Tanners fall to Raiders 31-7

by Ally Mann

Woburn students doing what they do best, cheering on their team.
Photo by Ally Mann

It wasn’t a good Friday night for the Tanners at Fred Green Field, as they were defeated by Melrose 31-7.  The Raiders defense was tight, not letting the Woburn offense gain more than a few yards at a time. Prepared for the talented offense, Woburn’s defense shut down Melrose’s runners on their first drive. Quarterback for the Raiders, Malik Garret, came in at the end of the first quarter knowing that long passes would be the answer.  Melrose scored with 2 seconds to go in the first quarter on a 71-yard catch and run by Elliot Judware, then again with 2:47 left in the second quarter on a 22-yard pass play from Garret to Colby Andrews, which pushed Melrose’s lead to 14-0. Woburn fans went into the second half, disappointed yet optimistic.  Senior Mike Foley believed that Woburn had more in them.
     “A lot of hard work and dedication is what it’s going to take to win this game. The boys are playing their game but they’re not playing with a lot of heart. I’ve seen them play with a lot more. They need to leave it all out on the field tonight if they want to move on to Gillette,” stated Foley.
      Senior Adam Gately chimed in and said, “Our offense has to step it up. Voci has to pass the ball a bit more accurately, use Marvin Jean to our advantage and run the ball more.”

Tanner fans rooting for the Black and Orange.
               Photo by Ally Mann

At times the Tanners moved the ball down the field but they couldn’t finish their drives. As the offense couldn’t maintain possession of the ball, the defense let up a few more touchdowns. Senior Mike DiRaffaele made a 56-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, making it 21-0 for the Raiders. Following that, Woburn quarterback, Robert Voci, made an amazing 68-yard touchdown pass and the Woburn fans went crazy, but the play was called back for an ineligible man downfield. Woburn came up short on its fourth down play giving the ball back to Melrose. On the next play, Garret ran untouched down the center of the field for a touchdown making it 28-0 at the end of the third.

Woburn continued to play hard, as Voci got revenge scoring on a quarterback sneak early in the fourth, but that was all the Tanners could get. The Raiders topped the game off with one more field goal at the end of the fourth making it 31-7, securing their Division 3 Northwest title and their trip to Gillette.

There was no miracle for the Tanners like the fans had hoped, crushing their “Road to Gillette” dreams and making it a sad Fan Bus ride home.  

Moving forward, Melrose will play the winner of today’s Tewksbury vs. Marblehead game, and we will see the Tanners face off against Winchester in the annual Thanksgiving Day matchup on November 28.