Dedham junior linebacker Rob Salter did all he could to keep the Dedham High football team in the game as long as possible against unbeaten Walpole on Saturday, but the Rebels eventually pulled away for a 35-0 win at Stone Park.
Salter was on fire from the start, shooting the gaps and making it difficult for the high-scoring Rebels offense to get untracked. The offense did not score until there was 6:56 left in the first half.
By then Walpole already had a 14-0 lead, with the defense accounting for both scores. Dave Thibault intercepted Dan O’Connor and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown less than two minutes into the game and Dave Parkinson recovered a fumble in the end zone midway through the first quarter.
When Dedham’s defense was on the field, it seemed that Salter was in on every play, finishing the with more than 20 tackles, nine in the opening quarter.
“Rob had a really good game today; he was all over (the field) on defense,” said Marauders coach Keith Comeau. “It’s one of the better games he played this year. The first half came down to three big plays. Without those, we’re in the game.”
With Walpole’s offensive line struggling, the Rebels also had to rely heavily on their defense, and it delivered.
The first came only 1:51 into the contest after Dedham won the toss and decided to receive the opening kickoff. The Marauders started on their own 30 and with O’Connor under pressure from Nick Romaine on third down, Thibault picked off the pass and returned it 33 yards for the score.
The next big play by the Walpole defense came a little more than four minutes later. Facing third-and-11 from their 6, the Marauders fumbled down near the goal line and defensive lineman Dave Parkinson dove on the ball in the end zone for a 14-0 lead with 5:36 left in the first quarter.
Rebels junior tailback Kenny Woods, starting in place of the injured Ryan Izzo (right ankle), started to find holes as the first half wore on. Walpole started its first series of the second quarter with 13-yard runs from Woods and quarterback Peter Bowes to move the ball across midfield.
Steve Shevory hauled in a 15-yard completion from Bowes on third down, splitting double coverage to take it to the Dedham 29. Three plays later, Bowes hooked up with wide receiver Dave Conroy for a 28-yard touchdown strike.
A combination of hard-nosed Dedham tackling and Walpole struggles up front hampered the Rebels running game even though Woods finished with a career-high 154 yards and two second-half touchdowns on 18 carries.
The first came with 8:43 remaining, a 41-yarder from a power-I set to cap off a 67-yard drive, spinning his way out of a tackle at the 35 on his way into the end zone.
He closed out the scoring by following fullback Darius Benders for a 13-yard touchdown to complete a 15-play, 91-yard drive with 3:42 left in the quarter.
“Woodsy played well,” said Walpole coach Barry Greener. “The defense played as well as they have all year. Parkinson was immense for us and I believe he’s the premiere interior lineman in the league. But I thought our offensive line was not good today. We can’t win if they don’t play better than that.”
