This was the moment Triton football coach Paul Sobolewski was going to find out about his team.
The upstart Vikings took a 22-8 lead into the fourth quarter against an Amesbury team that made the Div. 7 state championship last year, only to watch them rally to even the score. Would Triton fade down the stretch or show the heart of a contender?
The answer was music to Sobolewski’s ears. The Vikings put the game in the hands of running back Jayden Torres and he responded with a game-sealing 36-yard touchdown run in the final minute to give his team a thrilling 30-22 victory. The win was the first for Triton over Amesbury since 2016 and the back-to-back wins to open the season marked its first 2-0 start since 2017.
“After losing the lead, it definitely took some of the wind out of our sails, but being able to do what we did says a lot about the kids,” Sobolewski said. “On the last drive, I wasn’t as concerned about getting a touchdown because I know we have a great kicker in Liam Friis. I told my brother Bobby (the team’s offensive coordinator), to just get the ball down to the 30 because we have that much confidence in our kicking game.”
Sobolewski has earned a reputation for turning programs around in a short period of time. He arrived at Triton last July and one thing he noticed right away was a lack of a weight program.
“From my time at places like Lowell Catholic, Cathedral and Pope John, one thing I believe is that strength comes from confidence,” Sobolewski said. “Because we didn’t have a weight program, we instituted one and made sure the kids lifted all football season long.”
Triton started out 3-1 but a killer closing schedule of North Reading, Shawsheen, Newburyport and Amesbury resulted in a four-game losing streak and pushed the Vikings out of the playoffs. Looking to change the mindset, Sobolewski challenged his team to try and win out to finish with a .500 record.
They defeated Weston and Manchester-Essex, but a loss to Pentucket on Thanksgiving left them one short of that goal. But in the eyes of many, the program was clearly heading in the right direction.
“They had a losing mindset, they started to accept it,” Sobolewski said. “We pushed the kids, challenged them to be the ones who changed the program for the better and they’ve done that.”
- Xaverian (1-0): Hawks head down Route 16 for an interesting nonleague matchup with Everett.
- St. John’s Prep (2-0): Annual battle with Central Catholic is always a good game.
- Catholic Memorial (0-1): Knights head out of state to face St. Francis (New York).
- King Philip (2-0): KP puts a state-best 15-game winning streak on the line in Norwood this week.
- Needham (2-0): They clearly have a winning culture going on in Needham.
- Marshfield (1-1): If the Rams go on to have a special season, they will look back on the events of Friday night against Methuen.
- Duxbury (2-0): Defense certainly rose to the forefront Friday night.
- Scituate (2-0): No letdown after the fantastic finish against Foxboro.
- Andover (1-0): Golden Warriors open with a solid win over Shrewsbury.
- BC High (2-0): Eagles fended off a spirited challenge from Fairhaven.
- North Attleboro (2-0): Red Rocketeers inch back into the Hockomock League waters with a contest against undefeated Taunton.
- Milford (1-1): Crushing last-second loss to a very good Leominster team.
- Methuen (1-1): Rangers have a week off to regroup from the Marshfield setback.
- Dartmouth (2-0): First appearance here in years and one they’ve been building towards.
- Barnstable (2-0): Not sure how Barnstable did it, but they benefited from some late-game gifts and cashed in as good teams do.
- Wellesley (2-0): Year in and year out, Jesse Davis churns out solid squads.