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McCarthy powers the Hornets with three TD's

Saturday, October, 31 By Kyle Gaudette

NORTH READING — Matt McCarthy and the North Reading Hornets didn't waste any time getting on the scoreboard in Saturday's matchup with Ipswich.

On what was the fourth play of the game, junior standout Matt McCarthy returned a punt 51 yards to the house to a chorus of cheers from the North Reading faithful.   

That fueled a 41-3 beatdown Saturday afternoon on the Tigers to advance to the next round of the Division IV North playoffs.

McCarthy led the way for the Hornets as he has all year, running for 155 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while roaming all over the field on defense.

"We're so blessed to have Matty," said North Reading head coach Jeff Wall. "He's a phenomenal athlete, and you can't say enough nice things about him. He's a run-you-down kind of guy."

McCarthy tallied the first two touchdowns for the Hornets, and fellow running back David Smith made it a three-score ball game with a 19-yard run midway through the second quarter. Captain Nic O'Connell put the game out of reach with a two-yard power run up the gut to make it 27-0 going into the half. 

North Reading received the second-half kickoff, and on the second play, McCarthy bounced outside to break off a 51-yard run for his third touchdown of the day. Quarterback Nick Colangelo only threw one pass in the second half, but it was a touchdown strike to junior tight end Bob Donohue. 

"The score didn't lie," said Ipswich head coach Kevin Fessette. "They came out and took care of us real quick. Their execution was much better than ours, and they were very physical.

"I think we didn't play our best game, but then again it didn't really matter because they did a great job. They're a good team. They beat us in every facet of the game." 

While the offense had no problems producing points, where the Hornets excelled was on the defensive side of the ball.

Ipswich was only able to muster 33 total yards of offense in the first half. Defensive linemen Bob O'Donnell gave Ipswich quarterback Jake Long fits with his constant pressure, and junior captain John Merullo played great coverage on multiple Tiger receivers.  

"That dive option is tough," said Wall on the Ipswich offense. "We were stressed out all week. You have to really be prepared and disciplined in your assignments. You can tell that they [Ipswich] are doing all the right things over there, and it's going to come together for them."

Adam Fryer put some points on the board for Ipswich with a 33-yard field goal that had no problem clearing the uprights.

North Reading will play Watertown in a semifinal matchup next weekend.