Defense keys King Philip win over Barnstable

WRENTHAM — The feeling was nothing new for King Philip.

The Warriors have grown accustomed to not only the playoff stage — KP played in 12 postseason games the last three seasons — but excelling in that environment.

It was no different Friday night in a Division 2 South first-round matchup against sixth-seeded Barnstable as No. 3 KP turned in a dominant all-around performance to topple the Red Raiders, 34-6, at Macktaz Field.

KP (7-1) received a boost from Ryan Halliday, who ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in his first game back from left thumb surgery.

“We love playing football in the playoffs,” said Halliday as the Warriors advance to face Hockomock League rival Mansfield. “It brings an edge out of us.”

KP struck first by executing a 15-play, 72-yard drive that took 9:10 off the clock and was capped by a 2-yard touchdown from Halliday, who took 10 carries on the opening series and played with a cast on after missing three complete games due to injury.

Robbie Jarest (11-of-14, 152 yards, two total touchdowns) extended the lead to 13-0 late in the second quarter when he threw back across the field for a 9-yard touchdown pass to Drew Danson on fourth-and-goal.

While KP’s scoring had come on methodical drives, that wasn’t the case to start the second half as Nick Viscusi returned the kickoff 78 yards for a 19-0 lead.

Barnstable (5-3), which came in averaging 31.1 points per game, responded with its only score coming on Nick Wilson’s 36-yard touchdown run as KP’s stout defense forced three second-half turnovers and kept Barnstable under 100 yards of offense.

While Halliday gave the Warriors a boost and found the end zone again on a 5-yard run, it was Jarest who spearheaded the offense. Jarest completed 6-of-7 second-half passes and added a 4-yard touchdown run 55 seconds into the fourth quarter for good measure.

“Robert is a playmaker,” said KP coach Brian Lee. “Robert is very smooth, very calm, very comfortable in who he is and what he can do.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2NAQjXs