Chase Afonso and Gavin Gooch lead 1-7 Dartmouth and Somerset Berkley into Saturday's meeting
Both teams are 1-7 and out of the state tournament, and Saturday's game at Dartmouth Memorial Stadium is the last chance for either one to win before Thanksgiving morning.
DARTMOUTH Chase Afonso accounted for all three Dartmouth touchdowns the last time the Indians played, and Saturday's game against Somerset Berkley is the junior's last chance to do it at home this season.
Dartmouth (1-7) hosts Somerset Berkley (1-7) on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Dartmouth Memorial Stadium, a game the MIAA placed on its Week 10 non-playoff list. It was listed for Friday night until this week, and both schools' Arbiter Live schedules and both teams' MaxPreps pages now list Saturday. The kickoff time is not settled: Dartmouth's Arbiter Live page and both MaxPreps pages list 7 p.m., while Somerset Berkley's Arbiter Live page lists noon. South Coast 360 is asking both athletic directors to confirm the time and will update this story with their answer.
Afonso, No. 10 and listed as a receiver on Dartmouth's roster, lined up at quarterback against New Bedford on Oct. 30. He ran for two 7-yard touchdowns, slipped the rush on second and 11 to throw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Brendan Martin with 38 seconds left in the first half, and had Dartmouth level with the Whalers at 20-20 at that point before New Bedford pulled away to win 52-20.
Every play from that night is in our story on New Bedford 52, Dartmouth 20.
Martin, a junior receiver and safety who wears No. 13, was the other half of that offense. He ran 18 yards on third and 11 on the drive to Dartmouth's first touchdown, ran in the two-point conversion that gave Dartmouth a 14-12 lead, and brought a kickoff back to the Dartmouth 40. On defense, junior Sam Blevines (No. 30) stopped Miguel Neves short on a third and 4 to stall a New Bedford drive, he and senior Thomas Pallatroni (No. 26) each made a stop at the goal line that night, and junior Aaron Charest (No. 58) made an open-field tackle to stop a two-point try.
Senior Gavin Gooch (No. 40) caught a fourth-down pass from the 9 on Oct. 30 and made a move after the catch to score Somerset Berkley's only touchdown against Old Rochester, the end of a 90-yard drive, one of two big plays the running back and outside linebacker has made for the Raiders in their last two games. A week later, after the Raiders took over trailing Diman 8-0 with 1:02 left, Gooch caught a short pass on fourth and 7 and kept his feet for a first down inside the Diman 35 with 12 seconds to go.
Read Old Rochester 42, Somerset Berkley 7 and Diman 8, Somerset Berkley 0 for both games in full.
Senior Mason Benjamin (No. 16) has run the Raiders' offense from quarterback. He scrambled 38 yards down the right sideline on the touchdown drive against Old Rochester and threw the scoring pass to Gooch, and against Diman his keepers kept drive after drive alive in the rain. Up front, senior Brett Irizarry (No. 70) stopped Old Rochester's Benji Baptiste short of the goal line in the last seconds of the first half, and senior Koda Ligunya (No. 29) came off the edge to force an incomplete pass on a Diman fourth and long.
The coaches
Rick White is in his 23rd season as Dartmouth's coach and came into the fall with a 149-90-3 career record, The Boston Globe's preseason Division 4 guide listed, which puts him at 150-97-3 after eight games. Dartmouth went 6-5 last season after a 5-0 start and played in the state tournament, losing 13-0 at Burlington, its 2025 MaxPreps schedule shows. The Globe guide listed a spread offense and named Afonso, senior Aidan Gendron (No. 3) and Pallatroni as the players at the center of this season.
Chris Santos is in his first season at Somerset Berkley, which went 2-9 last fall, the Globe's guide listed. It described his offense as a double wing, named Gooch as one of its lead backs and Benjamin as the returning quarterback, and said Irizarry anchors the line.
South Coast 360 is asking both coaches, through their athletic directors, for a few words on the game, and their answers will be added when they come in.
How they got here
Dartmouth opened with a 14-7 win at Bishop Stang on Sept. 11, then lost two one-point games in a week, 14-13 to Middleborough on Sept. 18 and 13-12 to Old Rochester on Sept. 24, according to the results the school posts on Arbiter Live. Losses followed at Apponequet (34-24), at Durfee (23-7), to Barnstable (20-0), at Bridgewater-Raynham (36-12) and to New Bedford (52-20). The Indians have not played since Oct. 30, so Saturday comes 15 days after their last game.
Somerset Berkley lost its first three games, at Fairhaven (39-7), to Malden Catholic (36-7) and at Durfee (28-7), by its Arbiter Live results. Its win came Oct. 2, 42-22 over Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech at Hanson Memorial Stadium. The Raiders then lost at Apponequet (33-8), by five points at Dighton-Rehoboth (33-28), to Old Rochester (42-7) and to Diman (8-0) on Nov. 6, when their defense held Diman, winner of its four previous games, to one touchdown.
| Dartmouth | Somerset Berkley | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 1-7, lost seven straight | 1-7, lost four straight |
| Coach | Rick White, 23rd season | Chris Santos, first season |
| Offense (Globe preseason guide) | Spread | Double wing |
| Only win | 14-7 at Bishop Stang, Sept. 11 | 42-22 vs. Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech, Oct. 2 |
| Points scored and allowed | 102 and 199 | 106 and 241 |
| Closest loss | 13-12 vs. Old Rochester and 14-13 vs. Middleborough | 33-28 at Dighton-Rehoboth |
| Against Durfee | Lost 23-7 | Lost 28-7 |
| Against Apponequet | Lost 34-24 | Lost 33-8 |
| Against Old Rochester | Lost 13-12 | Lost 42-7 |
| MIAA Division 4 power ranking, Oct. 30 | 26th, opponents rated 6.195 | 28th, opponents rated 2.840 |
| Last game | Lost 52-20 to New Bedford, Oct. 30 | Lost 8-0 to Diman, Nov. 6 |
| Last season | 6-5, state tournament | 2-9 |
| Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, 10 a.m. | At Fairhaven | Joseph Case at Hanson Memorial Stadium |
Our read: the three common opponents lean toward Dartmouth, which lost to Durfee, Apponequet and Old Rochester by 27 points combined while Somerset Berkley lost to the same three by 81, and the MIAA's opponent rating says the Indians played the tougher schedule. The Raiders' double wing is built to hold the ball, though, and a defense that kept Diman to 8 points can shorten the game and keep Afonso and Martin on the sideline.
What it means
The MIAA takes the top 16 teams in each division with at least three wins and seven games played, its power ranking sheet states, so both teams were out once October ended. A win Saturday sends one of them into Thanksgiving at 2-7. Dartmouth plays at Fairhaven at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 26, a rematch of last year's Thanksgiving game, which Fairhaven won 21-14, and Somerset Berkley hosts Joseph Case at 10 a.m. the same morning at Hanson Memorial Stadium, both schools' Arbiter Live schedules show.
Tickets and how to watch
Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors on GoFan, which lists the game at Dartmouth Memorial Stadium, 400 Slocum Road, and shows the same prices for sale at the gate. The GoFan listing still showed Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. when we read it Thursday afternoon, a day earlier than both schools' schedules.
Dartmouth Community Media streamed Dartmouth's home games against Barnstable on Oct. 16 and New Bedford on Oct. 30 on its YouTube channel, and it posted the New Bedford stream three days ahead of kickoff.
Notes
- The teams have seen each other once already: a preseason scrimmage on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Hanson Memorial Stadium, both schools' Arbiter Live schedules show.
- The varsity teams did not meet last season, their 2025 MaxPreps schedules show.
- Dartmouth has opened two straight seasons by beating Bishop Stang, 23-9 at home in 2025 and 14-7 at Hugh Carney Stadium this year.
- Somerset Berkley played Fairhaven, Dartmouth's Thanksgiving opponent, on Sept. 11 and lost 39-7.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every fact comes from the schools' own Arbiter Live schedules and results, the teams' MaxPreps schedules and rosters, the GoFan ticket listing, the MIAA's Week 10 non-playoff list and Division 4 power rankings, The Boston Globe's preseason Division 4 guide, the Dartmouth Community Media YouTube channel, and South Coast 360's own game stories from the Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 broadcasts. We read them Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, between about 7:50 a.m. and 2 p.m., and read the schedules again that afternoon after the game moved. Players are named as their teams list them on MaxPreps. Season totals and the combined margins are our math from the Arbiter Live results. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Where the records differ we say so: both schools and both MaxPreps pages list the game on Saturday, Nov. 14, but Somerset Berkley's Arbiter Live page lists noon while Dartmouth's page and MaxPreps list 7 p.m., and GoFan still listed Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. MaxPreps shows different scores than Arbiter Live for two games (Somerset Berkley's win over Greater New Bedford and Dartmouth's game at Bridgewater-Raynham), so we use the schools' Arbiter Live results. South Coast 360 is asking Dartmouth coach Rick White and Somerset Berkley coach Chris Santos, through their athletic directors, for comment and for the kickoff time.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (16)
- Arbiter Live: Somerset Berkley boys varsity football schedule and resultsThe school's own schedule page. Read Nov. 12, 2026, about 1:51 p.m.: "Sat Nov 14 12:00 PM @ Dartmouth High School, Dartmouth Memorial Stadium, Football Field, Turf" (punctuation ours); at 7:52 a.m. and 9:57 a.m. the same day it read "Fri Nov 13 7:00 PM". Results Sept. 11 to Nov. 6 (W 42-22 vs. Greater New Bedford, Oct. 2); record (1 - 7); Sept. 1 scrimmage vs. Dartmouth at Hanson Memorial Stadium; Thu Nov 26 10:00 AM vs. Joseph Case High School, Hanson Memorial Stadium.
- Arbiter Live: Dartmouth boys varsity football schedule and resultsThe school's own schedule page. Read Nov. 12, 2026, about 7:52 a.m., 9:57 a.m. and 1:51 p.m.: "Sat Nov 14 7:00 PM vs Somerset Berkley Regional High School, Dartmouth Memorial Stadium". Results Sept. 11 to Oct. 30 (L 12-36 at Bridgewater-Raynham), record (1 - 7); Sept. 1 scrimmage at Somerset Berkley; Thu Nov 26 10:00 AM at Fairhaven.
- MaxPreps: Dartmouth football schedule, 2026-27Read Nov. 12, 2026, about 1:51 p.m.: "Sat, 11/14 @ 7:00pm", home, vs. Somerset Berkley Regional (it read "Fri, 11/13 @ 7:00pm" that morning); 11/26 10:00am at Fairhaven.
- MaxPreps: Somerset Berkley football schedule, 2026-27Read Nov. 12, 2026, about 1:51 p.m.: "Sat, 11/14 @ 7:00pm", away, at Dartmouth (it read "Fri, 11/13 @ 7:00pm" that morning); 11/26 10:00am vs. Case.
- GoFan: Dartmouth Indians vs Somerset Berkley Raiders, footballEvent 7056385, read through api.gofan.co/v2/events/7056385 on Nov. 12, 2026, about 9:57 a.m. and 1:51 p.m.: start 2026-11-14T00:00:00 UTC (7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, Eastern), not canceled; venue Dartmouth Memorial Stadium, 400 Slocum Road, North Dartmouth; Adult Ticket $6 and Student / Sr. Citizen Ticket $4, sold on GoFan and at the box office; not postseason.
- MIAA: Week 10 non-playoff games (PDF linked from miaa.net/tournament-brackets)"Somerset/Berkley @ Dartmouth". Away @ home, no dates or times. Read Nov. 12, 2026, about 1:51 p.m.
- MIAA: 2026 Division 4 football power rankingsUpdated Friday, Oct. 30 (scores in Arbiter as of Oct. 30, 4 a.m.): "Top 16 teams with at least 3 wins and 7 games played qualify"; 26 Dartmouth 1-6, opponent rating 6.1950; 28 Somerset Berkley Reg. 1-5, opponent rating 2.8401; 37 teams listed. Read Nov. 12, 2026.
- MaxPreps: Dartmouth football roster, 2026-27Names, numbers, classes and positions as the team entered them (28 players; updated Oct. 13, 2026). Read Nov. 12, 2026.
- MaxPreps: Somerset Berkley football roster, 2026-27Names, numbers, classes and positions as the team entered them (24 players; updated Nov. 9, 2026). Read Nov. 12, 2026.
- MaxPreps: Dartmouth football schedule, 2025-266-5; 9/5 vs. Bishop Stang W 23-9; 11/7 at Burlington (playoff) L 13-0; 11/27 vs. Fairhaven L 21-14; Somerset Berkley not on it. Read Nov. 12, 2026.
- MaxPreps: Somerset Berkley football schedule, 2025-26Eleven varsity games, Hanover to Central; Dartmouth not on it. Read Nov. 12, 2026.
- The Boston Globe: MIAA football Division 4 teams, 2026 (Sept. 9)Dartmouth: Coach Richard White (23rd season), career 149-90-3, last year 6-5, spread offense, Gendron, Afonso and Pallatroni at "the crux of the action". Somerset Berkley: Coach Chris Santos (1st season), last year 2-9, double wing, Gooch to lead the offense, Benjamin "returns under center", Irizarry "anchors the offensive line". Read Nov. 12, 2026.
- Dartmouth Community Media on YouTube: live streamsIts Oct. 30 New Bedford game stream (sr_SgwDlRqs) was posted Oct. 27; its Oct. 16 Barnstable stream was c_s1cZGtZi0. Read Nov. 12, 2026, about 10 a.m. and 1:52 p.m.
- South Coast 360: New Bedford beats Dartmouth 52-20Our own game story from the Dartmouth Community Media broadcast, Oct. 30, 2026: Afonso, Martin, Pallatroni, Blevines and Charest plays.
- South Coast 360: Old Rochester beats Somerset Berkley 42-7Our own game story from the JJ Silvia Broadcasting stream, Oct. 30, 2026: Gooch touchdown catch, Benjamin scramble, Irizarry goal-line stop.
- South Coast 360: Diman 8, Somerset Berkley 0Our own game story from the JJ Silvia Broadcasting stream, Nov. 6, 2026: Gooch fourth-down catch, Benjamin keepers, Ligunya pressure.