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Catanoso & Marshfield Sting the Hornets in Playoff Opener, 42-14

11/02/2014, 12:45pm EST
By Brian Shacochis

The Marshfield Rams began their playoff journey with an impressive 42-14 win Friday night over the defending state champion Mansfield Hornets.

Mansfield came into the game with a game plan to neutralize Marshfield tight end Danny Dalton, and they were successful in doing so, limiting him to 1 catch for 3 yards on the night. However, the Rams showed that any extra defensive attention paid to one weapon would be exploited by leaning on another weapon opened up by the defensive rotation.

On Friday night, that weapon was Frank Catanoso.

By the time he left the game early in the fourth quarter to rest on the sidelines, Catanoso compiled over 200 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns in helping the Rams cruise past the Hornets.

"They're a very talented football team," Mansfield head coach Mike Redding told The Sun Chronicle after the game. "They have some good skill position kids and they're big up front."

Momentum was immediately seized in the game on the first play from scrimmage, when Mansfield quarterback Matt Carafa launched a long bomb deep down the middle of the field. The pass looked like it was going to connect with its intended target, but Marshfield safety Troy Rodrigues laid out to make a diving interception. From that moment forward, the Rams began rolling.

Marshfield quarterback Jack Masterson scored the first touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run. After forcing a Hornets punt, Catanoso scored on a 20-yard scamper to give the Rams a 14-0 lead.

Mansfield answered the early Marshfield attack by countering with a 69-yard scoring strike from Carafa to Matt Hogan, bringing the score to 14-7.

The Rams regained a 14-point lead thanks to another Masterson touchdown run from a yard out. And Catanoso scored the final touchdown of the half by taking a pass from Danny Dalton in for a score, giving Marshfield a 28-7 advantage at halftime.

Mansfield looked poised to make a charge back into contention as the second half began, as they scored on their opening possession, narrowing the score to 28-14.

The Hornets appeared to stop the Rams moments later in a 4th-and-3 punting situation at the Marshfield 34, but Mansfield was flagged for too many men on the field, which gave the Rams a first down and allowed the drive to continue. Marshfield took advantage of the opportunity by finishing the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run by Chris Lunn.

After Sean Burger recovered a fumble on the ensuing Hornets possession, Marshfield went 64 yards in 3 plays and put the game out of reach with a 35-yard Frank Catanoso touchdown run.

Bob McCarthy led the defensive effort with 13 tackles. Fred Allen, Rodrigues, and Burger were other standouts defense.

The Rams continue in the second round of the south sectional bracket next week when they host a powerhouse Natick team. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 at James G. Anderson Field. Go Rams!

Tag(s): News  Varsity