ defense.
WBSM.COM PICK: Wareham, 12-7

DARTMOUTH AT ATTLEBORO, 7 p.m.

The Indians shut out Bishop Stang last Friday 48-0, behind three scores and 117 yards from sophomore Chris Martin. With Tim Smith taking a cautious approach in his return from a hamstring injury, Martin stepped in nicely while the senior stuck to defense. If Martin is ready to go offensively at all, the Indians will need him, facing a top-20 team in Attleboro. But he can prove just as vital in trying to stop the bombs from the Bombadiers’ Tim Walsh, who threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns (plus running in for another one in a 35-3 drubbing of Bishop Feehan last week.
WBSM.COM PICK: Attleboro, 32-28

APPONEQUET AT CASE, 4 p.m.

The Lakers are proving to be the South Coast Conference’s best this season, defeating longtime nemesis Dighton-Rehoboth 29-0 last week. Apponequet hasn’t allowed the opposition to score in each of its first two contests, and that trend could continue against the offensively-challenged Cardinals, who have scored a total of 20 points in their first two games (while Apponequet is averaging 37.0 per game).
WBSM.COM PICK: Apponequet, 42-0

SATURDAY’S GAME:

FRANKLIN AT NEW BEDFORD, 1 p.m.

The Whalers started the season off with a loss last week in Taunton, but they still had a lot of positive signs coming out of that game. One of those was freshman quarterback Brendan Costa, who went 10-for-16 for 199 yards and two touchdowns last Friday night; however, head coach Dennis Golden has two other quarterbacks on the roster who could also start. Whoever gets the call, they should look to get the ball to Kevin Nunes, who found the end zone twice last week. Franklin plays in the tough Hockomock League, and is coming off a bye week after opening the season with a 40-0 win over Framingham—a game that included the ball-hawking Andrew Parent returning an INT 60 yards for a score and also scored on a 1-yard fumble recovery. But this week, the Whalers won’t spot the opposition a 24-point lead in the first half and play comeback ball the rest of the way; look for them to start strong out of the gate.
WBSM.COM PICK: New Bedford, 28-26