It was a sprint to the finish for Winthrop and Revere

WINTHROP – With all due respect to quarterbacks Dylan Driscoll (Winthrop) and Joe Ritchie (Revere), there just wasn’t much need for them in Winthrop’s 23-6 Thanksgiving morning victory at Della Russo Stadium? their arms that is. I mean what else is there to say when two quarterbacks combine for just 13 passes in 60 minutes of play?Ritchie was responsible for 11 of these 13 passes, completing three of them for 36 yards. Driscoll finished the game 2-for-2 for 44 yards, three of which came on a two-point conversion. Yes, it’s safe to say that “ground and pound” was the game plan for both teams, and despite a rather one-sided affair, both squads got some impressive rushing performances.The victors got solid contributions on the ground from four different running backs and also some production from Driscoll’s legs. At the forefront of the rushing assault was junior Jordan Corbett-Frank, who ripped off several impressive runs totaling 105 yards, including a 26-yard score on the opening drive. Corbett-Frank actually fumbled on one of his most impressive rushes of the day, a 23-yard run.Also in on the action for the Vikings were junior David Gallo, who grinded out 56 yards and a touchdown, while seniors Robert Diaz (4 rushes, 24 yards) and Ruben Powell (3 rushes, 18 yards) also made their footprints felt. Driscoll only ran for six yards in the contest, but a touchdown was included. Who says the purpose of all quarterbacks is to throw the ball?Despite a losing effort, the Patriots coaches had to be happy with the way their running game showed up. Junior Tom Portrait was a beast all day long, rushing for 81 yards on 14 attempts. Several of these runs featured Portrait trucking his way through Viking defenders.Senior Bobby Rose scored Revere’s only touchdown on a 1-yard scamper at the end of the first half, and ended the game with 27 yards of his own. Senior teammate Kyle Gotham picked up 29 yards on five carries, while Ritchie totaled 14 yards on three runs.If my math is right, the majority of these individual stats show that these runners veraged over five yards a carry, an impressive feat. It is worth noting that the game ended with Winthrop on the Revere 1 yard line.While an aerial display is always fun to watch, there is true beauty in the running game. These kids look forward to getting that ball and relish banging bodies and taking hits, all in the fight for more yards. On Thursday morning, the audience packed into Della Russo stadium watched some real, hard-nosed running. Hopefully they were thankful for the effort.If the turkey wasn’t enough to put these kids to sleep after the game was over, the beatings their bodies took would surely do so. At least the quarterbacks didn’t have to ice down their arms after this one.