A joyous holiday

Rivalry football games are a Thanksgiving staple in Massachusetts, and dating to 1921, the annual Turkey Day showdown between the Watertown Raiders and the Belmont Marauders is among the state’s most competitive and historic.

The Marauders came into this year’s game on a three-game winning streak, but the Raiders took advantage of their strong run game to complete a Thanksgiving victory over their rivals, 34-13.

“It was really emotional,” said Watertown head coach John Cacace. “I love these guys. I love ‘em to death.”

The win extended Raiders’ winning streak in the series to three and brought their final 2014 record at 9-2. It capped an impressive season in which the Raiders took home their first Middlesex League championship since 1983.

“It’s pretty crazy,” said junior Stevie Mey. “We worked for a long time for this, put a lot of hard work in. It’s just crazy.”

On a cold morning at Harris Field at Belmont High School, the field was blanketed with snow as the teams faced off in the 93d edition of the rivalry. With the passing game almost completely neutralized by the field conditions, the Raiders went to their 1-2 punch of senior Austin Farry and sophomore Zach Rimsa, who combined with senior quarterback Nick Giordano to form a rushing attack for which the Belmont defense couldn’t answer. 

“We wanted to establish the run game today,” Cacace explained, “Our offensive line has been terrific, and they played a great game today. Zach, Nicky, and Austin ran hard and took care of the ball. It was a great performance.”

Farry led the way for Watertown, taking 15 carries for a total of 114 yards. Despite completing just one pass all game, Giordano ran the ball 11 times for 112 yards.

“Our guys up front are big, and we knew we could manhandle their defensive line,” said Giordano, who was recently named Middlesex League MVP. “We practiced the run all week, focused very little on the passing game in practice. We were coming in planning on pounding the ball all game.”

A big kickoff return from junior Kyle Foley gave the Raiders great field position on the Belmont 47 on their opening drive. The Raiders called run play after run play until Farry opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run three minutes into the game, putting Watertown up, 7-0.

The Raiders forced the Marauders (3-8) to punt after just three plays, and went straight back to their game plan on their second drive, not calling any pass plays as they continued a ground-and-pound offense. Giordano called his own number when the Raiders got deep into Belmont territory, punching in the touchdown from 4 yards out to double the lead, 14-0.

The Raiders defense was stellar as usual, putting constant pressure on Belmont quarterback Cal Christofori. His first throw was picked off, as the sophomore threw to his left and his pass was intercepted by Raider senior Sam Ford, putting Watertown on the Belmont 25.

The Raiders wasted no time capitalizing on Marauder mistake, as senior Alex Martinos ran for a 2-yard touchdown a 21-0 Watertown lead.

The Raiders turned the ball over on fourth down on their next possession, leaving Belmont, who hadn’t even managed a single first down, with just two minutes and 90 yards to score before halftime.

Senior running back Max Jones (14 carries, 127 yards) didn’t need that much time, however, taking the handoff, finding a hole to his right, and using his blistering speed to fly for a 90-yard touchdown run on the first play. A blocked extra point left the score at 21-6.

“[Max Jones] is their big-play guy,” Cacace said. “We wanted to contain him, that was definitely a goal of ours. He got loose that one time [on his 90-yard TD run], but we adjusted, and I think we did a pretty good job defensively.”

With under two minutes left, Giordano and the Raider offense went to work. Keeping the ball himself, the Raider quarterback refused to go down, breaking four tackles and ripping off a 53-yard run, before being tackled at the Belmont 4. Rimsa dove into the end zone on the next play, giving the Raiders a 28-6 lead at the halftime break. 

Christofori, having to evade constant pressure, didn’t have the greatest day through the air (3 of 11, 54 yards). But after a 17-yard completion put Belmont on the Watertown 30, Christofori unloaded a perfect throw to Jaehmar Paul, finding the senior receiver in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown to bring the score to 28-13.

Farry squashed any hopes of a comeback, however, taking the ensuing Belmont kickoff 78 yards for the touchdown. Getting a couple of key blocks, Farry picked the ball off of the snowy turf and burst straight down the middle of the field, never looking back until he had reached the end zone, tossing snow in the air in celebration.

Down 34-13, the Marauders tried to respond, but a Christofori pass was broken up by Raider senior Brandon Clancy, and the deflection was caught by senior lineman Erik Baghdasaryan for an interception at the start of the fourth quarter.

The score remained the same as the Raiders kneeled out the clock, and were left to celebrate a 34-13 triumph, the Watertown seniors having played their final game in the Raider black, white, and red.

“They’re great football players, and more importantly great kids,’’ said Cacace. “[The seniors] gave everything they had to this program, and took it to a new level. I’ll miss them.”

“It’s special,” added Giordano. “You only get this opportunity once. Senior year, going out with a win against Belmont, with the guys I’ve played with since freshman year. It’s a feeling I’ll never have again, but I’ll always carry it with me.”

    –Nov. 28, 2014–