SCITUATE — It’s going to be considerably troublesome to prime the efficiency Scituate’s soccer program put forth final season.
When Sailors coach Herb Devine determined to take a big gamble and go for the Div. 4 Super Bowl title with a dangerous play late final fall, Danny Thompson and his teammates knew the hazards. After all, the Sailors had been taking up a perennial juggernaut in Duxbury. While the 2 applications had been longtime rivals, Scituate had struggled to defeat the Dragons in latest many years, as had each different college from the Patriot League ranks.
With a state championship hanging within the stability, the Sailors handed the ball off to star working again Keegan Sullivan. The senior instantly adopted in Thompson’s footsteps.
Thompson proceeded to open a gaping gap alongside the left facet of the road, permitting Sullivan to spiral into the top zone for a game-clinching, two-point conversion with 27 seconds remaining. The Sailors had lastly conquered their demons, whereas slaying the Dragons within the course of throughout a shocking 14-13 victory at Gillette Stadium. It was the second state title for Scituate’s soccer squad since 2018.
“We talked a lot about our motto being: ‘Brothers for life’,” Thompson mentioned. “I think we worked so hard all summer as a team, and that coaching staff was just amazing. So, being able to do that for them, and then being able to do that for the seniors was really a cumulative (effort) of what we (did) all summer.”
The craziest half? Scituate had confronted the very same state of affairs on the finish of an everyday season recreation in opposition to Duxbury just a few months again. Earlier within the fall, the Sailors fell brief throughout a heartbreaking 27-26 loss on Sept. 17.
When requested the place he thought the Div. 4 Super Bowl ranked by way of the all-time nice showdowns, Devine fondly seemed again on the week.
“I’m biased, but I would put it up there,” mentioned Devine. “How do you write a better script, where we played Duxbury earlier in the year… to be able to line up and go for two in week two, and we fail? Then to be able to come back to face those guys again in the state title game, have the opportunity to go for two again and execute it, redeem a little bit of what happened? What a battle that Super Bowl game was.”
That night, numerous eating places alongside Front Street in Scituate Harbor had been packed to the rafters. Typically, it is not uncommon to see New England Patriots video games on the screens. This time round, the Sailors had been enjoying on native tv, and diehard followers celebrated all through the Irish Riviera when the play developed.
“I think it was kind of a great moment in Scituate sports history,” mentioned Devine. “Obviously for football it was, but to beat a team as successful as Duxbury has been over the years, it was kind of like that feeling of: ‘Oh my God, we finally beat these guys.’”
Scituate graduated 19 seniors from final yr’s squad nonetheless. Now a group captain, the Sailors will likely be turning to Thompson for management as soon as once more in 2022.
So far, Thompson has acquired collegiate gives from Bryant and Sacred Heart. Always having a knack for each side of the ball, the senior has additionally acquired curiosity from a collection of Ivy League faculties, most notably Brown and Dartmouth.
“I think we knew when he was younger, as a freshman or sophomore, we definitely saw his work ethic,” mentioned Devine. “I think that’s what separates Danny apart from a lot of the linemen that we’ve had. He’s just got this unbelievable work ethic. He eats, sleeps and thinks football. It’s what he wants to do. It’s where he wants to be in college. He works so hard to be a leader, not only on the field, but he does it in the classroom, he does it in the weight room. He loves football… I think he really wants to play at the highest level that he can, and he’s not going to let anybody tell him no.”
Scituate will open its season with a recreation in opposition to Milton later this week. Then, the Sailors will welcome Duxbury again to city for a Super Bowl rematch Sept. 16.
Thompson is aware of what lies forward. At this level nonetheless, he and his fellow teammates are simply taking it one recreation at a time as they embark on what they hope will likely be one other fruitful marketing campaign.
“It’s really been my whole life,” mentioned Thompson. “I think I’ve been going to Scituate games since I was really young. Just kind of seeing what that culture’s been about, what it’s been able to do for the town. The game of football is just something that I’ve always loved.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com