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Belliard shakes off tough start, runs for five touchdowns in Greater Lawrence win

Saturday, October, 08 By David Willis
Staff writer

WEST ANDOVER — The last time Greater Lawrence running back Ojany Belliard played on his home field, he left on crutches, fearing his high school career could be over due to the severe pain in his leg.

“I was so worried I was really hurt because I couldn’t walk,” said Belliard. “I needed crutches it hurt so bad. But day by day I kept getting better and I couldn’t let my team down. I had to be out there.”

Two weeks later, with those crutches a distant memory, Belliard was back to his Eagle-Tribune All-Star self on Saturday.

The senior ran for 204 yards and Greater Lawrence’s first five touchdowns as the Reggies rallied from a third quarter deficit to run away from Essex Tech 42-26.
“This was one of the best wins I have ever had playing football,” said Belliard. “We had some doubts, but we definitely stepped up. We wanted this one so bad. We heard some trash talk, and we went out and took this game.”
The 2016 season started in rocky fashion for Belliard. He was held under 100 yards in each of the Reggies’ first four games, including the Greater Lowell win that he left with a leg injury, which turned out to be a severe Charley horse.
“I had that injury and it hurt,” he said. “But I worked back into it. I took my time and didn’t quit on my teammates. It wasn’t a great start to the season, but I couldn’t sit on the sidelines and watch my team play without me. So I worked every day.”
On Saturday, with Greater Lawrence trailing 26-14 in the third quarter, the Reggies looked to their star back to carry the load.
“We decided to just start feeding OJ and see what happened,” said Greater Lawrence coach Tony Sarkis. “He was looking good, the line was blocking so we gave him the ball.”
Already with two touchdowns, Belliard closed out the third quarter with a 15-yard score. After an onside kick, he then opened the fourth with a score to give the Reggies the lead, then added another as insurance.
In all he carried 29 times for 204 yards and five touchdowns. He carried the ball just eight times a week ago.
“This game was extremely important because it was a league (CAC Large) game,” he said. “We felt like, going in at 2-2, people weren’t respecting us. This game had extreme playoff implications, so the win will really boost us up.”
When it wasn’t Belliard, it was quarterback Kyle Vasconcellos doing the damage.
The senior, who had battled a separated shoulder, was 7 of 11 passing for 177 yards and ran for the final score of the day, a 26-yard dash.
Leading the defense was lineman Pedro Rodriguez, who had a sack, while Donnie Croteau recovered the onside kick.
“Coming in, we knew we just had to go all out and smack them,” said Vasconcellos. “This game was big for the playoffs, and wanting to beat Essex was a little extra. We wanted to show that we could run it, throw and it do just about anything. We feel like this is a big win.”