Bennett Tobin had never scored three touchdowns in a varsity football game.
James Stafford had never scored a touchdown. Ever.
Both firsts came Friday on the road at North Quincy in Plymouth South’s 28-27 win over the Red Raiders, a significant victory qualifying the team for the high school football state tournament.
The victory gave the Panthers the three wins they needed to be eligible. Plymouth South (3-5) is the No. 11 seed in the Division 3 playoff bracket and will open on the road Thursday at 6 p.m. at No. 6 North Attleboro (5-2).
The winner advances to face the winner of Friday’s all-Patriot League Keenan Division game between No. 3 Marshfield and No. 14 Silver Lake. The losing teams begin two weeks of games scheduled by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association leading up to the traditional Thanksgiving morning game to end the season.
Tobin and Stafford are part of a sophomore class beginning to make some headway for the Panthers. Plymouth South was struggling at 1-5 two weeks ago before wins over Whitman-Hanson and North Quincy got them back on a tourney track.
“We had our back to the wall and the kids fought their way back into the tournament. It would have been easy for them to make excuses, but they worked together and got the job done,” head coach Darren Fruzzetti said.
“We have high standards and high expectations for this program,” he said. “A big difference in the last couple of weeks is the offensive line has played great and we’ve won the turnover battle in both games.”
“We’ve got a lot of first-year starters who are learning and playing better each game,” the coach said.
“We knew we needed those two wins to have any chance of making the tournament,” said Tobin, who carried the football 36 times for 166 yards and three touchdowns against North Quincy. “They were absolutely must-win games and I think that’s what flipped the switch for us.”
The offensive line features tight end Chase Tarantino along with Cam Latham, Stafford, Thomas DeCoste, and Benjamin Holmes on either side of starting center Benjamin Wozniak. The unit has opened some big holes for Tobin, who has rushed for more than 100 yards and scored five touchdowns overall in the last two weeks.
“I’ve learned this season how to use my line to get yards,” Tobin said. “I can’t just bounce it to the outside any longer because my opponents are all bigger and faster now. I need to trust my line and hit the right hole.”
With Plymouth South leading North Quincy 7-6 with time running out in the second quarter, Stafford lived the dream of every lineman by scoring a touchdown.
“It was the last play of the first half and I saw the other defensive end (Sam Leonard) strip the ball out. I saw the football lying there, so I scooped it up and ran as fast as I could to the end zone,” Stafford said of his 69-yard scoop and score. “When I got to the end zone I was gassed.”
North Attleboro comes from the Davenport Division of the Hockomock League where the Red Rocketeers are tied with King Philip for first place. They started the season with a loss to Springfield Central but have won five of their last six games. They average 26.9 points per game and opponents are scoring 20.9 points against them.
The ground game is the bread and butter for the Red Rocketeer offense. Quarterback Nathaniel Robin (seven touchdowns) and running back Joe Ruggiero (11 rushing scores, one TD reception) are scoring threats from anywhere on the field. Running back Nick O’Brien has chipped in with five touchdowns.
Tobin has become the featured back for South with eight touchdowns for the season. Senior Kyle Nguyen is an impact player who has scored on a punt return and a fumble recovery.
David Wolcott can be reached at dwolcott@plymouthindependent.org.