The Somerville High Football team suffered a tough 26-0 loss to No.1 ranked Xaverian on a soggy Friday night at Dilboy Field

By Mike Rubin

On a rainy night, the Somerville High School football team was left out in the cold Friday.

Joe Colton led the way, rushing for a pair of touchdowns as No.1 ranked Xaverian cruised to a 26-0 shutout win over the Highlanders in the non-league match at Dilboy Field.

With the loss, the Highlanders fell to 1-3 overall while the Hawks remained unbeaten at 4-0.

The Highlanders are in the midst of a three game losing streak, scoring just seven points in that span.

Even in defeat coach Harry Marchetti was pleased with his team’s efforts.

“We went up against the (No.1 team) in the state, and we held our own,” said Marchetti. “I was very proud of our efforts, and it’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t get anything going offensively. Playing these tough teams was a great way to prepare us for the (Greater Boston) League season.”

Early in the first half, the Hawks grabbed a  6-0 lead as Colton executed a one-yard plunge into the end zone. On the drive, quarterback Chris Calvanese delivered a 25-yard screen pass to Tom Jenkins.

Despite a stellar defensive effort by the Highlanders, the Hawks managed to increase the lead to 14-0 with 53 seconds remaining in the first half. Capping the drive, Zack Bartlett delivered the subsequent two point conversion, overpowering a pair of Highlander defenders into the end zone.

“It would have been nice to head into the half being down by only six points,” said Marchetti. “But Xaverian had great clock management and they were able to execute on their opportunities.”

Despite a driving rainstorm, the Hawks continued to add to the lead in the opening seconds of the second half. On the opening kickoff, Chris Tamasi dodged through several Highlander defenders and scampered into the end zone.

Facing a three touchdown deficit, the Highlanders aimed to trim the lead as quarterback Rob Pratt engineered a drive deep into Hawks territory. Unfortunately, turnovers would continue to plague the Highlanders as Ryan Farrell intercepted Pratt’s intended pass deep in the end zone.

On the ensuing drive, the Hawks capitalized, engineering an 80-yard touchdown drive spanning seven plays. At the Highlander 30, Colton overcame a pair of Highlander tacklers at the line of scrimmage and blitzed into the end zone to cap the scoring.

“We couldn’t finish on offense, and defense we kind of just packed it in,” said Marchetti . “We had a very tough couple of games, but now I think we’ll be ready for league play.”

After a week off, the Highlanders will return to Dilboy Stadium for their annual Homecoming game Oct. 15 against Medford.