MILTON – Some traditions can last forever.
Thanks to another incredible performance from Ellis Barnes, BB&N was able to keep its reign rolling in Northeast 7-on-7 play. The Columbia-bound wideout made countless clutch plays Thursday, as the Knights captured their second straight New England championship in the showcase with a 12-6 win over Leominster at Milton High School.
“This is definitely a tone-setter for the year,” Barnes said afterward. “We won the tournament last year, and that set us up to go undefeated in the ISL. We’re definitely looking to do that here.”
The Knights rolled through Thursday’s pool play games, defeating a recent Northeast 7-on-7 rival to open the action with a 22-12 win over Plymouth South. The Knights then toppled Milton in a wild 29-26 contest, clinching a trip to the tournament’s playoffs.
With a trip to the Northeast 7-on-7 championship hanging in the balance, BB&N quarterback Damon Taylor connected with Sam Kelley for a game-winning five-yard touchdown strike, sending the Knights to the finals with a 26-20 victory over Marblehead.
After coming up short in the Eastern Mass. tournament a few days ago, the Knights walked into Milton determined to make a statement.
“I thought the guys competed really hard,” said BB&N coach Mike Willey. “Last week, they didn’t get it done. I think that put a little chip on their shoulder, which was fun to see. Especially with the seniors. They weren’t satisfied with what happened last weekend.”
Led by a Coastal Carolina commit in senior quarterback Osiris Jones, Leominster was able to claw its way to a title bout with the ISL program, defeating the likes of great programs like Barnstable (a 22-20 win) and Milton (a 28-19 victory) en route to its championship appearance.
“I think our skills guys can play with anybody,” said Leominster coach Devin Gates. “ISL, MIAA, I think our skills can play with anybody right now. I feel like we’ve got one of the best quarterbacks in the state, a complement of receivers to go around him. Then, defensively, we’ve got guys flying to the ball. We’ve got a lot of team speed. I’m happy with the way they played against them. Would love to try to play them again, but the guys did well and I’m happy with their performance.”
In a fun sidebar for BB&N, the Knights were able to welcome back a star alum in recent James Madison graduate, Sammy Malignaggi. The former Knights standout recently accepted a job at WPI as the school’s next running back coach.
Malignaggi still made time to work with Willey’s staff as an assistant, calling plays for BB&N as it claimed another piece of hardware this past month.
“Feels a little nostalgic at times,” Malignaggi said. “Playing here in high school probably were some of the best years of my life, playing football. It feels a little nostalgic, being around these kids, but it was a lot of fun. I had a lot of great times with them.”
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