BRIDGEWATER – Entering the 2025 season, Foxboro was determined to prove it belonged in the Div. 5 Super Bowl conversation again.
After Saturday, there should be no doubt. Jack Taft had 78 yards rushing to go with 25 yards receiving, racking up three touchdowns as the second-seeded Warriors (9-2) punched a ticket to Gillette for a third straight year with a convincing 31-0 shutout of previously undefeated No. 6 Archbishop Williams (10-1) at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
“We just worked really hard at practice from the start of the year in the summer,” said Taft. “Just grinding every day to get to (this) point.”
The Warriors (9-2) scored on their opening possession. Jack Taft capped a drive lasting 5:04 with a one-yard touchdown scamper, as Foxboro seized a 7-0 lead.
On the first play of the second quarter, Cam DeLeskey attempted a quarterback sneak in the red zone. The senior captain plowed to paydirt for a one-yard touchdown rush, making it a 14-0 contest.
After Andrew Higgins drilled a 30-yard field goal to push Foxboro’s lead to 17-0, the Warriors recovered a fumble on the ensuing Archbishop Williams drive, taking over at the opposing 37. Shortly thereafter, Taft punched in a one-yard touchdown rush, extending things to 24-0.
With little time left in the second quarter, the Warriors went for a knockout punch. They succeeded.
DeLeskey fooled the Bishops with a play-action fake, then lobbed a pass downfield. The attempt was hauled in by Taft, who scampered free for a 25-yard touchdown reception to give his team a stunning 31-0 edge at the break.
“It feels great,” DeLeskey said. “With this team, everything is about family, and we’ve done it all year. We thought this was the year we could get it done. We knew we could do it again. Even after losses, we come back and finish stronger. I think we proved that.”
DeLeskey finished 9-for-10 passing with 176 yards, while rushing for 13 yards to conclude with two touchdowns. Kawan Dias added four receptions for 70 yards.
“I think they undertook the challenge,” said Foxboro coach Jack Martinelli. “They knew they were up against an undefeated, upstart young football team that had some really good skill players. I think they wanted to prove the point that having been there before is worth something, rather than just a game itself.”
The win sets up a rematch with Shawsheen in the Div. 5 final for Foxboro. Last year, the Rams knocked off the Warriors, 14-0. DeLeskey and his teammates are hoping for payback.
“We’re ready,” DeLeskey said. “We’ve been waiting for them for a long time. We’ve been waiting. We hoped they won (Friday) night, and we’re excited. It’s time to get back to them. We need to finish what we started.”
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