Photo: James Patterson (#35) blocks for Alex Givins-Perry (#7)

drop fifth straight to Pioneers
Givins-Perry, Flanigan star in loss

By Steev Riccardo. Patriot staff photos; more follow

Webster – The Bartlett Indians could not overcome an early deficit and were beaten for the fifth straight year by the Southbridge Pioneers 28-20 in a game which not only saw some great plays, but also its share of controversy.

It was the 92^nd meeting between these two archrivals and you got just what you expected: a hard fought battle with both teams fighting to the final whistle.

The Pioneers put together an impressive ten-play, seven minute scoring drive on their first possession to take a quick 6-0 lead.  The Indians' Akeem Belnavis blocked the extra point attempt, which was an early sign of just how competitive this contest would be. 

The Indians were forced to punt from deep in their own territory on their first possession and were the victims of a blocked punt, which was recovered and taken into the end zone by the Pioneers Felix Melendez.
Indians Junior running back Alex Givins-Perry got the Indians on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run with 8:54 left in the second quarter. Matt Pepin’s extra point made it 12-7 and the Bartlett crowd finally had something to cheer about.

However the celebration didn’t last long as the Pioneers came right back with another long drive and made it 20-7 with 4:18 left in the first half on an 8-yard run by Emilio Torres.

The Indians were then victimized by a questionable call late in the first half when Akeem Belnavis appeared to be down when the ball squirted loose inside the Pioneers 5-yard line. The referees had a long discussion before finally ruling that it was a fumble, which killed the Indians' drive and allowed the Pioneers to take the 13-point lead into the locker room.

James Patterson accidently takes out a referee

The Indians did what they had to do to start the second half by driving all the way down the field only to have a Ricky Spooner pass picked off in the end zone, and for the second straight time a turnover ended a drive deep in Pioneer territory.

Torres then ignited the visitors with a 55-yard run that led to the last score for the Pioneers, giving them a commanding 28-7 lead late in the third quarter.

The Indians were not about to roll over though and came right back with a score as junior quarterback Ricky Spooner found Belnavis for a 23-yard score. Pepin added the extra point and it was 28-14.

Sophomore Linebacker Neil Flanigan, who played an exceptional game for the Indians, came up with a huge interception for the Indians with 5:07 left and the Indians had the ball and a chance to tie the game.

Neil Flanigan made a huge interception for the Indians

On the first play from scrimmage Givins-Perry exploded through a hole and headed down the sidelines for what looked like a 63-yard touchdown run, but a holding call foiled the tremendous sprint.

Givins-Perry showed some true grit, though, and carried the ball six times and eventually scored on a 1-yard run to bring the Indians within eight points with 3:10 left.

Torres, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player afterwards, picked up a couple of key first downs for the Pioneers before losing the ball after being jolted by Flanigan on what looked like a clear fumble with just under two minutes left, but once again the referees saw it differently and ruled him down, which would seal the deal for the visitors.

Givins-Perry, who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries played a superb game for the Indians and was named runner-up in the MVP voting.

Bartlett head coach Dane Laboissonniere, who is now 0-3 against the Pioneers, was clearly disappointed with the loss. “A couple things didn’t go our way no doubt, sometimes that’s just the way the ball bounces and we couldn’t seem to get over the hump. We made some mistakes and we could not recover from them”.

“We didn’t finish off two drives in the red zone and that ultimately cost us the game,” said Laboissonniere, who was also surprised that Torres’ fumble was not called. “I thought it was out, everyone on the field thought it was out, and the ref comes over and bails the kid out, that was just awful and that took our last shot away.”

Laboissonniere praised Givins-Perry for being a workhorse afterwards and also had some nice words to say about Flanigan for his big plays on defense. “He gets better and better and that was a big play (interception) and he caused the fumble that apparently did not happen. He keeps making big plays and he is going to be very good the next two years.”

Bartlett touchdown celebration

The Pioneers hold the series edge 51-39-2 and you can count on this rivalry being huge for many more years to come.

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10:15 start time
Memorial Athletic Field, Webster

The Facts: Southbridge leads the series 50-39-2
2012 Records: Bartlett 5-5, Southbridge 4-6
Last year: Southbridge 26 Bartlett 13

By Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER – The annual Bartlett-Southbridge match-up is the granddaddy of all Thanksgiving morning football games, and this year will be the 92nd time the two rivals have met. 

Throw the records out the window because anything that has happened this season will not matter when teams take the field. This game puts everything on the line—not just for the players and the schools but for the towns.

Not much has changed between Webster and Southbridge over the years. As much a rivalry on the field as off the field, neither team will be holding anything back. It’s all about getting the trophy.

Since Southbridge has been dominating the game for the last five- plus years, this game means a lot to the Indians: Not only can they finish with a winning season but also boost the pride and morale of the school and the town.

“I didn’t know what the rivalry meant until I actually played in a game; then it became big. I started getting to know some Southbridge guys, and they reminded me about the losses every year,” said senior co-captain Akeem Belnavis, who had two interceptions against the Pioneers in his sophomore year in a tough 15-14 loss.

“I want the “W.” I want to snap that streak; I’m sick of hearing them talk every year.  This is a must win for the town and for the program. All we have to do is prepare, everyone has to be ready and we’ll be good,” said Belnavis.

“Playing Southbridge is not even like playing a football game,” said senior Chris Vosburg, “It’s indescribable. When I was a sophomore playing my first game against them I still remember the first play. I remember every snap of that game. You hear people come back years after they played, and they remember the final score and what happened.  We haven’t beaten them since I have been playing in the game, and my freshmen year we lost to them twice (Thanksgiving Day and in the playoffs) on the same play in overtime.”

“I feel confident this year; we have a strong line and we have good athletes that find the holes,” said Vosburg. “We have Alex (Givins-Perry and other guys that can get the job done.”

“Every game with them is so memorable,” said senior co-captain Kelly Chisholm. “I feel really confident this year—more than ever about this game. We are definitely going to be prepared. We are going to be ready. Beating them would mean so much. It would be the greatest way to end the season.”

Senior co-captain Mina Zaky and senior Billy Phillips, who both suffered year-ending injuries, wish they could be on the field for the Indians, and you can see that in their eyes.

“Facing them is huge every year; they come out to play every year,” said Zaky. “It would mean a lot to beat them this year. When you are walking around Webster, and people know you are on the team they tell you that you have to beat Southbridge.”

“I know how big this rivalry was because my older brother would go to every game, and he always wanted to win those games,” said Phillips. “I want to do it for him. This game is all about heart. I know how much people in Webster care about this game. We want to win it for them.”

“The town really revolves around this game,” said Vosburg, “they all come out and watch it. It’s more than a football game now—it’s about the whole town; it’s a lot of fun.”

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Text by Steev Riccardo. Patriot staff photos.

WORCESTER - When the Bartlett Indians football team puts it all together offensively, they can be hard to handle.

This past Saturday afternoon the Indians were operating on all cylinders and disassembled the Worcester South High Colonials 45-6 at Foley Stadium.

The Indians, who are now 5-5 heading into a crucial Thanksgiving Day encounter with archrival the Southbridge Pioneers, had their offense going and got some great efforts from a variety of players on the defensive side of the ball as well.

After holding the Colonials on the opening possession, the Indians went to work early as sophomore back James Patterson broke free on the second play from scrimmage for a tantalizing 81- yard run.  Newcomer Matt Pepin, playing in his first varsity game, added the extra point, giving the Indians a 7-0 lead that they would never relinquish.

On their second possession, Patterson and sophomore Harry Le had back to back runs of 14 and 13 yards setting up senior co-captain Akeem Belnavis who romped 54 yards for the Indians’ second score. Pepin’s extra point made it 14-0 with 2:35 left in the opening quarter.

Alex Givins-Perry scored the third Indians touchdown on a one-yard plunge.  Earlier in the drive, junior quarterback Ricky Spooner connected with Belnavis on a nice 15-yard pass play and Givins-Perry’s nifty 35-yard run to set up the score.

Belnavis scored his second touchdown of the day with a 19-yard run and Pepin kicked his fourth straight extra point and just like that it was 28-0.

Pepin, who was already in the middle of an audacious debut, kicked a 28-yard field goal just before the half, giving the visitors a 31-0 lead. It was Bartlett’s first and only field goal of the season, which in itself was pretty remarkable.

Givins-Perry, who finished with an incredible 216 yards on only 12 carries, added two more scores in the second half on runs of 78 and 29 yards to round off the Indians scoring explosion.

Patterson also had an outstanding game with 97 yards rushing and the one big score, while Belnavis averaged 20 yards a carry with four carries on 80 yards and two touchdowns.

There were several other great performances for the Indians. Sophomore Jacob Mailloux had a pair of sacks, fellow sophomore and the Indians defensive leader Neil Flanigan had a fumble recovery and an interception, while Andrew “Darkness” Delille forced a fumble and played his usual strong game on defense.

Perhaps the biggest surprise and the player that could make the most dividends for the Indians was Pepin, who in his debut had 6 extra points and a field goal.
 

“The kids worked hard, they studied the schemes, we knew what was coming defensively at us to start the game and we put in our game plan and the kids did a great job learning it,” said head coach Dane Laboissonniere.

“They battled through some adversity this week, we had a day that we were practicing outside in the snow and we could only get 45 minutes in and we had another day in the gym and usually you think that a gym practice is going to be half hearted, it might not be the best practice you have ever had and the kids came out flying around and our defensive day in the gym was awesome.”

The coach was also pretty pleased with his young kicker’s debut.  “Matt’s a converted soccer player and the kids came out and said this guy can kick, give him a shot, so he came out and tried it out and we said alright.  He works really hard in practice; he did a great job booting the ball for us today.”

Pepin didn’t even know until his name was called that he would be getting an opportunity to kick.  “This is my first year ever participating in football and I didn’t know what I was doing so I had to do what people told me to do.  I feel pretty good, it’s a good way to start a new football career.”
 

Laboissonniere also praised Flanigan’s play.  “He is going to go as far as he wants to if he works as hard as he can. He is an extremely talented player and he is one of the better high school sophomores that I have ever seen. If he continues to work hard in the offseason and his next two seasons, he is going to go down as one of the all time greats here at Bartlett. He works very hard and he is very smart and we are very happy to have him on our side.”

“We had a pretty good week of practice and we were pretty excited to be playing at Foley Stadium and we came out and did our jobs,” said Flanigan, who had his first career interception and played his typical hard-nosed game on defense.

The Indians now have one more hurdle to climb to make this a successful winning season and they are looking to do something they haven’t done in over five years and that’s take care of business on Thanksgiving and defeat Southbridge.

Stay tuned for the Thanksgiving preview issue next week in The Patriot and until then, check out View From The Sidelines every week in the Patriot and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ViewFromTheSidelines or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your feedback and comments.
 

Indians Evan Anderson had a big year

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER - Even though the Bartlett High School boys’ soccer team lost their last game of the season 2-0 to David Prouty in the opening round of district play, it had no bearing whatsoever on what an excellent season it was for them and their coach Ryan Renauld.

After starting 1-7-1, the team went on an amazing 7-0-2 run, finishing 8-7-3.  They were also a part of Renauld’s 100^th win as a coach at Bartlett. It was truly an outstanding season for a young team that looks to be set for the future.

With only two seniors, Nick Terranova and Jacob Gatto, the Indians played well in what was regarded as a rebuilding season and also found that they have some younger players who are really good soccer players.

“We were a young team so we started off slow but as the season kept going we started getting better and better and more experienced,” said Terranova. “When we were 1-7-1 we started getting focused and everyone started playing as a group and started scoring. Then we just kept winning, and getting Evan (Anderson) back from a broken collarbone was key for us.”

Along with the return of Anderson, who missed several games with his injury, the team also saw some emerging stars begin to rise. One of them was sophomore goalie Brian Tondel.

Sophomore goalie Brian Tondel earned the praise of his teammates

“Losing Tyler Mandeville (2012 graduate and starting goalie) was big,” said Gatto, “but I think after we figured out that the starting keeper was Tondel, it all came together. If Tondel was a little bigger I honestly think he could be one of the best goalies in the state.”

“He (Tondel) had a lot more confidence by the end of the season,” said Terranova, “and it showed in his play.”

Incredible as it sounds, the Indians had nine shutouts this season and it mostly had to do with strong goal tending and the outstanding defensive play of Anderson and guys like sophomore Kyle Liseno and freshman Justin Pepka.

Terranova praised Pepka’s play and said that he didn’t think that the opposition scored on his side of the field all season. Gatto agreed and called him the team’s most “underrated player.”

Another outstanding young player  this season was Kody Morio. “You wouldn’t believe it, but Kody has only been playing soccer for three years,” said Gatto. “He is insane, he’s a natural, and he knows how to play. He has good vision on the field and he knows when to shoot and when to pass.”

Ultimately both players agreed that the real team leader and most valuable player was Anderson and credited his “tremendous leadership qualities and great defensive play” as the key to the team’s turnaround.

What may have been another key factor in the Indians strong finish was how Renauld casually told the team after they beat Quaboag that he had 98 career wins. With only three games left and a playoff spot looming, the players took that as a sign that they should play harder and won their final three games.

“When we found out that he (Renauld) had 98 career wins we definitely started working even harder,” said Gatto.

“I just want to say how proud I am of this team as a whole for what they accomplished when everyone counted us out.  They never let the 1-7-1 start get to them in a way that it affected the next game or the next practice.  We always practiced well and had fun,” said Renauld. 

“I stress to my teams the mental aspect of sports and how things in sports are never perfect.  The ball isn't bouncing our way and even when we feel good about how we played the scoreboard never showed it.  But we needed to realize how well we played and trust that things will turn around as long as we relax and have fun.  The second half of the season going 7-0-2 is remarkable.” 

Renauld was proud of his senior captains as well as the job that Anderson and Brendan “Cup” Walker did as junior captains and feels good about the team’s future. It’s hard not to.

Both Terranova and Gatto plan on attending college next year to study Actuarial Science.

Terranova, who will be part of a solid Bartlett basketball team this winter, hopes to attend UConn, Bentley, or Bryant. Gatto is also looking at UConn and will also apply to Suffolk University.

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Akeem Belnavis scores one of his two touchdowns. Patriot staff photos.

Givins-Perry has career night

By Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER – If the definition of a playmaker is “a player who controls the flow of the team's offensive play,” then there was no question on Friday night who the “playmaker” was –Bartlett’s Alex Givins-Perry.

“AGP,” who now has 1009 yards rushing on the season, led the Indians past the David Prouty Panthers 44-37 in a key Southern Worcester County League match-up, scoring four times while also making key plays on the defensive side of the ball.

Givins-Perry scored on two running plays from the line of scrimmage (5 yards and 41 yards), returned a punt 70 yards, and in one of the most electrifying plays of the year, took the opening kickoff of the second half 75 yards to the bank.  Overall he had almost 400 all-purpose yards and by the way, he had just returned from missing the last two games because of injury.

Things didn’t look good for the Indians early on as the Panthers put together a solid 12-play 8-minute drive and took an 8-0 lead with 4:49 left in the opening stanza.
 

Alex Givins-Perry (#7) scores one of his 4 touchdowns as Akeem Belnavis (#22) celebrates.
 

Sophomore back James Patterson carried the ball 4 times on the Indians first possession and gained 39 yards including a nifty 22-yard run, which set up Givins-Perry, who motored in from 5 yards.  Patterson added the two-point conversion and we had an 8-8 game.

The Panthers wasted no time getting the lead back using a power running attack and only 6 plays to go 74 yards and take a 14-8 lead.

The next Indian drive was all about senior co-captain Akeem Belnavis. “The Dream” returned the kickoff 30 yards, had a 22-yard run, and barreled in from 7 yards to help the Indians go back on top following Ricky Spooner’s two point conversion, making it 16-14.

The Indians stopped the Panthers on their next possession and two plays later Belnavis had a nice 28-yard run putting them deep in the Panthers’ territory but a fumble on the 12-yard line derailed them from opening up their lead.

AJ Caddell and Andrew “Darkness” Delille came up with some big plays on defense and the Panthers were forced to punt, setting up Givins-Perry’s 70-yard return for a score and a 22-14 Indians lead.

On the Panthers’ next possession and last of the opening half, Kelly Chisholm picked off a pass and the Indians were able to take their 8- point lead to the locker room.

Givins-Perry ignited the crowd on the opening kickoff of the second half with his 75- yard run and the Indians were feeling pretty good with a 30-14 lead, but the pesky Panthers were not about to give up yet.

The Panthers put together another good drive and made it 30-22 with 6:53 left in the third quarter, but this was the Givins-Perry show and the junior running back responded with an enormous 41- yard run to give the Indians a 14 point 36-22 lead late in the third quarter.

Anthony Dunn (#80) made some nice plays for the Indians

A couple of huge plays by the Panthers and costly Indians turnover resulted in two fourth quarter scores, giving the visitors a 37-36 lead with six minutes left.

Givins-Perry continued his ‘man on a mission’ assault and broke free for a 29-yard gain and the Indians were looking pretty with a first down on the Panthers 27- yard line. A couple of penalties held up the drive temporarily but not for long as Belnavis scored his second touchdown on a sweet run from 11 yards. Givins-Perry’s two point conversion made it 44-37.

The Panthers threatened, but who else but Givins-Perry made a huge tackle forcing the Panthers to give up the ball on downs and the Indians ran out the clock for the enormous victory.

‘We did some nice things offensively, defensively you are never happy to let up 37 but you got to give some credit to Prouty, they have a great offense and those kids work hard,” said Bartlett head coach Dane Laboissonniere with a smile on his face. “We answered the bell when it counted. We were down 37-36 and we go get the big score to get the ‘W’.”

“I am really proud of the guys, it could have gone the other way, they went on a nice drive to finish the job. We didn’t seem to get many stops but we got the stops at the end of the game.”

Laboissonniere had much praise for his junior back as well. “He (Givins-Perry) does it all, you know he’s the real deal, I am very happy he is on our side. The line blocks it up well for him, he picks the holes and they make it work.  He had a great game after missing two games with those injuries.”

The newest 1000-yard rusher did what he had to do for his team. “I had to do this for my fellow teammates that couldn’t be out there with me today and for the seniors, I wanted to put on a good show for them tonight.”

As far those huge runs, Givins-Perry said, “I was just looking for daylight, I was looking for the openings and I found them.”

Jacob Decker (#24) makes a big tackle for the Indians

The 4-5 Indians travel to Worcester South next Friday for another must- win game. “South is very good, they have some speed, we just have to keep doing all the good things, wrap, tackle, and make some plays,” said Laboissonniere.

Givins-Perry, who finished with 185 yards and 4 touchdowns said, “I think we can have a good week of practice and come out and beat South and then beat Southbridge on Thanksgiving.”

If the Indians keep their offense going like this and make the plays on defense, they certainly can win their final two games and maybe get lucky and sneak into the playoff picture.

Bartlett 2012 football star Rocco DiStefano was on hand to see his team win.
 

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Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER - It’s a long time since the Bartlett High School girls cross country team has had a winning record. In fact, head coach Rebecca Bergin enjoyed her first winning season (6-5) this fall since she started coaching at the school in 2005.

The Indians lost five seniors to graduation from last year’s team, including captain and leading runner Kelly Powers, that made this feat even more amazing.

The team entered the season with only three returning runners from last year along with ten new runners, none of whom were seniors.

Junior co-captains Lindsay Mason and Emily Powers and eight- grader Leah Dunbar all returned from last season.  Both Powers and Dunbar were top- 5 runners a year ago, which gave Bergin and the team something to build on.

What surprised Bergin was the emergence of seventh grader Rachel Connor (above), who has been outstanding.  The newcomer started slow but since has been finishing first on her team in every race.

“She has really excelled, she has been a good minute and a half ahead of other runners in recent races,” said Bergin. “She has the endurance and the stamina.”

Bergin attributes Connor’s success to her off-season workouts.  The 12-year old is also a cheerleader, which is actually her first love.  The hard work she puts in during the summer put her in tiptop shape for the season.

It was great winning six of eleven meets but the real highlight for the Indians was beating Auburn in a race that saw Connor, remarkably, finishing first overall.

“It’s fun pushing myself and I like how it feels to run,” said Connor.  “I didn’t think I would be bad but I didn’t think I would be as good at it as I am.” 

Her teammate and captain Mason said that watching Connor’s improvement throughout the season was “impressive to see.”

Mason said that her personal experience with cross country “has been awesome, it’s different being a captain, you see things in a whole new light.”

Fellow captain Powers, who is the younger sister of Kelly, who was the team’s top runner last year, has had to adjust without having her mentor around. “Kelly was always the person I followed, I always set my goals according to how she did and now I don’t have that bar set,” said Powers.

“It has been a nice experience leading the team this year and I have been watching all the girls progress as I have been.”

Eight-grader Leah Dunbar has been another stalwart performer for the Indians and has finished first among her teammates several times as well.
 

Another interesting addition to the team has been sophomore Sarah Whalen, who transferred to Bartlett from Millbury this year. She said that “it feels great to have been part of this team” and that she hopes to become a leader in years to come.

The future is looking bright for Bergin and the girls and with everyone returning it looks like winning could become a mainstay in the program.

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Bartlett sophomore Brain Tondel has been racking up the shutouts for the Indians

By Steev Riccardo

Leicester – The Bartlett Indians boys soccer team completed a miraculous run of nine straight unbeaten games Sunday by knocking off the Leicester Wolverines 1-0 and earning a district playoff bid.

The Indians were shutout 3-0 by the 11-5-2 Wolverines earlier in the season and were the clear underdogs heading into the key contest.

Sophomore Kody Morio, who has been playing superbly as of late, scored the lone Indians goal, while goalie Brian Tondel earned the shutout victory in goal.
 

The young Indians, who have 14 underclassmen and only two seniors on their team, were 1-7-2 and looked to be done for the season when they began their improbable turnaround.

They started their streak with 5-0 win over Quaboag on October 9 and went on beat Southbridge twice, Northbridge, Quaboag a second time, Blackstone-Milville, and finally Leicester. They also tied David Prouty 0-0 in a must win or tie situation.

This is the ninth year in a row Ryan Renauld and the Indians have qualified for the Central Mass playoffs. They won the State title in 2006.

The Oxford crew at the SWCL meet

Girls finish third

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER - The Shepherd Hill Rams boys cross country team had a huge day and finished first overall in the Southern Worcester County League cross country meet this past Thursday at Memorial Beach in Webster.

Junior Elijah Fossas finished first overall for the Rams while teammates Hunter Schultz (4th) and Jason Bangs (ninth) were both in the top ten in a race that included 69 runners.

Oxford freshman Austin Greene came in 29th place, while Bartlett’s Thomas James was in 47th place.

On the girls’ side, Shepherd Hill scored a third place team finish behind Northbridge and Millbury.

The Rams junior running sensation Stella Worters won the girls race with a strong first place finish.  Juleanna Schultz finished third and teammate Lucy Harmon was also a top ten finisher in 8th place for the Rams.

The Bartlett girls finished fifth overall in the girl’s race with seventh grader Rachel Connor, Leah Dunbar, and junior co-captain Emily Powers leading the way.

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AJ Caddell makes an amazing catch. (More Patriot staff photos follow)

Belnavis scores 4 TD’s

By Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER –Faced with a fourth down situation and needing 13 yards from their own 20-yard line with a little over a minute left and trailing 20-18 to the Millbury Woolies, things looked bleak for the Bartlett Indians.

Then something magical happened and changed everything in a matter of seconds.

Indians junior quarterback Ricky Spooner found senior co-captain Akeem Belnavis in the middle of the field and threw him a perfect pass and the speedster broke free and went 80 yards, giving his team an improbable 26-20 win that helped keep the Indians’ playoff hopes alive.

Belnavis had a career day for the Indians, scoring four times, including three touchdown passes from Spooner, who also had one of his best days ever in a green uniform.

Akeem Beknavis had a career night with four touchdowns

The Indians started the game with an impressive 8- play drive that culminated with a 32- yard toss from Spooner to Belnavis, giving them a 6-0 lead with 7:25 left in the opening quarter.

Both teams battled in sloppy field conditions until the Woolies scored on a one-yard plunge to tie the game at 6-6 with 9:58 in the second quarter.

Not to be denied, the Indians came right back on their next possession and Spooner connected with Belnavis for their second score on a 16-yard pass play, making it 12-6.

The Woolies took a 14-12 lead just before the half with another one- yard run and then wasted little time opening the second half with a 9- minute, 13- play scoring drive that gave them what looked like a commanding 20-12 lead.

The Indians battled back and put together an impressive drive of their own which was highlighted by some solid running by sophomore Harry Le and a sensational catch by AJ Caddell on a pass by Spooner on fourth down, giving the Indians a first down on the four- yard line.

Spooner tried sneaking the ball in twice, but it was Belnavis who could not be denied, blasting in from the one-yard line and making it 20-18 with 8 minutes left.

It looked like the Woolies were on the verge of scoring again when the tandem of Andrew “Darkness” Delille and Neil Flanigan got a huge sack, forcing the visitors to punt the ball away to the Indians.

Bartlett had less than three minutes to go 90 yards.  Spooner was called for a suspect illegal grounding on first down and then threw an incompletion. Sophomore James Patterson went six yards on third down but the Indians were faced with a fourth and 13^th.

Spooner found Flanigan, who made an outstanding grab for a 13-yard gain and a first down and the Indians had another set of downs.

The Woolies defense bared down and stopped the Indians, putting them in a nearly impossible situation with a fourth down and 13 and a little over a minute left when Spooner connected with Belnavis on one of the most exciting offensive plays in recent Bartlett history, giving them a huge win. 

“We’re fighters, that’s what it comes down to, we are short-handed, a couple starters out, and some guys really stepped up tonight,” said an exuberant Dane Labossionniere. “I couldn’t be more proud of this football team than I am right now.”

It was 20-18 with about two-and-half minutes left and we were starting to think that maybe we were better off at 4^th and ten getting a safety and going for the onside kick, but we went for it, backs against the wall, and (Neil) Flanigan made a hell of a play. On the second fourth down play we knew we had the match-up if we put Akeem (Belnavis) in the slot and (Ricky) Spooner threw a beautiful ball, the line gave him time and this was one of the best wins we have had around this place in a long time.”

Labossionniere praised his senior, who had a career game. “Akeem is an animal, he has elevated his play all season long, he is a legitimate football player. Teams game-plan around him, they knew they had to stop him and the kid goes out and catches three touchdowns and then runs in another one.  That’s how you get it done. We are very proud of his efforts and the whole team’s efforts.”

Belnavis, who also had an incredible 65-yard punt to go with his four scores, was ecstatic afterwards. “I wanted the ball tonight, I was screaming for it the whole game. With Alex (Givins-Perry) out I knew I had to step up. We are just trying to get to the playoffs, there is no letting up now.”

“We had a few mistakes early in the drive but we didn’t get our heads down,” said Spooner on the final drive. “We kept them up and on that last play everybody on the line blocked and I had plenty of time. It’s indescribable, I don’t even know how to explain that play.”

Anthony "The Bull" Cafarelli(#76) whooping it up

There were several other great contributors for the Indians tonight, who were minus Givins-Perry, their leading rusher and Billy Phillips, who may be lost for the season.  Along with Belnavis and Spooner, Flanigan was solid once again as were the linemen, including Delille and seniors Chris Vosburg and Mina Zaky.

The 3-4 Indians will now travel to Leicester in another must-win next week. “Leicester are the defending super bowl champs, they knocked us out of the playoffs last year, they are a great team,” said Labossionniere. “They have a lot of weapons, we have to come out to play next week.”

“We want revenge, they are like a Southbridge in my eyes,” said Belnavis “I am not gonna lie, I want to beat them bad.”

For more on high school football, check out View From The Sidelines every week in the Patriot and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ViewFromTheSidelines or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your feedback and comments.

Sophomore Dylan Murphy

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

Webster – The Bartlett High School boys soccer team battled to a fierce 0-0 tie against a very good Auburn Rockets last Monday, September 24.  

Sophomore goalie Jacob Murphy, who has played well all season for the rebuilding Indians, held the Rockets scoreless and played a stellar game in goal.

Later in the week the goal scoring drought continued for the Indians, as they were shutout by the David Prouty Panthers 3-0 in Spencer.

The 1-6-1 Indians will play at Northbridge on Thursday, October 4, and return home for a contest against Doherty on Friday, October 5. They will also travel to Quaboag for another Southern Worcester County League tilt on Tuesday, October 9.

For more on boys high school soccer, check out View From The Sidelines every week in the Patriot and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ViewFromTheSidelines or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your feedback and comments.