“These kids are gonna be dawgs,” Whaler football alum Tyler Anderson commented on The Nantucket Current Sports Page yesterday.
That just about sums up how the Cyrus Peirce Middle School football team has football fans on the island, Nantucket alumni, and varsity football coaches feeling after a very strong start to their season, beginning their year 3-0. Eighth grade Quarterback Brock Beamish has led the way for the Whalers along with eighth grade running back Amare Bramwell.
Nantucket beat Holbrook/Avon 36-8 to open their season on September 28. Beamish had two rushing touchdowns, Bramwell and running back/wide receiver Arann Hanlon each scored a touchdown. Running back/wide receiver Canton Jenkinson had two carries for 67 yards and a 62 yard touchdown.
The Whalers found themselves in a tighter, more physical game against Wareham on October 3 but were able to squeak out a 22-14 win. The Whalers went into halftime down 14-6. Bramwell’s 58-yard punt return touchdown was Nantucket’s only score through the first two quarters.
But the Whalers came out strong in the second half. Bramwell scored again on a 22-yard touchdown run to help the Whalers tie the game. After a scoreless drought that spanned over one quarter, Beamish found Bramwell on a ten yard pass that he took to the house for a 64-yard touchdown catch and run with under two minutes to go in the game to seal the win for Nantucket.
On Thursday Nantucket faced one of their rivals, the Mashpee Falcons, and beat them soundly by a score of 36-14. Beamish completed 7 of 11 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns. Bramwell had two catches for 77 yards, including a 53 yard touchdown catch. Hanlon also added a touchdown on a 22-yard catch and Jenkinson had a 20-yard touchdown catch. Cornerback Akeel Walker ended the first half with a pick-six.
The Whalers are led by captains CJ Clarke (T/DT), Hanlon, and Keegan Bedell (LB/NT). Bramwell will be a newly added captain on Monday. The Whalers will travel to play Holbrook/Avon on October 13th before hosting Martha’s Vineyard on October 30th at 10 am.
