vs
| 11/28/24 - Home | 43-15 W |
| 11/23/23 - Away | 13-15 L |
| 11/24/22 - Home | 49-13 W |
| 11/25/21 - Away | 35-7 W |
| 04/15/21 - Home | 41-7 W |
| + 5 more games |
Natick is 8-2 against Framingham since November of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. After each having a week off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 10:00 a.m. Natick's defense has only allowed 11.1 points per game this season, so Framingham's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Natick heads in on the heels of a playoff matchup last Friday. They fell just short of Central Catholic by a score of 20-17.
Natick's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Matt Caissie, who threw for 257 yards and one TD, and Brandon Leshinski, who picked up 75 receiving yards and one score. Leshinski showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 50 yards.
Framingham never got on the board in their matchup on November 7th, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Holliston last Friday. They breezed past the Panthers to the tune of 34-7. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Flyers' offense, which had struggled in the games prior.
Natick better keep an eye on Nicholas Nascimento Duarte. He was instrumental in Framingham's win, rushing for 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 9.2 yards per carry. Nascimento Duarte also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because the Flyers are undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 0-4 otherwise.
Framingham's run defense was locked in: Holliston could only muster 2.2 yards per carry. While two picked up at least six total tackles, Kolven McBrayer stood above the rest. He made six total tackles and defended three passes in addition to snagging an interception. That's the most yards per carry they've posted since back in September of 2024.
Framingham didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as McBrayer, Dylan Gold, and Vinicius Silva picked up one apiece. McBrayer has been hot recently, having also posted at least one defended passe the last three times he's played.
Framingham now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Natick, their loss dropped their record down to 7-3.
Thursday's contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: James Mortarelli and Nascimento Duarte. Mortarelli just won't slow down this season and has averaged 97.9 rushing yards per game. Nascimento Duarte has been a dominant force too and has run in 17 touchdowns while averaging 181.9 rushing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Natick against Framingham in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 43-15 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Redhawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
