Photos by: Joe & Elizabeth Gianni

The King Philip Warriors earned their 10th consecutive Thanksgiving Day win over Franklin with a 14 - 0 shutout at Macktaz Field.  Senior Running Back #34 Ryan Halliday carried the ball 40 times for 219 yards as KP grinded down the field for two touchdowns.  The Warrior Defense did what they do best and were relentless against a very good Franklin team.  

It was a great finish to the season honoring the tradition of the turkey day rivalry.  The Warriors went 8 - 3 for the 2019 season and finished #16 in the Boston Herald Sweet 16 for Eastern Mass.

Thanks to everyone for a great season and we'll see you next year!  #futurelooksbright   

Photos by: Joe & Sheree Gianni

The 2019 MIAA playoffs have begun and the Warriors did what they do best - WIN!  KP (#3 Seed) beat Barnstable (#6 Seed) 34 - 6 last night at home.  KP is now 12-1 in the last 13 postseason games.  Clear your calendars for next Friday when the KP Warriors face their biggest rival, the Mansfield Hornets, in Mansfield in the Division 2 South Semi-Final.  History says this rematch will be another epic battle not to be missed.  

Last night the Warriors dominated in all facets of the game - the offense was a well orchestrated & executed machine, the defense was ruthless as usual and special teams came up with a kickoff return for a TD.  Senior RB #34 Ryan Halliday was back with a cast on his left thumb after missing 3 games and was on fire.  He ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns.  Senior QB Robert Jarest was very impressive at 11 - 14 with 152 yards and two touchdowns - he does it all - he runs, scrambles, throws & scores!  Sophomore #24 Nick Viscusi had a 78 yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half and Sophomore #86 Drew Danson had some great catches, one which he grabbed a touchdown.

The Warrior Defense allowed just 3 first downs and 29 yards of offense in the first half.  In the second half they forced three Barnstable turnovers and kept them under 100 yards of offense.

Now it's onto Mansfield...again!  Go KP!

Photo by: Joe Gianni

It was another shut out for the Warriors Friday night as they beat Oliver Ames 28 - 0 in the last game of the regular season.  KP finished the season 6 - 1 and move on to the MIAA playoffs as a #3 seed in the Division 2 South bracket.  It is arguably the toughest division in the state and this year it is really stacked.  Here's the playoff bracket:

#1 Natick (7-0)

#2 Mansfield (6-1)

#3 King Philip (6-1)

#4 Wellesley (6-1)

#5 New Bedford (6-1)

#6 Barnstable (5-2)

#7 Marshfield (5-2)

#8 Bridgewater-Raynham (3-4)

KP earned home field and will play Barnstable (5-2) Friday, November 1st at 7 pm in round 1 of the MIAA playoffs.  Come cheer on the Warriors as they fight their way to a fourth trip to Gillette Stadium in four years.  Go KP!  Let's GO!

Photos by: Joe Gianni

It was a cold, windy and wet night at King Philip but the Warriors came up big with a 14 - 0 win against the Attleboro Blue Bombardiers.  The Warrior Defense was ruthless holding Attleboro to one first down through three quarters and keeping them to just 56 net yards overall.  

The Warrior Offense dominated the clock with two clock eating drives each resulting in a KP touchdown. Just before the half, QB Robbie Jarest executed a 56-yard drive with Sam Callanan scoring from the one-yard line.  After the half, the Warriors put together a 60-yard, 16-play drive resulting in a Brian Wassersug touchdown to go up 14-0.

It was a good win against another big, tough Hockomock Kelly-Rex team.  KP is now 4 - 1 for the season and will face the Taunton Tigers on Friday, October 18th in Taunton.

Go KP!

Photo by: Joe Gianni

Friday night it was another epic battle with the Mansfield Hornets - big stakes, physical game, decided by only 2 points.  But this time the Warriors fell short, losing 13 - 15 to Mansfield in a great game.  

The Warriors will bounce back this week and will host Attleboro at home Friday, October 11th at 7 pm.

Photos by: Sheree Gianni

Hockomock Kelley-Rex Division play began Friday night with KP beating Franklin 26 - 14 in Franklin.  It was the 16th straight victory for KP over Franklin (last loss 11/25/09)!  It was a great game with lots of contributions from both sides of the ball.

Offensive highlights:  Ryan Halliday was a relentless work horse with 32 carries, 141 yards and two TDs.  Senior QB Robbie Jarest used both his arm and his feet with 8 carries for 75 yards and went 11-for-15 for 93 yards and 2 TDs.  Crawford Cantave had 2 rushes for 8 yards, Brian Wassersug had 3 receptions for 40 yards & a TD.  Andrew McKinney had 3 receptions, 24 yards & a TD.

Defensive highlights: KP limited Franklin to one yard rushing, 184 passing for 166 total offense (3 sacks, 19 yards).  Mike Malatesta, Crawford Cantave & Nick Viscusi came up with fumble recoveries while Shawn Conniff (1.5), Malatesta (1.0) and Matt Meehan (0.5) delivered sacks.

The Warriors are now 3 - 0 for the season and face Mansfield Friday night 10/4 at home, for what will mostly likely be a Hockomock Title Showdown...don't miss it!

Photo Credit: Joe Gianni

It was Warriors vs. Warriors last night in Foxboro, with KP on top beating the Foxboro Warriors 20 - 10.  Once again, KP (2 - 0) came out and dominated the second half of the game locking in their second win for the season.  QB #6 Robbie Jarest hit #11 Alex Behling for a 37-yard completion and #86 Drew Danson for a 15-yard completion in key drives.  The Senior QB scored two touchdowns on QB keepers.  #34 Ryan Halliday (23 carries, 87 yards) ran in the third touchdown.

The Warrior defense came up with three big interceptions by #24 Nick Viscusi, #60 Jack Collentro & #10 Charlie Grant.  KP's signature defense held Foxboro to only 20 yards of offense in the second half.

Next up is Franklin on Friday, September 27th, after KP's bye-week next week.  Go KP!

The Warriors are off and running for the 2019 season picking up a BIG 25 - 7 win last night over the North Attleboro Red Rocketeers!  Kicking off the season against North has become a bit of a tradition in recent years and is a great early test for the team. 

And last night the test came early when North drove 80-yards in 10 plays on their first possession to go up 7 - 0.  The rest of the first half was a little rough, but the Warrior defense settled down, got focused and did what they do best.  That was the last time North would see the end zone.  The Warrior offense came alive with one minute left in the half when #6 Robbie Jarest completed a pass to #11 Alex Behling who then took it the house 54 yards down the sideline for a KP TD.

The second half was all KP as they charged through the Red Rocketeers for the 25 - 7 win.  #34 Ryan Halliday ran hard and scored two touchdowns, Jarest threw for two touchdowns, Alex Behling seemed to be everywhere the ball was picking up a couple touchdowns and #22 Sam Callanan came up with a key 4th quarter interception.

Next week KP is off to Foxboro to face the other Warriors and another Hockomock battle.  Let's GO!

Senior Captains: #22 Sam Callanan (left), #34 Ryan Halliday (right)

What is a captain?  A captain is a leader who represents the program in a positive way at all times and believes in the team concept. They lead by example. They can make difficult decisions in the best interest of the team, they put the team first.  It really comes down to accountability.

Coach Lee recently announced KP Football Captains for the 2019 season.  Captains are selected by the players in a secret ballot vote.  Each player is asked to think back to last season and vote for up to three teammates.  Who worked hard every practice? Who embraced their role and followed the coach's lead?  Who encouraged others?  Who works hard in the weight room and at Gut Check?  Who makes good decisions away from school?  Who represents WARRIOR PRIDE?  It is not a popularity contest, it is not about ability, it's about leadership.

Our 2019 Senior Captains are #22 Sam Callanan and #34 Ryan Halliday.  Both players are two-way starters on both offense and defense.  They are both running backs and outside linebackers.  We look forward to a GREAT season!

The KP Gridiron Annual Golf Tournament, held on Monday, June 24th was a great success - THANKS TO YOU!  It was a beautiful day and a great deal of fun.  We'd like to thank all those who volunteered to run the tournament, the golfers that played, and those who bought raffle tickets and auction items.  The money we raised will help fund issue gear for the team, go toward expenses for Camp Mataponi and throughout the season.

A special thank you to all those who generously donated as Hole Sponors and/or with Auction Items:

Shawn Gough & Family                                 The Behling Family

MTM Home Services/Matt Monahan             Bill Rice, KP Hall of Fame

An Unlikely Story, Plainville, MA                  RRG Drywall and Painting

Real Living - Heather Cunningham                East Central Car Wash, Franklin

Breen West Realty                                          The Harwood Family

Lake Street Friday Night Fan Club                 The Walsh Family

The Megee Family                                           Becks Bistro Catering

J.M. Home Healthcare                                      Franklin Glass Company

The Mazur Family                                            The Grant Family

Attorney Rachel Wassel, Foxboro, MA            1776 Financial & the Dittrich Family

M.D. Stetson Company/The Glass Family       Al Smith, KP Golden Warrior Class of 1961

BSN Sports/Greg Norris                                   The Piller Family

The Gavel Public House/The Cox Family        The Dillon Family

Parker's Pub/T.J. Gianfrancesco                        Jason Lightbody

Justin Orlando                                                   Jim & Joe Johnston

Kathy Deluca                                                    Adrenaline Fundraising/Shaun O'Neil

Corfinio's Restaurant, Easton                            Nick Lussier, KP Football Alum

Jason Litchfield, KP Football Alum                  Chris Cassiola, KP Football Alum

Alec May, KP Football Alum                            Sammy McDonald, KP Football Alum

Billy Getchell, KP Football Alum                      Joe, Tom & Mike Cochrane, KP Football Alum

Kyle Harwood, KP Football Alum                     Owen Galvin, KP Football Alum

Andrew Litchfield, KP Football Alum               Anthony Monahan, KP Football Alum

Jay Maguire                                                        Jamie Cunningham

Photo by: Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle

The KP Warriors picked up their first division win Friday night against the 2-0 Attleboro Blue Bombardiers.  It was a defensive battle with Attleboro's only points coming from a blocked KP PAT run back to the Attleboro end zone for 2 pts.  KP scored on a 65-yard drive with #34 Ryan Halliday running it in from the 16-yard line for a touchdown with 1:35 left in the first half.  The other two scores came from #37 Cole Baker field goals (36 yards & 27 yards).

The physical KP defense was lights out with contributions coming from all areas including four quarterback sacks.  The offense totaled 237 yards — 123 rushing, 127 passing. Junior Ryan Halliday had 36 carries for 120 yards rushing and Junior Robbie Jarest was 9-for-13 for 127 yards passing with David Morganelli hauling in 7 receptions for 104 yards.

Next week the Warriors travel to Mansfield for another battle for the ages!

Photo credit: Kim Norgren

Friday night's 17 - 0 shut out against Foxboro was not only the first win of the season, but it marked Coach Brian Lee's 100TH WIN as the head coach at KP. 

Coach Lee came to King Philip in 2005 to be the head coach, but also to build a football program.  It takes time.  Not only do you need players, but they need year-round training and they need to want to work hard.  It's a culture change.  You also need fans, you need school support, and you need community support.  It's a building process. 

In his first three seasons at KP, the Warriors went 8 - 24.  The 2008 season was a turning point when the team finished 9 - 2 for the season, and they were off to the races.  They were Hockomock Kelley-Rex Champions 5 out of the last 7 seasons and now have two undefeated seasons with back to back state titles to their credit.  It's been quite a ride!

Although we mark Coach Lee's milestone, he couldn't do it alone.  He has a great support team of loyal & talented assistant coaches and Rich Harwood of KP Gridiron.  Plus, a tremendous fan base with great coummity support!

Congratulations Coach Lee!  Keep it rolling!  #kppride