Minutemen Fall to Acton-Boxborough (PHOTOS)

Kyle Sweeney simply made life miserable for the football team.

The senior running back overcame the wet, slippery conditions and rushed for 207 yards on 15 carries along with two touchdowns as Acton-Boxboro dominated throughout a 28-0 shutout win in Friday night’s non-league match-up at a rain soaked Leary Field.

With the win, the Colonials improve to 2-1 overall while the Minutemen remain winless at 0-3.

Even in victory, Colonials’ coach Bill Maver realizes that there’s still plenty of work that needs to be done.

“We were a little sloppy out there, and we got away with some things that could’ve hurt us,’’ said Maver. “We missed some tackles and some assignments, but we made the big plays when we had to and (Sweeney) came through for us with some huge runs. We were able to capitalize on some opportunities and use our size at the line of scrimmage to our advantage.”

Defensively, the Colonials’ defense delivered a fine performance, holding the Minutemen offense to just 10 total yards and five first downs through three quarters while forcing six turnovers in the process.

“Our defense forced some turnovers, and we were able to capitalize,’’ said Maver. “We had a couple of nice drives early on, and (Sweeney) came through with a couple of big plays for us.”

Guided by Matt Brogie, who rushed for 26 yards on seven carries, the Colonials established a five-play 45-yard drive midway through the first quarter. On a third and goal from the Minuteman five, quarterback Ethan Ducks rolled to his left and scrambled his way into the end zone for a 7-0 lead with 3:47 remaining.

Capitalizing on a fumble recovery by Barry Wolfson early in the second quarter, the Colonials quickly established a five play, 30-yard scoring drive en route to a 14-0 lead. On a first and 10 from the Minuteman 13, Sweeney cut through the middle of the Minutemen defense and scampered into the end zone with 8:18 left in the first half.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Colonials continued to dominate, establishing a quick three-play, 57-yard scoring drive to grab a 21-0 lead. After Sweeney scampered for a 23 yards, Billy Jackman emerged with a 30-yard touchdown run on an end around with 9:40 remaining in the third quarter.

A fumbled punt return by the Colonials handed the Minutemen prime field position at the Colonial 24. Despite the opportunities, the Minutemen failed to capitalize as the defensive led unit of Wolfson and Sean Whittier combined to record two sacks en route to (-13) yards.

“Every time we had an opportunity, we ended up shooting ourselves in the foot,’’ said first year Minuteman coach George Peterson. “We had way too many fumbles and turnovers, and any time you commit six or seven turnovers in a game, you’re not going to win no matter who you are and what team you are facing. We’re a young team, and we’re very close, but we’re not there yet.”

Securing the win, Sweeney saved his finest run of the night for his last while engineering an impressive 77-yard touchdown run. On a third and four from the Colonial 23, Sweeney dodged a defender, broke a pair of tacklers in the backfield and blitzed through an open hole in the middle of the field. Outfoxing a pair of safetys, Sweeney sprinted down the right sideline untouched and into the end zone with 10:12 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Colonials grabbed a commanding 28-0 lead.

With the game well in hand, the Minutemen drove to the Colonial 21 in the final minutes as reserve quarterback Xander Ericksson guided a five play, 51-yard drive, but William Tejada preserved the shutout with a game ending interception in the final seconds.

The Colonials will travel to Marshfield for a non-league contest on Saturday night while Lexington hosts Wilmington on Saturday afternoon.