Minutemen topple Pirates 34-7 In opener

Matt Faucher tries to get away from Bay Path tacklers

By Steev Riccardo

CHARLTON –  The defending Central Mass Division 6 super bowl champion Bay Path Minutemen used a balanced scoring attack and a stingy defense to defeat the Oxford Pirates 34-7 and spoil the debut of new Pirates head coach Mike Adams.

The Minutemen capitalized on an early Pirates turnover and great field position and ran the ball six consecutive times with senior quarterback Kyle Thibeault’s six-yard touchdown run culminating the drive. Thibeault also ran in the two-point conversion and the Minutemen were up with just less than six minutes in the opening quarter.

The Pirates were held to just three plays on their second possession and once again the Minutemen used a power running game to eat up the clock and grab a 14-0 lead with nine minutes left in the half.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Faucher carried the ball three straight times and the Pirates finally got their first first down of the game but were stopped again by the Minutemen and forced to punt.

On the Pirates next possession Faucher was picked off, but Liam Pickett made a touchdown-saving tackle at the one-yard line. The Minutemen were still able to score on the next play, however, when Thibeault dove in the end zone with only three seconds left in the half to give the Minutemen a solid 21-0 lead.

The Pirates defense came out and forced the Minutemen to punt on their first possession of the third quarter which led to an electrifying 54-yard punt return for a touchdown by Pirates captain Tyler Barrie to cut the lead to 21-7.

On the next Minutemen possession, the Pirates defense came alive and forced Bay Path to punt and were looking at great field position but a roughing- the- punter penalty killed the Pirates’ momentum and gave the Minutemen the ball back.

The Minutemen added a pair of scores in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. 

Josh St. Laurent scored on a four-yard run and Nick Thomas picked Faucher on the ten-yard line and scored the final touchdown of the game.

Adams talked about the roughing- the- punter call afterwards. “It was unfortunate, we wanted to get pressure on the kicker. I didn’t think it was as bad as a 15-yard penalty but they called it and it took a little life out of us. We had the momentum going and we shot ourselves in the foot.”

“We have to work on the little things, our execution has to be on point, it’s not going to all happen at once but we have to get back to what we should be doing,” said Adams, who will now get his team ready for its home opener against Worcester South Friday night.

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