Underclassmen step up for Joseph Case football on Senior Night
· Yahoo Sports
SWANSEA — Anderson Emard wanted to make Senior Night special for his senior teammates.
The Joseph Case football junior versatile player helped set up the first Cardinal score of the game with a 38-yard reception from senior quarterback Aedan Borges. He followed that up with a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half.
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From there, visiting Seekonk did not stand a chance.
"I just wanted to do it for all the seniors tonight," Emard said after Case defeated the Warriors 39-14 Friday, Oct. 9. "I love them and I'm going to miss them next year. I know this is not my senior night, but I wanted to play my heart for them."
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With the win, the Cardinals (4-1) get a chance to play for the South Coast Conference title with a showdown against the reining Division 6 state champion Fairhaven next week.
"Our kids executed the game plan and did what we asked them to do," Case first-year head coach Mike Cloutier said. "It showed tonight. They're grasping what we're doing as coaches. It's good to see."
Besides Emard's heroics, Borges rushed for two touchdowns, threw a touchdown and kicked a field goal in the victory. Cooper Burt and Matthew Bogdan also scored touchdowns. Marcus Amaral and Marcus-Lee Jones each scored for the Warriors (1-3).
For senior Cole Rego, it was an emotional night in his final home game.
"Just lots of emotions walking down the field with my teammates," said Rego, who led the Cardinals in tackles from his linebacker spot. "Tonight means a lot, especially a rivalry conference game. We had to make a statement. With all the new coaches coming in, it has been a big culture change. It has been huge. We can do big things here."
Case took a 16-6 lead after one quarter and went into halftime with a 26-10 advantage. Emary kickoff return for a score gave the Cardinals an insurmountable 32-6 lead only seconds into the third quarter.
Now it's on to Fairhaven for Case.
"Next week is going to be the biggest game of our careers," Rego said. "We need to make a statement and play every snap hard. We can't take our foot off the pedal at all."
— This story will be updated
Herald News and Taunton Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Chezsports and TikTok @ssanchezsports
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Underclassmen step up for Joseph Case football on Senior Night
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