Defense Stands Out as Young D-R Football Team Falls to Plymouth South

REHOBOTH - The young Falcons need a little more practice before they can fly.

With just seven seniors and a wide range of new starters on both sides of the ball, Dighton-Rehoboth struggled to put points on the board in a 14-3 loss to Plymouth South that dropped the Falcons to 0-2 on the season. “We’re young. They’re out there still trying to learn the game,” D-R coach Dave Moura said after Friday’s game. “The heart was there. The effort was there. We just need a little experience. We have a bye week, so we’ll regroup and move forward.”

The Falcons scored the first points of Friday’s home opener in front of a loud and supportive crowd. Junior quarterback John Marcille directed a nine-play, 40-yard drive that ended with sophomore lineman Adam Pereira drilling a 37-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead. Sophomore quarterback Hendrix Pray had the hold on the perfectly executed field goal.

The Panthers answered right back with a 14-play, 73-yard drive, capped with a 1-yard TD run by senior halfback Nick Siegelman for a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter.

The start of the second half took some wind out of the Falcons’ wings. Fullback Marcus Moss opened the half with a 4-yard run, but on the next play, Plymouth South cornerback Jack Ottino stepped in front of an intended receiver near midfield for an interception and took it all the way down the left sideline for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.

The Falcons’ next five drives stalled with three punts and two turnovers on downs as they fell to 0-2 after last week’s season-opening road loss to Canton. “We wanted a tough non-league schedule and we opened with two really good teams,” Maura said of Canton and Plymouth South. “We got to get back to basics. We have two weeks and a great group of kids. We’ll be fine down the road. We have the whole conference ahead of us.”

REPORTERTODAY.COM MVP: Junior running back Jaren Ramos led the Falcons in carries (eight), rushing yards (37), receptions (five) and had a 30-yard punt return in the first half. “He’s a tough kid. He plays hard,” Moura said. “He’s our only returning starter on defense from last year’s team. He brings a lot to the table and has become a leader as a junior. He pretty much does it all for us.”

DEFENSE SHINES: Moura was very impressed with the defense, which allowed only seven points and had several tackles for loss on the afternoon. Plymouth South senior quarterback Keven Paul was only 2-for-10 passing for 17 yards. “Defensively, I was happy with the performance,” Moura said. “We got some good athletes with speed flying to the ball. We’ll take that as a team effort.” Senior defensive lineman Zach Larrimore and junnior linebacker Wes McQuillan were among the D-R defenders making life difficult for Plymouth South.

HOME SWEET HOME: Friday was the first home game since last season, and the Dighton-Rehoboth community came out in full force on a mild late-summer afternoon. The student section of the stands was loud all afternoon while the rest of the bleachers were packed full. “It’s a great group of fans,” Moura said. “We support each other’s teams and programs. This community is excited about football. We have a great support system.”

HURRY UP: The Falcons’ best offensive possession of the second half was their last. They took over at their own 30-yard line with 1:43 left to play and went into the two-minute offense. Marcille was 6-for-9 on the drive, completing passes to Ramos, Ishmael Christmas, Marcus Moss and Brodie Jacques before the drive stalled in Panthers’ territory. “That was good experience. We’ve never been in the two-minute situation before but they conducted themselves very well,” Moura said.

D-R STATS: Marcille completed 15 of 31 passing attempts for 73 yards. He was sacked twice for a total loss of 19 yards. … Christmas had 38 receiving yards on two catches and was targeted a few times deep down the left sideline.

PLYMOUTH SOUTH STATS: Senior halfback Siegelman had 23 carries for 105 yards and a score. … Paul gained 32 yards on nine carries.

QUICK SLANTS: Moss, lineman Evan Gleason and halfback Aidan Botelho are D-R’s captains. … Moss carried a sledgehammer to the field before the game. It’s an honor the team came up with last year in which the coaches vote on a big play or a big hit and that player gets to carry the “golden hammer” next game. … GNB Voc-Tech, Apponequet and Old Rochester have an early edge in Dighton-Rehoboth’s side of the South Coast Conference. All three schools are 1-0 after GNB Voc-Tech topped Southeastern, Apponequet beat Middleboro, and Old Rochester opened its season by beating Dartmouth in double overtime on Friday. Somerset Berkley sits at 0-1 after falling to Durfee in overtime last week. … Plymouth South kicker Tyler Doyle attempted a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter but a few Falcons got their hands on the low kick for a block. Doyle injured his knee later in the game when a teammate was blocked into him, but it isn’t considered a serious injury that will cause him to miss time. … D-R was penalized four times for 30 yards while the Panthers took three for 40 yards. … Dighton-Rehoboth’s halftime show is worth the price of admission alone. The cheerleaders rocked the house and the “Aladdin” performance was outstanding. Kudos to all involved, from the performers to the coaches and techs. Check out our Facebook page, The Reporter, for some videos from halftime.

UP NEXT: Dighton-Rehoboth (0-2) is off next weekend and then has a tough conference stretch with an away game at Somerset Berkley on Sept. 28 at noon and a home matchup with Old Rochester on Oct. 4. D-R and ORR were the SCC’s two playoff teams last season.

PLYMOUTH SOUTH 14, DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 3
Plymouth South 0 7 7 0 - 14
Dighton-Rehoboth 3 0 0 0 - 3
Scoring
First quarter
DR: Adam Pereira 37 kick, 5:34
Second quarter
PS: Nick Siegelman 1 run (Tyler Doyle kick), 9:47
Third quarter
PS: Jack Ottino 55 interception return (Tyler Doyle kick), 11:03
Statistics
Rushing: PS - Hunter Budrow 3-6, Keven Paul 9-32, Nick Siegelman 23-104; DR - Aidan Botelho 6-18, Jaren Ramos 8-37, John Marcille 2-(-4), Marcus Moss 3-18, Ishmael Christmas 1-0.
Passing: PS - Keven Paul 2-10, 17 yards; DR - John Marcille 15-31, 73 yards, 1 INT.
Receiving: PS - Matt Mahoney 1-9, Hunter Budrow 1-8; DR - Ishmael Christmas 2-38, Jaren Ramos 5-19, Brodie Jacques 4-21, Marcus Moss 3-5, Aidan Botelho 1-9.