SHREWSBURY — If it was prolific offense generated by two of this region’s most talented quarterbacks you wanted to see, then Shrewsbury High’s David J. Adams Memorial Field was the place to be on Thanksgiving morning 2022.
Wachusett football traveled to the home of the Colonials for their annual holiday tilt, and the teams collectively put 88 points on the board. The Mountaineers defeated the hosts, 49-39, with Wachusett QB Tucker McDonald and Shrewsbury QB T.J. Welch putting on a scoring masterpiece. McDonald, who was named team MVP for the game, registered six passing touchdowns and one rushing score while Welch was nearly unstoppable, running for 5 TDs and passing for one.
With the victory, Wachusett concludes its season with a record of 8-3; at the same time, the team vaulted past its own school record of points in a season with 455. The victory tightens the gap for Thanksgiving play, which is in Shrewsbury’s advantage, 5-4, since resuming holiday competition in 2013.
“We knew we were going to take them down,” said Wachusett receiver Matthew Raeke with conviction. “We were very confident coming in, but we still played as hard as we could. Ours is a very high-powered offense, and they also have a terrific offense. It doesn’t surprise me that the score was as high as it was.”
“I think we knew that last year we weren’t all there and ended up losing, so this year we made an emphasis to take this game seriously and we came out with the win,” said running back Aiden McGeary.
“We practiced really hard all week, and last year we took a tough loss, which motivated us all to beat them,” added wide receiver Joe Cappabianca, who scored the team’s first touchdown of the morning, an 8-yard toss from McDonald with less than three minutes elapsed in the game. “We knew they had a good offense, but we had a good offense, too, so we knew it was going to be a shootout.”
“We wanted this win really bad,” said wide receiver Arturo Johnson, who, along with Grayson Baker, recorded two touchdown receptions. “Ever since last year when we lost, we were looking forward to coming back for this. We knew coming onto this field today that we weren’t going to lose. I didn’t expect to score as much as we did, but that’s what we do.”
“We were really determined, and we had a good week of practice,” said McDonald, who will be off to UConn next season to compete for the Huskies. “Last year left a sour taste in our mouths throughout the offseason. We wanted to come out here with a bang.
“We have a really fast-paced, high-powered offense, and so do they. We knew it was going to be a shootout. Shrewsbury’s not quitters. They’re going to fight until the last whistle. It’s been a good season for us. The season comes with stumbles and injuries. It’s how you respond to all that.”
Teammates, overjoyed with the win and in frenzied celebration, gave props to McDonald, who has provided the leadership backbone to make this season a successful one.
“Tucker’s completely changed this whole program around. Our whole class has,” said Raeke. “With the athletes we have, we were able to open things up, especially with him throwing the ball.”
“Tucker works as hard as anyone I’ve ever known. He’s the best player I’ve ever played with,” said Cappabianca.
“Tucker’s the best player this program has ever seen,” added Johnson. “For him to put it all out there on the field and give us all he’s got means everything.”
The team’s victory celebration included junior Wachusett wideout Chris Smith, who was seriously injured in the team’s Nov. 10 matchup with Nashoba Regional. He was said to be improving but has a long way to recover. Players and coaches wore jerseys that read “brotherhood” on the front and his number, 29, and name on the back.
Head coach Mike Dubzinski pointed out the team’s determination to win and advised team supporters to next year put this game on the list of priority things to do.
“You never know what’s going to happen on Thanksgiving” he said. “Shrewsbury’s a great team and a great opponent. If people are looking for something to do on Thanksgiving morning, come out to the Wachusett/ Shrewsbury game, because you’re going to be entertained.”
