Game of the Week

HockomockSports Game of the Week - Week 1 2023

HockomockSports Game of the Week

 







 

PREVIEW

King Philip has never played Walpole in the regular season throughout head coach Brian Lee’s tenure at the helm of the Warriors, but it might be the program he’s most familiar with.

A former Rebel himself, Lee and his Warriors have scrimmaged Walpole — now the Timberwolves — on an annual basis. Of course, there’s the connection through John Lee, Brian’s father and legendary Walpole coach who won over 200 games during a 25-year career leading the program.

And every direction you look, there’s a different connection. Walpole coach Chris Sullivan was an offensive lineman under Chuck Grant in his playing days and Brian Lee was on that staff. The teams attend the same camp over the summer and both staffs are full of friends and former teammates.

“I didn’t want to play them for multiple reasons,” Lee said. “They are my friends. I’ll always be a Rebel. I’ll always root for them to do well, always root for their kids. But we have to find four non-league games.

“And on top of that, they’re very good, they are very well coached. Having highly competitive games early on, like we did against North [Attleboro] when they were in the Davenport… having those games early, you get a lot of questions answered. Having a hard game helps because it helps us figure out who can do what.”

Lee and his Warriors are coming off consecutive appearances in the Division 2 state championship and enter this season searching for their first Hock title since 2017. Tommy McLeish returns are quarterback and the offensive line is anchored by Logan Van Vaerenewyck, Sean King, and Luke Danson. That familiarity will be key against a fast and aggressive Walpole defense on Friday night.

“Just watching their scrimmages, they are very aggressive,” Lee said of the Walpole defense. “Their linebackers are running downhill. If [Catholic Memorial] can’t move those two dudes, who is going to? Those kids were holding their ground. They put a lot of pressure on you. They are tough, physical and we’ll be ready.”

McLeish has a handful of options in the passing game in Mason Campbell, David Holland, Hayden Schmitz, Tommy Kilroy, and David Constantine. While the Warriors work out the passing game, they’ll turn to the likes of Aiden Astorino, Noah Minkwitz, and Jack Berthiaume to carry the load on the ground.

“This game has a little buzz to it if you’re a fan,” Lee said, acknowledging the deep history between the two programs. “There’s a lot of rebels living in the tri-town area, a lot of guys who played for my dad live here, and a lot still live [in Walpole].

“Going into a game like this, you know you’re playing a high character program. We’ve worked with that program for a long time, the programs are very tight. There’s a lot of mutual respect.”

Walpole has some new faces in its offensive group that have caught Lee’s attention while scouting. Junior 6-foot-4 quarterback Noah Mackenzie takes over under center for the Timberwolves, who went 9-2 in Sullivan’s fifth year at the helm. A pair of key returners include senior Logan Keyes at running back and senior Jamal Abdal-Khallaq at receiver.

“They have a lot of skill,” Lee said. “Their quarterback is a big, all kid and he’s the best quarterback we’ve seen in the scrimmages. They have some serious dudes, they throw the ball real well, and they’re really well coached.”

Lee warned the Warriors can’t be too focused on Walpole’s passing game and Mackenzie, who is under the tutelage of former NFL standout Todd Collins, who was a team captain along with Lee for the Rebels.

“If you worry too much about trying to cover, they’ll gash you on runs,” Lee said. “Up front, their coaches know the lines. [Collins] does a great job understanding offenses and teaching it to these kids. We’ll be up against it defensively.”

Defensively, linebacker has always been a big strength for the Warriors. Astorino will be in the heart of that group, flanked by Ethan Pescione and Aidan McDonagh. Lee believes his defensive line will also be a strength this season.

“We’ll find out a lot about ourselves here, and we’ll see how fast we can get ready for game speed.”

King Philip will host Walpole on Friday night at Macktaz Field at 7:00.

HockomockSports Game of the Week

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HockomockSports Game of the Week