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Despite loss to Bishop Feehan, Bishop Stang inspired by return of injured senior lineman

Ed Collins
·6 min read

DARTMOUTH — Jonathan Dee didn't let a knee injury ruin his senior season at Bishop Stang.

Dee missed three games, but he was able to finish out the season and play in Thursday's season-ending 42-8 loss to Bishop Feehan at Hugh Carney Stadium.

"It was a lot of hard work, but I didn't want to miss this," said Dee, a 5-foot-7, 225-pound offensive lineman. "It's a brotherhood. I love all my teammates and missing this game was never an option for me. I was going to do anything I had to do to be here."

Bishop Stang head coach Dennis Golden lets his quarterback Noah Grigson know what he wants run during the third quarter of their Thanksgiving Day game vs. Bishop Feehan.
Bishop Stang head coach Dennis Golden lets his quarterback Noah Grigson know what he wants run during the third quarter of their Thanksgiving Day game vs. Bishop Feehan.

Bishop Stang head coach Dennis Golden said Dee is the kind of player every coach likes to have on his team.

"He's well liked, he takes the game seriously and he always gives you his best effort," Golden said. "He struggled with a knee injury, but he played through it. He has a tremendous work ethic and he set a good example for his teammates. Everybody knows how hard he worked this season."

A tale of two teams, Cam Burns celebrates with a teammate as Feehan increases their lead in the second half, while a dissapointed Alec Gagnon walks back to the Bishop Stang huddle.
A tale of two teams, Cam Burns celebrates with a teammate as Feehan increases their lead in the second half, while a dissapointed Alec Gagnon walks back to the Bishop Stang huddle.

A two-year starter for the Spartans, Dee put in a lot of work in the weight room in the offseason after his junior year to make himself a better player.

"I got stronger and that helped me with my run blocking and pass protection," Dee said. "I'm not that big and you have to go up against some really big players in the Central Catholic League, so I needed to be prepared for that. I knew that I had to work harder."

Nick Hyland of Bishop Stang carries the ball past mid field as Dylan Hackett of Bishop Feehan looks to make a tackle on the play.
Nick Hyland of Bishop Stang carries the ball past mid field as Dylan Hackett of Bishop Feehan looks to make a tackle on the play.

Senior quarterback Noah Grigson said Dee was an inspiration to all of his teammates, especially the underclassmen.

"He was a role model for our younger kids and he developed into a real team leader," Grigson said. "He's a hard worker who puts in the time and the effort and it paid off for him. He's the kind of teammate you like to have on your side."

Despite the disappointment of losing on Thanksgiving Day, Dee received some words of encouragement after the game from former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who's the defensive coordinator at Bishop Feehan.

Stang quarterback Noah Grigson is sacked by Bishop Feehan's defensive linemen Tristan Upton.
Stang quarterback Noah Grigson is sacked by Bishop Feehan's defensive linemen Tristan Upton.

"My dad works as the video director for the Patriots, so it was nice of him to say hello after the game," Dee said. "He's a great guy who loves football and it's good to see him involved with high school players."

With football behind him, Dee will now get ready for his final season playing basketball for the Spartans.

"I wish we had won some more games, but it was a season that I'll always remember," said Dee, who is considering enrolling at Western New England College to study electrical engineering. "The bond that I built with my teammates will last forever."

Cameron Burns of Bishop Feehan has the end zone in his sights, but Stang's Jackson Tingley Prince tackles him just shy of the goal line while teammate Joey Landry arrives to help Prince finish the play.
Cameron Burns of Bishop Feehan has the end zone in his sights, but Stang's Jackson Tingley Prince tackles him just shy of the goal line while teammate Joey Landry arrives to help Prince finish the play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Shamrocks had a pair of touchdown runs by junior Cam Burns taken off the board because of penalties on their game-opening drive. They put their first points of the game on the board when senior Joey Brooks scored from a yard out and senior quarterback Aidan Crump connected with senior Danny Haggarty for a two-point pass that made it 8-0 with 6:27 left in the opening quarter.

Michael Golden of Bishop Stang looks to gain a chunk of yardage after receiving the pass, but Dante Bruschi of Bishop Feehan has other ideas as he looks to make a play on Golden.
Michael Golden of Bishop Stang looks to gain a chunk of yardage after receiving the pass, but Dante Bruschi of Bishop Feehan has other ideas as he looks to make a play on Golden.

Crump and senior Will Slavin hooked up for an 11-yard score that helped bump the Shamrocks' lead to 15-0. Burns scored on a 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Crump found senior Aaron Canuel for a 28-yard touchdown pass that helped push Feehan's lead to 28-0 at the break.

The Shamrocks capped their scoring on a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior Matt Saunders in the third quarter and a 1-yard run by Brooks with 10:12 left in the fourth that made it 42-0.

The Spartans avoided a shutout with 1:32 left to play when junior Michael Golden scored from 11 yards out and Grigson ran in the two-point conversion.

Nick Hyland of Bishop Stang is sent tumbling on this tackle by Connor McHale of Bishop Feehan during the fourth quarter of Feehan's 42-8 Thanksgiving Day win.
Nick Hyland of Bishop Stang is sent tumbling on this tackle by Connor McHale of Bishop Feehan during the fourth quarter of Feehan's 42-8 Thanksgiving Day win.

WHAT IT MEANS: With the win, Bishop Feehan (8-3) wrapped up a share of the Central Catholic League championship with St. Mary's (10-2), which notched a 41-12 victory over Austin Prep (4-7) on Wednesday. ... Bishop Stang wrapped up a 2-9 season with victories over Cardinal Spellman (14-6) and West Bridgewater (34-32) in the first football game played on its new turf field.

BISHOP FEEHAN STATS: The Shamrocks rolled up 329 yards of total offense — 206 on the ground and 123 through the air. ... Burns finished with 82 yards on 10 carries and Brooks ran the ball 10 times for 75 yards. ... Crump completed all six of his passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns. ... Saunders finished with two catches for 55 yards. ... The Shamrocks were penalized four times for 35 yards and they did not have to punt the ball.

Bishop Stang's Luke Grigsontries to gather in a fumble by Feehan quarterback Aidan Crump. Bishop Stang recovered the fumble.
Bishop Stang's Luke Grigsontries to gather in a fumble by Feehan quarterback Aidan Crump. Bishop Stang recovered the fumble.

BISHOP STANG STATS: The Spartans ran the ball 35 times for 96 yards and Grigson completed six of 12 passes for 50 yards. ... Golden ran the ball 17 times for 60 yards and senior receiver Alex DiGiammo made three catches for 29 yards. ... The Spartans. who were penalized three times for 20 yards, turned the ball over on downs two times and punted three times.

NOTES: Golden finished with a team-high 11 touchdowns for the Spartans. ... Senior lineman Case Mankins notched a first-quarter sack of Grigson and rushed for a 27-yard gain on a hook-and-ladder lateral in the second quarter. ... Junior defensive tackle Tristen Upton sacked Grigson in the second quarter. ... Haggarty and junior linebacker Dante Bruschi had second-quarter interceptions for the Shamrocks. ... Haggarty also had a pass breakup in the second quarter. ... Senior Joey Landry recovered a fumble for the Spartans in the second quarter. ... Burns fell on his own fumble to keep a second-quarter drive moving for Feehan, ... McCaffery missed a 30-yard field goal wide right as time expired in the second quarter.

Bishop Feehan's Matt Saunders has the ball stripped loose by Bishop Stang's Colin McCarthy. Stang's Aiden Roderick has the loose ball in his sights.
Bishop Feehan's Matt Saunders has the ball stripped loose by Bishop Stang's Colin McCarthy. Stang's Aiden Roderick has the loose ball in his sights.

Bishop Feehan 42, Bishop Stang 8

Bishop Feehan 15 13 7 7 — 42

Bishop Stang 0 0 0 8 — 8

Scoring

First Quarter

BF - Brooks 1 run (Crump pass to Haggarty), 6:27

BF - Crump 11 pass to Slavin (McCaffery kick), 3:07

Second Quarter

BF - Burns 24 run (McCaffery kick), 6:23

BF - Crump 28 pass to Canuel (pass failed), 2:10

Third Quarter

BF - Crump 30 pass to Saunders (McCaffery kick), 7:34

Fourth Quarter

BF - Brooks 1 run (McCaffery kick), 10:12

BS - Golden 11 run (Grigson rush), 1:32

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing - BF: Burns 10-82, Brooks 10-75, Dante Bruschi 2-14, Mankins 1-27, Crump 2-8; BS: Golden 17-60, Grigson 14-16, Nick Hyland 4-20

Passing: - BF: Crump 6-6-123; BS: Grigson 6-12-50

Receiving - BF: Saunders 2-55, Haggarty 1-11, Connor McHale 1-18, Slavin 1-11, Canuel 1-28; BS: DiGiammo 3-29, Golden 2-9, Gavin DeMoura 1-12

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Bishop Feehan football beats Bishop Stang on Thanksgiving