'Turkey Day' heated rivalry: New Bedford wins battle against Durfee in 130th meeting

NEW BEDFORD — The storied holiday rivalry between Durfee and New Bedford just got a little more heated on Thursday.

With time running down in a hard-fought 130th meeting between the Hilltoppers and Whalers, Durfee quarterback KJ Strong threw a touchdown pass to freshman Alvin Gaston just as time expired.

Instead of the traditional handshake at midfield, police and school security escorted both teams off the field after a brief skirmish between players broke out that spilled over to the Durfee sidelines.

"There's emotion, and the last two years have been crazy," New Bedford head coach Mark DeBrito said. "I told my guys all week that you got to keep your composure. It's unfortunate on Thanksgiving Day.

"I'm just disappointed with how it ended. I told my guys afterward all the things that you guys have done, the hard work, and how proud I am, to have it end like this is not cool."

The Whalers snapped a two-game losing skid to Durfee that dated back to 2019 with a 16-13 victory over the Hilltoppers before a large gathering at Paul Walsh field on the campus of New Bedford High School.

New Bedford, which opened the season 0-7, won four straight games to finish 4-7.

"[Durfee] got us the last few years, so it felt good today," DeBrito said. "We circled this game on the calendar, and we wanted this win. The turkey always tastes better when you get this victory."

After the game, players from both sides spoke about the rivalry.

"We fought hard and fought until the end," Strong said. "This game is just a rivalry, and it happens every year, which is why it is such a great rivalry between both teams."

Despite an off game, senior quarterback Amari Harris made the big plays when he had to, including the eventual game-winning score to senior Colin Rego in the second quarter.

"Today is a rivalry game, and [Durfee] is going to come hard every time," Harris said. "We knew that, and we practiced hard. It was a struggle today, but we came out on top. We made the plays when we needed to."

The Hilltoppers (0-10) kept the game close with their defense in the second half after allowing 16 first-half points.

"The defense played outstanding all day," Durfee head coach Taylor Brown said. "The kids played hard. They've been playing hard all year. It's unfortunate we came out on the other end of it. I'm happy with the way they finished the year."

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HOW IT HAPPENED

New Bedford got the ball first after Durfee won the coin toss and elected to defer the kickoff until the second half. The Whalers moved inside Hilltopper territory but was forced to punt after a sack by Abdikadir Haji. On the ensuing punt, the ball glanced off a Durfee player and was recovered Julez Johnson at the Hilltopper 28.

With a short field, NBH capped off a seven-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run by Zakari Nunes to give the Whalers a 6-0 lead. Isaiah Silva kicked the point after.

Durfee took the ball inside NB territory, but the drive stalled after the defense stopped Gaston short on fourth down. Beginning from their own 25, Harris threw a dime to Aaron Pimental for 50 yards on the fifth play of the drive to get the ball at the Hilltopper 5. But Durfee's defense rose to the occasion, forcing a 20-yard field goal by Silva to give the hosts a 10-0 lead.

Jaden Hout's 43-yard kickoff return gave the Hilltoppers great field position inside Whalers territory. A 13-yard pass from Strong to Eric Lucas moved the ball to the NB 25. Four plays later, Strong sneaked in from one-yard out to cut the lead to 10-6 with 2:55 left before halftime. Ladaynian Mendes kicked the point after as the Hilltoppers trail by three.

But Harris came up big once again with a perfect 53-yard pass to Rego down the sidelines to increase the Whalers' margin to 16-7. The kick was blocked by Durfee sophomore Cooper Long.

The second half got chipper between the two squads as both defenses made big stops. Junior Dezmond Brunskill had a pair of interception in the second half for NB. Senior Bayron Maldanado was also big for the Whalers, defensively.

The HIlltoppers' Jack Sousa recovered a fumble in the third quarter and Durfee's defense stopped NB twice inside on fourth downs.

"We had a lot of opportunities but just did not finish," DeBrito said. "We held the ball on our side for most of the game. Just could not make the plays to put it in the end zone. Taylor does a great job with them so you know that is what is going to happen, especially on Thanksgiving."

Brown said a lot of his younger players stepped up big for him.

"I'm glad we took the ball down there with 40 seconds left and put one in," he said. "I'm happy with the way they finished the game. The rivalry is back."

Strong said he's looking forward to next season.

"These are my boys, and I love these guys," Strong said. "This is a rebuilding year, and we'll be stronger next season."

New Bedford 16, Durfee 13

Durfee 0 7 0 6 — 13

New Bedford 7 9 0 0 — 16

First quarter

NB: Zakari Nunes two-yard run (Isaiah Silva kick) 3:47

Second quarter

NB: Isaiah Silva 20-yard field goal 6:44

Durfee: KJ Strong 1 yard run (Ladaynian Mendes kick) 2:55

NB: Colin Rego 53-yard pass from Amari Harris (kick blocked) 1:13

Third quarter

No scoring

Fourth quarter

No scoring

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Hilltoppers come up short against the Whalers in the 130th meeting