King Philip handles North Attleboro to claim Div. 3 title

FOXBORO King Philip utilized a strong rushing attack and selected clutch defensive efforts to claim a - triumph over North Attleboro and win the MIAA Division football state championship It was a rematch of an earlier meeting between the Hockomock League programs with the Warriors having won that matchup - North Attleboro was the defending Div champions but King Philip - was not lacking in big contest experience having reached the Div title battle in the previous three seasons and winning the Div crown in We are really experienced and had a lot of seniors so that helped a ton Warriors quarterback Zach Gebhard explained We went down early but that experience kept us calm stopped us from yelling at each other and let us just focus on the next play Warriors head coach Bill Lee noted that the effort displayed the commitment the entire plan has and that the winning practices they have built is something he is very proud of In our last practice hearing what it means to them was amazing Lee noted I am so fortunate that I discovered KP and these kids I am just so fortunate They are unbelievable kids The Red Rocketeers started with possession but were forced to punt King Philip responded by driving into North Attleboro territory However a promising drive was foiled when the Red Rocketeers punched the ball away and Sean Cornell was able to pounce on it for a turnover On the ensuing drive quarterback Dylan Brousseau connected with Nathaniel Robin on a -yard pass to set the ball up at the -yard line Several plays later Robin rushed it in from the one-yard line to give North Attleboro the competition s first lead North Attleboro's Ryan Gustafson hauls in a long second quarter pass as King Philip's Conor McDonald defends King Philip won the Div state title with a - supremacy Jim Davis Boston Herald The Red Rocketeers lost star running back Frankie Strachan early in the first quarter with a foot injury North Attleboro head coach Mike Strachan mentioned it was a tough loss but that he was proud of how his other players stepped up He s been the heart and soul of our club all season Strachan declared But I m proud of our kids for stepping up They didn t quit King Philip responded with a methodical drive that led the Warriors to goal-to-go territory North Attleboro nearly was able to get a goal-line stop but a two-yard rush from Gebhard on fourth-and-goal secured the touchdown for KP Just don t fumble Gebhard mentioned of his mentality I called my own number and it was a touchdown Brousseau would fire another -yard pass this one to Nate Gustafson to put the Red Rocketeers back in the red zone However a strong defensive stand forced North Attleboro to attempt a -yard field goal which was converted successfully by Nick Torres King Philip would respond with another lengthy drive that killed the majority of the remaining time in the second quarter and ended with a two-yard rushing touchdown by Ryan Greenwood The Warriors used nearly eight minutes on the opening drive of the second half but various penalties derailed the drive and allowed the Red Rocketeers to force a turnover on downs King Philip's Liam McGrath right has a bead on a third-quarter pass in the end zone but he couldn't make the catch as North Attleboro's Nathaniel Robin left and Kenny Jean defend Jim Davis Boston Herald However three plays later a deep pass attempt from Brosseau was intercepted by Patrick Terio and the Warriors had possession again in North Attleboro territory A limited minutes later Keigan Canto-Osorio carries yards and a TD dashed in to extend the lead to Last year I didn t get into the end zone and I was sad about that Canto-Osorio declared It was a great feeling to do this with this company The Red Rocketeers were unable to outcome on the ensuing drive and the Warriors were able to milk the clock and finish the job from there Tallan King finished with carries for yards while Gebherd had total yards King Philip's Tallen King is caught from behind by North Attleboro's Milo House in the second quarter during the Div Super Bowl in Foxboro Jim Davis Boston Herald It s a great feeling finishing here at Gillette with a win Canto-Osorio reported To get another ring after winning one my sophomore year but this one I earned I didn t play as much on that one so I really feel like I earned this one