Mustangs Focus on Business Ahead of Walpole Showdown-October 20, 1980
With all of the Bay State League championship marbles waiting on the line for a colossal matchup against Walpole the following Saturday, it would have been easy for the Norwood High School football team to look past Braintree. But veteran coach John Doherty made certain his squad kept their eyes firmly fixed on the task at hand for 60 solid minutes.
The disciplined approach paid off with a decisive 28-6 victory over the Wamps on Saturday, improving the Mustangs‘ record to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in league play, while Braintree slipped below the .500 mark to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the BSL.
“We have a great deal of respect for Braintree and didn’t even think of Walpole,” Doherty said. “We were very happy with our offensive showing, and what can I say about our defense? They were a little upset when Braintree scored at the end because that was the first touchdown our first defense has allowed all season.”
John Doherty Jr. and Joe Travers Lead Explosive Offense-October 20, 1980
Quarterback John Doherty Jr. put on a passing clinic in the first half, completing 9 of 13 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns as Norwood built a commanding 21-0 halftime lead.
The tone was set immediately on the second play from scrimmage when Doherty lofted a precise 39-yard touchdown pass into the arms of senior tri-captain Joe Travers, who finished the afternoon with four receptions for 71 yards and two scores. “John and Joe are as good a combination as you’ll see,” Doherty noted. “They’ve been working together for some time now and know each other pretty well.”
Following a 15-play, 90-yard scoring drive featuring key runs by Robert Hill (who rushed for 42 yards on six carries) and catches by Travers, Doherty connected with Travers again for an eight-yard touchdown pass. Late in the first half, Doherty struck again, hitting Robert Hill with a 40-yard scoring bomb. A staff photo by Fred Keenan captured Hill beating Braintree defender Tom McBrine for a crucial first-down reception during the contest.
Second Half Battle and Final Scoring-October 20, 1980
Braintree regrouped in the second half under quarterbacks Tim Duffy and Scott O’Malley, who engineered a 12-play, 60-yard scoring drive. The march was kept alive when Duffy converted a crucial fourth-and-12 situation with a 15-yard pass to Tom McBrine, who pulled down a clutch catch in the end zone despite two Mustangs draped over his back.
Norwood capped its scoring in the final period when junior quarterback Mike Conti—who played brilliantly in the defensive secondary all afternoon—directed a 60-yard, six-play drive. Keven Doherty finished the march by rambling 26 yards for a touchdown. Place kicker Tom Cronin booted the extra point—his 10th consecutive successful PAT of the season—cementing the 28-6 final score.
Doherty and Cronin credited their offensive line for the afternoon’s success, praising center Paul McCracken, guards Harry Ward and Gordon Grasselli, tackles Brian Cox and John Cavanaugh, alongside Bill Moore and Roger Pelletier, for stellar blocking in the trenches.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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