DEDHAM – A gritty defensive effort propelled the Noble and Greenough School to 10-6 victory against Thayer Academy at Burr Field.
The game was in question until the end. Trailing by four, Thayer took control of the ball with eight minutes remaining, then engineered a time-consuming 19-play drive. Thayer marched the ball all the way to the 13-yard-line. But with 85 seconds left to play, a stingy Nobles defense refused to allow any more forward progress. That began with senior captain Mac Bianchi, who sacked Thayer quarterback Dray Evriviades for an eight-yard loss on first down. After two incomplete passes, a fourth-down throw to the end zone was broken up Nobles’ Ryan Taylor.
“All game, we made the big play when we needed it,” said Nobles coach Jim O’Leary, who notched his 100th victory as a head coach, which includes 15 years at Governor’s and two years at Triton Regional. “Mac is our glue, and then Ryan made a great play against a receiver that was something like six inches bigger than him. This whole team, whenever they need to step up, they always find an answer.”
Nobles (5-2) remains in position to compete for a Class C bowl game, earning a massive tiebreaker against Thayer (4-3).
“We’re fighting to get our seniors another game,” said Nobles quarterback Naeem Logan (6-10, 52 yards passing, 48 yards rushing). “The line was our MVP. I had time to throw and our D-line pressured their quarterback all game. We lost two games we felt we should have won, so we came out here inspired to get this one.”
Neither team scored on the first five possessions. That stalemate was finally broken when Nobles’ Braylen Jenkins careened past the goal line for a one-yard dash with two minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter, a play that ultimately gave Nobles the 7-0 advantage.
After producing negative (-18) yardage in the first half, Thayer coach Jeff Toussaint met with his players at halftime. His senior leaders were vocal that they needed to be ready to come out in the second half with a whole new offensive fire.
“As disappointed as we were with the first half, we were only down by seven,” said Toussaint. “We knew we could get right back in it. We had big plays from Will Bewley (10 tackles), who was so strong for us on defense, and Drew St. Pierre made a big play that got us right back in the game.”
Nobles opened the second half with a six-and-a-half-minute, 12-play drive that resulted in a 23-yard field goal from Thomas Hall to extend the lead to 10-0. But Thayer quickly responded, running only four plays before Evriviades hit St. Pierre (72 yards rushing, two receptions, 52 yards receiving, TD) for a 52-yard touchdown reception. The extra point did not connect, but Thayer was on the board – trailing 10-6 – and within one possession with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.
“We knew we’d have to make some stops,” said Nobles lineman Eghosa Inomwan, a 6-foot-3 junior defensive end playing his first year of organized football. “I’ve always played basketball, but I wanted to play with this team. There’s a real bond between all of us, and we’re always together off the field too, so that makes these games mean even more.”
The victory was in question until Thayer’s final pass of the game, which was disrupted by Taylor in the end zone. The turnover on downs allowed Nobles to let out a collective sigh of relief by setting up the victory formation for one last play.
“We had to grind to win this game,” said Nobles junior running back Jonah Bazinet (47 yards rushing). “We don’t mind – that’s our style. It’s a brotherhood here, and we’re always fighting for each other. This was a team win and we fought hard.”
Nobles travels to Milton Academy next week. A victory should secure a NEPSAC Bowl game.
“We’re not the biggest team, but we fight,” said O’Leary. “This group gets after it and plays as hard as they can all every day.”
