BEDFORD – Not a whole lot separated Bedford and Walpole.
Except for one stop.
Walpole defensive lineman Jeremiah Colon tackled Bedford quarterback Sylar Pimental on the four-yard line, securing a 28-20 overtime victory for the Wolverines. Pimental had moved the chains all game, but on fourth-and-goal from the eight, Colon made the stop of the season.
“I saw him rolling out, and we got him,” said Colon. “We wanted that stop, we needed it. Bedford was a tough team, but we earned this.”
That final stop was the opposite of the previous possession, where Walpole running back Dillon Needham scored on fourth-and-one. The victory extends the season for No. 9 Walpole (5-4), who upset the No. 8 Bedford, and now move on to the Round of 8 in the Division 4 MIAA playoffs.
Walpole coach Chris Sullivan expressed admiration for his team, which lost their first three games of the season. But his group never stopped putting in the work, which paid dividends on a brisk night in Bedford.
“I’m proud of our senior leadership, I’m proud of our coaches, and I’m proud of the way this team shows up every single day,” said Sullivan. “We’ve been resilient all season, and that’s how we needed to play to win this game.”
Walpole got on the board first, scoring three seconds into the second quarter when Jack English pounded the ball into the end zone on third-and-goal from the one. The touchdown capped off a six-minute, 13-play drive, and it featured four different running options in English, Joe Carter, Mason Falcone, and Needham.
“Bedford is a very good team, so we needed to grind in order to have a chance at winning,” said Sullivan. “We have a bend-but-don’t-break approach on offense, and that’s what you saw there.”
But Bedford (6-3) didn’t trail for long. Later in the quarter, the Buccaneers needed only two minutes and five seconds to tie the game. That happened when a poised Pimentel read the Walpole defense, then connected with Lawrence Andrade for a five-yard touchdown pass. Bedford then captured the lead when Andrade rushed two yards into the end zone on a drive highlighted by a 63-yard reception from Boston College-committed receiver Mekhi Volcy, who made the reception off a deflection and then exploded downfield. The score remained 14-7 in Bedford’s favor at the half, but Walpole–led defensively by lineman Zach Lamoureux–made two critical stops in the third quarter to keep the game within reach.
“Our goal was to pressure them,” said Lamoureux. “We’ve struggled early with that, but we bounced back. A lot of that has to do with our coaching. We practice game situations, and that prepared us for the situations we faced here. And we believe in each other. We knew we could win this game.”
Walpole evened the score at 14-14 with 9:28 remaining in the third quarter. Quarterback Blake Pileski rushed for a five-yard touchdown, and it became clear this game would be decided by one play. Initially, it appeared it would come from Volcy. He scored on the very next play when Pimentel hit him for a pass, then outran triple coverage for an 85-yard touchdown. Bedford kicker Andrew Livshin, who had been accurate all night, missed the extra point, which kept the lead 20-14 in favor of Bedford.
But Walpole wouldn’t go away. They scored on their next possession, marching 63 yards in 90 seconds and seemingly taking control of the game when English broke free for a 38-yard touchdown run. But Walpole’s excitement was curbed when they were flagged for excessive celebration. That forced Mateo Filipi to kick an 18-yard extra point, which was wide, and kept the score tied at 20.
Bedford had a chance to end it in regulation. With only 64 seconds on the clock, the Buccaneers moved the ball 42 yards to put themselves in position for a game-winning field goal. But Livshin, who was outstanding all night at right tackle, saw his attempt sail inches wide to the right.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Bedford, who are led by an exceptional coach in Tom Tone.
“We’re disappointed in the outcome, but I’m real proud of the kids,” said Tone. “Walpole is a tough team–they’re well coached, they’ve got some big guys, and it felt like they had a million tough running backs. The only good thing is this isn’t our last game. That is comforting–we still have more football to play.”
Walpole will travel to Scituate to play the defending state champions in the next round. But even with a difficult obstacle ahead, the light is still on for Walpole, and quarterback Blake Pileski relishes the challenge in front of him.
“It’s always the same mentality for us,” said Pileski. “Coach Sullivan has taught us that wherever we go, it’s just football. We know how good Scituate is. That team is full of studs, so we’ll prepare for them and be ready to compete.”
