The Grafton Gators will take on the Algonquin Regional Titans at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Grafton has three straight wins, Algonquin Regional has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Grafton is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They walked away with a 35-28 victory over Westborough on Friday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Zeeland Youngblood continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 165 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.2 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 65 yards. Nick Jordan also helped with two scores in total.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Grafton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 179 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Ryder Sheehan
| 09/05/25 vs Ashland | 2 |
| 09/26/25 @ Tantasqua Regional | 3 |
| 09/19/25 @ St. John's | 6 |
| 10/04/25 @ Shrewsbury | 6 |
| 10/10/25 vs Westborough | 7 |
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Grafton's defense and their nine sacks. Ryder Sheehan led the group effort, picking up four of those sacks all by himself. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with seven. Will Jackson got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Algonquin Regional ended up a good deal behind Leominster on Friday and lost 25-9. While losing is never fun, the Titans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Massachusetts football rankings (they are ranked 178th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 36th).
Grafton now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Algonquin Regional, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.
Everything came up roses for Grafton against Algonquin Regional in their previous matchup back in September of 2024, as the squad secured a 49-14 win. In that game, the Gators amassed a halftime lead of 35-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
