The Big Green tries to capitalize on their early lead as the Boars defend their turf.
With the rest of the varsity sweep intact on this past Deerfield Day, Varsity Football looked to finish off the Green and White with a victory out on the gridiron. Although Deerfield had been defeated in all other varsity sports, their fans came out hard and loud, creating an electric atmosphere for Choate football on the November afternoon. And while Choate came into this game with an undefeated three-year record of 28-0, strange things tend to happen when Choate plays its rivals from the Emerald City.
The game started out with an early 7-0 lead by Deerfield after a long drive and a Choate turnover on downs.
The Wild Boars evened things out on their next drive, making the game a tied affair, only to have DA score again to lead at 14-7.
Like before, Choate evened the score, but this time they did not let Deerfield back in. The Boars emerged from halftime with a tightened defense.
Co-captain Matt Albino ’17 commented on his team’s resilience, saying, “We were down early, but our team knows what we’re capable of. We’ve gotten off to slow starts before and have always gotten our chemistry going.” Albino added, “We remained focused because we refused to lose to Deerfield, and we definitely weren’t going to lose an opportunity to play in the championship.” That focus was reflected in big plays from team members like Shane Sweitzer ’18, Hunter Reynolds ’17, Kevin Nusdeo ’17, Hunter Burns ’19, and particularly in some clutch kicking from John Tessitore ’18 under the intense pressure brought on by a hostile Deerfield Academy crowd. Walker Lott ’17 also did a tremendous job handling the spotlight of the big day, helping to lead his offense to 44 points on the day and no interceptions. Players like Jeremy Lucien ’18 and Clay Zachary ’19 also came to play and brought intensity of their own to the game. In his own words, Albino summarized the whole game by saying, “We gave everything we could, and so did Deerfield. I wouldn’t have wanted my last Deerfield Day to go any other way.”
With the regular season now behind them and a week until the championship, Albino pointed out a few key things that the Blue and Gold needs to work on going into this Saturday, “Our defense did a good job but could improve on containing the QB in the pocket and making sure we have our assignments.” Albino couldn’t be more on point; Deerfield’s quarterback was slippery and managed to somehow find some space and get the ball up field after avoiding hits from the Choate defense. Additionally, Albino said, “If we can get our passing and running games clicking at the same time, then we will be unstoppable to anyone in our path.” That kind of confidence is so important going into a huge game against Trinity Pawling this Saturday for what could possibly be Choate’s third consecutive New England Championship. On the possibility of a three-peat, Albino said, “The feeling of having the opportunity to three-peat is indescribable. It’s crazy to think that we’re doing something that no one else has ever done before, and it’s a great feeling to be rewarded for the hard work we put in all year long.”
If anyone is going to be on campus, or even nearby, this Saturday, get to the Varsity Football field to witness history in the making from the boys in Blue and Gold. The championship game starts at 1:30 p.m.
The football team ends Deerfield Day with their three-season Winning streak intact.
