Wakefield Falls to Dennis-Yarmouth in Division 2A Super Bowl

LYNN—The opportunity was there for things to go very differently for the Wakefield Warriors football team, but they just couldn’t seize it.

The Warriors saw their fantastic season come to an ignominious end on Dec. 3, as they were steamrolled, 35-0, by the potent, multi-faceted attack of the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins in the Division 2A Super Bowl at Manning Field.

The loss ends Wakefield’s campaign at 10-3, while the Dolphins—coached by Wakefield High graduate and former multi-sport star Paul Funk (class of 1989)—completed a perfect 13-0 season, lifting the Atlantic Coast League trophy as well as the D.2A hardware.

“I’m happy for Paul, he’s done a great job with that program,” said Wakefield head coach Mike Boyages of his D-Y counterpart, whom he coached in the late 80’s as an assistant under the legendary Bob Connors. “He’s an outstanding coach, and, you know, if I am going to lose to somebody, I don’t mind losing to a former player of mine.

“He’s done a great job with that program, and, god willing, we will get to come back and play them in he near future, if not next year.”

Funk took the reins at D-Y in 2001, and inherited a program that was struggling for its very survival. After winning just six games between 1991-99, the Dolphins program was dropped to junior varsity status and the school was actively considering axing the program. Fast forward 11 years, and Funk and the Dolphins are champions.

“It’s all hard work,” said Funk about the keys to turning around the program. “I tell the kids, good things happen to people that work hard, and they work hard. They lifted all season, they conditioned ... It’s work, it’s all work. And it’s paying off right now.”

For the Warriors, Boyages knew that in order to hang with the high-powered Dolphins, his team would need to bring its “A” game.

“We didn’t have to play a perfect game, but we had to play something close to it,” he said. “And we just made too many mistakes, really. I think physically we held our own. They had a couple of big plays where they turned the corner on us, and we had a couple of breakdowns in the defensive backfield, but when we’re inside the 10 three times and we don’t get anything out of the drives, that’s a problem. Maybe we put a couple in and it’s a closer game.”

The Warriors made four trips into the red zone and came away empty-handed each time.

Wakefield’s defense was simply unable to cope with the terrific troika of senior signal-caller Matt Montalto, senior wideout Damion Johnson and senior back Dylan Hodson, who conspired to put this game effectively beyond the reach of the Warriors by halftime. Montalto accounted for all five Dolphins scores, throwing for three and rushing for two, while Johnson caught five passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns, recording a pair of crushing interceptions on defense in the first half as well. Hodson carried the ball six times for 85 yards and caught three Montalto offerings for 28 yards. He also collected Dennis-Yarmouth’s third interception late in the second half.

“It’s been fantastic, it’s really been fantastic,” said Funk of his team’s run through the postseason. “I think our schemes were good, and our players are good. We’ve got a good quarterback and three or four very good receivers. Hell, we’ve been doing it all year long ... Montalto is as good as they get ... He’s as good as they come.”

Dolphins Quick Starters

Dennis-Yarmouth set the tone early, opting to go for it on fourth down on the opening possession, at their own 46-yard line, and Montalto hit Rufus Hamilton for a 42-yard completion, giving the Dolphins a first-and-goal at the Wakefield 10-yard line.

“It’s a mentality that we have,” said Funk about the decision to go for it on fourth down so early in the contest. “It’s not the first time that we’ve done it, and, you know what? We’re going to attack. All year, we attack. We don’t sit back. We wanted to establish that right away.

“That was a big turning point. Momentum is key in high school football, and that was a huge momentum swing.”

Wakefield nearly answered right back, mounting a clock-devouring 15-play drive that brought them all the way down to the D-Y 1-yard line, but Dan Cardillo was stuffed on fourth and goal to stop the Warriors cold.

“I thought we took some time off the clock, but when you don’t get anything out of it ... You know, we needed points,” lamented Boyages. “We didn’t get any points, and it was really a killer. I think that’s really the name of the game tonight.”

Funk concurred.

“It was huge,” he said. “That was a huge play, to really suck it up and stop them.”

The Dolphins took over on the 1-yard line and marched all the way down the field—keyed by a 46-yard end around by Hamilton. In the process, the Dolphins fumbled twice, and each time, a Wakefield player came tantalizingly close to recovering. In both cases, it appeared that Warrior defenders were trying to pick up the loose ball, rather than simple falling on it, and that would prove costly for Wakefield. Several plays later, Montalto found a wide open Hodson over the middle for an 8-yard touchdown pass, making 13-0 Dolphins after a botched 2-point conversion.

“We tried to do the best we can, but we don’t have the speed they have,” Boyages said of the Warriors performance on defense. “I think we had a pretty good game plan, but a missed tackle here or there, maybe a little over aggressiveness ... Against a good team like that, it kills you.”

After forcing Wakefield to punt on its following possession, Dennis-Yarmouth picked up right where it had left off. Hodson broke loose along the right sideline for a 59-yard gain, and two plays later, Montalto found Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown pass. The Dolphins drive consisted of three plays that brought them 90 yards down the field—in 23 seconds.

“Isn’t he unbelievable,” Funk said of Johnson following the game. “He’s been good all year, today he was exceptional. I mean, he’s a gamer. Any big game, he steps up. On both sides of the ball.”

Wakefield’s next drive saw senior quarterback Jamie Bourque hit Matt McKenna three times, but on second-and-goal at the nine, Johnson picked him off to halt the Warriors advance.

Montalto would add two rushing touchdowns after the break to give D-Y the 35-0 win.

If You Are Going to Lose ...

Wakefield fans can take solace in the fact that the trophy went to a WHS alum, and if one thing was clear after this contest, a big piece of Paul Funk’s heart remains firmly rooted in Wakefield.

“I had so many great experiences at Wakefield High, if it wasn’t for Bob Connors, who I played for, and the rest of the staff there ... He’s one of the reasons I became a coach,” said an emotional Funk. “There are a lot of great people in Wakefield, and it’s a great place to grow up. I really had a great life growing up there. It’s a great town, but yeah, it’s very emotional.”

Wakefield Stars

The Warriors were, predictably, led by Bourque, McKenna and Cardillo, who generated the bulk of the offensive output.

Bourque was 8-for-17 for 149 yards passing, with three interceptions, while Cardillo carried 10 times for 21 yards. Zach Bates picked up 37 yards on six carries. And then there was McKenna. Hit by a car during the preseason of his sophomore year, instead of becoming the Warriors’ starting quarterback, as was the plan, he spent the next two years recovering from his injuries—a severe concussion and damage to his knee and shoulder that required surgery. He came back as a wide receiver this year, and all he has done is lead the team in TD receptions (5), catches (32 including the Super Bowl) and receiving yards (724). In his final high school football game, McKenna rose to the occasion, catching five balls for 98 yards.

The Warriors made their fourth trip to the Super Bowl under the stewardship of Boyages (1997, 1999, 2001 and 2011). Wakefield won the big game in 1999, against Acton-Boxboro. Dennis-Yarmouth celebrates the school’s first Super Bowl Championship.