NEWBURY — Coming into the 2024 campaign, it was made rather clear that the Governor’s Academy football team would only go as far as its All-Star trio could carry it.
Well, if Saturday was any indication, the “Big 3” can take the Govs pretty far.
Behind stars Krystian Pothel (WR/CB), Dawson DuBose (RB/CB) and Tony Silva (RB/LB), Governor’s Academy raced out to a commanding 30-0 lead early in the second quarter, and survived a sloppy second half to open its season with a 30-18 victory over Thayer Academy. The Govs perhaps tried out some secondary personnel packages too early, and struggled to maintain their energy and focus over the second half after building such a substantial lead.
But, hey, a win is still a win.
Especially to kick off the new year.
“It feels amazing,” said Pothel, a Division I Fordham commit out of East Wareham. “We really proved ourselves occasionally today, but there’s still things we need to tighten up all over the field. We really felt tight at times, we loosened up a little bit, but it’s just a matter of bringing it together over the next couple of weeks and we’ll be alright.”
And the Govs wasted no time getting the ball to their stud wideout.
After earning a stop on defense to open the game, new quarterback Aiden Bly threw a fade to the endzone, and the 6-foot Pothel went up and easily hauled it in for a 20-yard touchdown. DuBose, a Raynham native, capped the team’s second drive with a 2-yard TD, then ran over two defenders on a 22-yard swing pass that set up another 2-yard scoring run from Silva. That made it 22-0 after the first quarter, and after DuBose broke off another long run to open the second, Bly connected with Pothel again on a 33-yard TD down the left sideline.
Bly was forced into the QB role this year after presumed starter Connor Hennessey — a Bates commit — tore his ACL playing lacrosse. But in his first live game action, the sophomore Bly looked more than comfortable as a dual-threat option.
“Connor went down, and Aiden was immediately in that ‘next man up’ mentality,” said Pothel. “Aiden and I, and all of our other receivers, we really hit the practice field hard. We were all running routes together and getting that connection built up. I have a lot of trust in Aiden right now, he’s throwing great balls. That fade he hit me on was exactly where I wanted it to be.”
Following a successful conversion, it was all Governor’s up 30-0.
“You can see the burst that (DuBose, Pothel and Silva) have,” said Governor’s Academy coach Jim O’Leary. “We just need to block a little better out front, and the competition is going to get stiffer, too. But we’re going to be alright.”
All the while, the defense was dominating at every level.
Thayer was stiffled in the run game all afternoon, thanks to defensive linemen Shams Alnusyrat, Thomas Richardson, Michael Vallarelli and Owen Denio clogging up lanes, along with linebackers Silva, Campbell Morrison and Charles Cochran coming downhill to hit hard. The secondary did its job as well, with Pothel coming up with a huge interception (along with Silva later in the game), and Seven Pridgen, DuBose and the free safety Bly all blanketing their receivers.
When the Govs’ starting defense was in the game, Thayer needed a short field to score.
Otherwise, it couldn’t move the ball.
The Tigers scored with 30 seconds left in the first half, then again on their first drive of the third quarter, but both times with multiple second-string defenders on the field. You could tell that Governor’s was ready to put the full starting unit back in, but fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. Even still, the Govs starting defense was able to force a punt, but on the next play, a fumble gave Thayer the ball right back at the 9.
Four plays later, the Tigers scored to make it 30-18.
And that was just the start of the fun.
Thayer would then recover an onside kick, only for Pothel to come away with his interception near the end of the third quarter. Governor’s then drove down the field and looked poised to put the game away, only for a fumble on a 1st-and-goal to inconceivably still keep the game interesting. But the Govs was able to force another punt on defense, then after a turnover-on-downs, got a game-ending interception from Silva.
“We were trying a lot of new things, and seeing who we have on the roster who can play,” said O’Leary. “That was the biggest thing, we never really got in a groove. We scored 30 in the first half, then we relaxed and came out thinking that the game was over. I give (Thayer) a lot of credit, they didn’t quit and they’ve got some tough guys over there.”
Governor’s Academy 30, Thayer Academy 18
Thayer (0-1): 0 6 12 0 — 18
Governor’s (1-0): 22 8 0 0 — 30
First Quarter
G — Krystian Pothel 20 pass from Aiden Bly (Hawk Stickney kick)
G — Dawson DuBose 2 run (DuBose run)
G — Tony Silva 2 run (Stickney kick)
Second Quarter
G — Pothel 33 pass from Bly (Baris Fortier pass from Bly)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: GOVERNORS ()
PASSING: P —
RECEIVING: P —