Norwood High Football Triumphs Over Braintree 12-8

Norwood High School football players know mistakes when they see them, and more importantly, they know how to make the most of them.

Capitalizing on a stout defensive effort and a cascade of untimely Wamp miscues, the Mustangs edged out Braintree High School 12-8 in a hard-fought Bay State League contest at Hollis Field last Saturday.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Norwood,” conceded Braintree Coach Eddie Beck. “They are tough and aggressive. But we beat ourselves with mistakes.”

Conversely, Norwood Coach Art Gulla praised his squad for playing disciplined, mistake-free football while mounting a surprisingly suffocating defensive front that kept Braintree on its heels all afternoon.

Game Statistics Snapshot

Metric	Norwood (N)	Braintree (B)
First Downs	8	11
Yards Gained Rushing	103	126
Yards Gained Passing	36	57
Yards Lost	16	2
Passes Attempted	2	12
Passes Completed	1	3
Passes Intercepted By	1	0
Punts	4	4
Punting Average	39.5	38.5
Fumbles	2	7
Opponent’s Fumbles Recovered	3	1
Yards Penalized	60	40

Early Misfortunes and Mustang Scores

Braintree’s afternoon of frustration began almost immediately. Wamp fullback Dave Morse returned the opening kickoff to his own 23-yard line, but six plays later, quarterback Dick MacArthur fumbled, and Norwood end Steve Donovan recovered on the Wamp 40.

Taking advantage of the short field, Norwood marched 9 plays to draw first blood. The offensive engine was junior halfback Tom Shea—a 175-pound standout playing varsity since his freshman year—who ripped off a 19-yard run, hauled in an 11-yard pass from quarterback Joe Smith, and plunged four yards to the one-yard line before Smith pushed over on a quarterback sneak. Braintree’s Bob Jones, playing through injuries, managed to block the extra-point attempt by Kevin Donovan.

Braintree threatened to answer by driving to the Norwood 25, but misfortune struck again when Morse fumbled and Steve Donovan recovered for his second takeaway of the day. Although Norwood drove back down the field, Wamp captain Bob Sutton squashed the threat by dropping Smith for a heavy loss and forcing a punt.

Missed Opportunities and a Punt Return for the Ages

Braintree’s misfortunes compounded in the second period when Bob Meehan recovered a Norwood fumble, setting up a scrambling 28-yard run by MacArthur that carried the Wamps to the Mustang nine-yard line. On the very next play, however, MacArthur was smothered by Norwood tacklers, fumbled, and Shea recovered for the Mustangs.

Further heartbreak arrived in the third period after a grueling 12-play Wamp drive carried deep to the Norwood 24. Facing a third-and-one, MacArthur’s sneak was stuffed by the Norwood line, and on fourth down, Jones was dropped for a one-yard loss by standout defensive stalwarts John Collins and Mike Santospago.

The fourth quarter opened with more special teams grief for Braintree. After MacArthur punted from his 25 to the Norwood 35, a holding penalty against the Wamps nullified the play, forcing MacArthur to kick from deep inside his own 10-yard line. Tom Shea fielded the punt on his own 46-yard line and raced the entire distance for Norwood’s second touchdown, aided by a crushing key block from Collins.

Still, Braintree refused to fold quietly. The Wamps mounted one final surge to the Norwood 10, though a clipping penalty pushed them back to the 20. MacArthur launched a pass, but defensive back Joe Gugliotta intercepted it to thwart the drive.

In the game’s waning minutes, Norwood suffered its own taste of misfortune when Bob Meehan returned a punt 34 yards to the Norwood 28, with a facemask penalty advancing the ball to the 13. Five plays later, Bob Meehan slanted in for a five-yard touchdown, and Jim Walorz punched home the two-point conversion to narrow the gap to 12-8, though time ran out on the Wamps’ comeback bid.

Ground Attack and Lineups

Offensively, Norwood’s ground game was spearheaded by Tom Shea and Kevin Donovan, who both turned in identical stat lines: 49 rushing yards and three first downs each (Shea on 14 carries, Donovan on 13).

Scoring Summary by Quarter:

Norwood: 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 — 12
Braintree: 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 — 8
Touchdowns: Smith (N), Shea (N), R. Meehan (B).
Extra Points: Walorz (B) rush.

Team Rosters:

Norwood Lineup: Ends: Collins, S. Donovan, Grubenskas; Tackles: Knowlton, Tim Hopkins, Sheehan; Guards: Santospago, Feeney, DiCicco; Center: Mogan; Backs: Smith, Shea, T. Donovan, K. Donovan, Gugliotta, Cassidy, Fischer.
Braintree Lineup: Ends: Sutton, Smith, Sullivan; Tackles: Argentine, Wojcik, Mahoney, Nelligan; Guards: Nocera, Holmes, Porter, Tricomi; Centers: Santackas, Griffin; Backs: MacArthur, Morse, R. Meehan, B. Meehan, Jones, Walorz, Griffith.

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