Norwood Defeats Braintree 32-12 to Remain Undefeated Behind Chris Collins and Stingy Defense-October 31, 1977

Mustangs Overcome Early Deficit as Quarterback Chris Collins Shines

Facing an emotional Braintree squad playing under interim coaches following head coach Bill White’s late-week resignation, Norwood High School overcame a brief first-quarter stumble to secure a dominant 32-12 victory at Murray Field.

The Wamps caught the Mustangs off guard on Norwood’s opening possession when quarterback Chris Collins threw an interception that set up Phil Warsheski’s 11-yard touchdown run, giving Braintree an early 6-0 lead. The score marked the first time any Bay State League opponent had managed to score against Norwood all season.

Assistant coach Bob MacAllister—who stepped in alongside Bob Chute, Frank Tricomi, and Nick Krot—praised his players’ resilience: “A lot of the kids were affected by it… Every one of those kids liked him. They worked extra hard this week. Here’s a team, Norwood, that hasn’t been scored on in the league and we moved the ball and scored.”

Collins and the Mustang Defense Take Control

Any early suspense quickly evaporated as the Mustangs regained their composure. Senior quarterback Chris Collins delivered a superlative performance, completing 9 of 16 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for a touchdown, kicking three extra points and a 36-yard field goal, and even returning an interception 20 yards.

Norwood blew the game open with a 22-point second-quarter explosion:

• Collins scrambled for a rushing touchdown and tossed a precise 12-yard touchdown pass to Jim Donaghue, who reeled in a leaping fingertip catch in the endzone. (Action photography captured by staff photographer Phil Hailer showed Donaghue leaping between Braintree defenders Greg Flynn and Art Stearns during a pass breakup).
• Additional touchdowns by Memmo, Chisholm, and a scoring run by Braintree’s Art Stearns rounded out the scoring.

Despite two second-quarter fumbles that halted promising drives deep in Braintree territory, Norwood’s relentless offense and stingy defense—anchored by Joe Lynch, Mark Soderlund, and Dennis Clifford—sealed the win. Stepping in for injured linebacker Joe McDonough, John Ciolfi turned in a stellar two-way performance, leading the Mustangs with 53 rushing yards while anchoring the defense.

Now standing at 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the league, coach John Doherty‘s squad is firmly on track for an Eastern Massachusetts Division One Super Bowl berth in December, provided they navigate their final three regular-season games.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger