DALTON, Mass. — Noah Poirier and Owen Salvatore each scored two touchdowns Friday to lead Wahconah to a 35-15 win over West Bridgewater to open the Division 7 State Tournament.
Wahconah Coach Gary Campbell Jr. said it was a great win for the team to start the playoffs.
"It gives us confidence going forward,” he said.”It gives the kids confidence that they can do it. We got a tall task coming up next. But so what? next game, who cares? We're in the playoffs. Let's have fun."
Wahconah wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with Salvatore scoring on a 56-yard run with 10:45 left in the first quarter to bring the score to 6-0. West Bridgewater soon took the lead, however, with a touchdown and extra point at the end of the quarter to take a one-point lead.
Lucas Pickard was the next player for Wahconah to score, bringing it to 14-6 after a successful two-point conversion. Immediately after an interception from Junior Jacob Cooper, the Warriors scored again, with Salvatore scoring his second to bring the lead to 20-6.
West Bridgewater answered right back, however, driving the ball all the way for a touchdown off the Wahconah kickoff.
Wahconah forced another fumble with just 30 seconds left in the half, defending at the 5-yard line. The team immediately killed the clock to end the half with a 20-15 score.
Campbell said this was a crucial moment in the game for the defense. After this possession, West Bridgewater did not score for the remainder of the game.
"Getting that fumble, that turnover right over there at the end of the first half was huge," he said "They score there, and they take the lead, so it's freaking huge. I'm excited about it. The defense stepped up in that time."
Poirier scored his first touchdown of the game with 4:44 left in the third quarter, bringing the score to 28-15. It took another quarter and a half before the next touchdown, also from Poirier, for the final score of the game.
With the win, Wahconah (7-2) advances to the quarter-finals of the D7 State Tournament and a date next Friday at No. 1 West Boylston (8-1), a 49-0 winner over Tech Boston on Friday.
Campbell said the team's intensity on both sides of the ball sets the tone for the rest of the playoffs.
"We work on turning the ball over, trying to rip the ball out of their hands. And they certainly did it. They did a great job," he said.
