By Bill Sones — Sports Contributor
The Concord-Carlisle High School football squad grabbed sole possession of first place in the Dual County League Thorpe Division with a home-field victory over the Newton South Lions.
The Patriots came out strong in the first quarter and never looked back. After senior co-captain running back Connor Sones’ kickoff return set the Patriots up in good field position, the Pats took only seven plays to go 59 yards and take the lead on a Sones 9-yard run. Junior running back Lewis Simon had 47 yards rushing to spur the drive.
The CC defense forced a punt on the Lions’ first possession, thanks to key tackles by Simon, junior linebacker co-captain Eric Nick, and senior defensive lineman Ndungu Muiruri. Led by a 56-yard scamper by Sones, CC marched 74 yards in 7 plays, including two completions by senior co-captain quarterback Matthew Carleton to senior wide receiver Taylor Ladd. Sones (80 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns) rumbled into the end zone from 5 yards out to give the Pats a 14-0 lead after Ladd’s extra point.
The second quarter opened with the Lions on the move to the CC 38-yard line. But the Pats’ defense stiffened, and junior cornerback Peter Burke snuffed out the drive with a diving interception on 4th down.
Two plays later, freshman running back Thomas Bury (180 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns) made his mark with a 79-yard run, breaking four Newton South tackles and outpacing two Lions defenders for the score. The Ladd kick made it 21-0 Patriots. The Lions got on the scoreboard with a 7-play, 62-yard drive that culminated in a 28-yard strike for a touchdown to cut the Pats’ lead to 21-7 at the half.
Late touchdown trade
Newton South then took the second-half kickoff and marched 71 yards on eight plays, ending with a 6-yard rumble into the end zone, cutting CC’s lead to 21-13. But after the kickoff put the Pats on their own 40, Carleton sprinted 60 yards up the middle for the score, aided by effective blocking by the offensive line, including juniors Tyler Colgan and Nick and seniors Noah Getchell, Lorenzo Bosch, and Max Hunter. The extra point made it 28-13.
The Lions responded with a 77-yard drive that reached the CC 2-yard line, but a Simon interception ended the threat. Four plays later, Bury raced 80 yards for the score to push the lead to 35-13. The teams traded late touchdowns, including a 12-yard score by Simon (76 yards, 1 touchdown) to make the final score 42-20.
The win improved CCHS’ record to 4-1 overall (2-0 in the DCL).
CCHS was next to host the Westford Academy Grey Ghosts (1-0 DCL, 3-2 overall) in a battle for first place in the DCL’s Thorpe Division.
