Final: Diman 8, Somerset Berkley 0, as three fourth-down stops and a last-play stand finish the Bengals' shutout in the rain
The Bengals (6-3) won their fifth straight game and have allowed 20 points in those five wins. The Raiders (1-7) moved the ball most of the night and were one throw from a chance to tie.
SOMERSET Somerset Berkley had the ball inside the Diman 35 with 12 seconds left Friday night, Nov. 6, after a fourth-down catch kept its last drive alive at Hanson Memorial Stadium in Somerset. After a quick throw fell incomplete, senior quarterback Mason Benjamin rolled to his left on the final play and threw for the end zone, and when that pass fell to the wet turf, Diman's defense had the shutout it had protected through a downpour that started right around kickoff.
Diman won 8-0, and the only points came with 6:20 left in the third quarter, when Kelly, the Bengals' lead back, took a pitch around the left end and ran it to the pylon from inside the 25. Senior Jayden Fernandez, the holder, kept the try alive when the snap got away, breaking a couple of tackles and reversing field to run in the two-point conversion. The Bengals (6-3) have won five straight games, and the Raiders, under first-year coach Chris Santos, are 1-7.
The win belonged to the defense, which stopped Somerset Berkley on fourth down three times and fell on a loose ball in its own end late in the third quarter. Diman has now allowed 20 points in its five-game winning streak, with shutouts of Old Colony and Somerset Berkley, and its 8 points Friday were its lowest total in any win this season.
The first stop came on the opening drive, when Somerset Berkley ran its Wing T and option on nearly every snap, with Benjamin's keepers and senior Gavin Gooch's runs moving the chains deep into Diman territory. That drive used most of the first quarter before a pitch to the outside on fourth and short came up short on the measurement, with about four and a half minutes left in the quarter.
In the second quarter junior Christopher Thompson brought Benjamin down at the line on third down to force a punt, and senior Nathan Gonzalez dropped a ball carrier in the backfield on third and 8 to force another, which senior Jay Debrito nearly blocked. Diman's offense reached the Raiders' 10 late in the half, and junior William Katseff carried an end around into the end zone with about 30 seconds left, but a holding flag took the touchdown away. On the next play, a fourth and long, Somerset Berkley senior Koda Ligunya came off the edge and the throw fell incomplete, and the teams went to halftime tied 0-0 a few plays later.
The second half turned on its opening kickoff, when Santos tried an onside kick into the wind and Diman took over at the Raiders' 46. Kelly carried on almost every play of the drive, including a fourth and 1 inside the Raiders' 40 that was ruled a first down on a close spot and a third and 1 pitch to the right that moved the chains near the 20, before his touchdown run on second and 8 two plays later. Junior fullback Luke Fitzgerald's dives up the middle kept Diman moving, among them a third-down run into the red zone just before halftime.
Somerset Berkley answered right away, as Gooch ran 9 yards for a first down into Diman territory and a penalty moved the ball to the Bengals' 33, but junior Rowan Campion made two stops on the series, Debrito met a ball carrier for a short gain, and on third and 8 Diman came up with a loose ball on a double handoff.
The second fourth-down stop came early in the fourth quarter, after Benjamin turned a third and 12 into a fourth and 4 with a keeper, then kept the ball again and Diman stopped him short, giving Diman the ball with 10:54 left. The Raiders got it back deep in Diman territory minutes later and pushed to the Bengals' 22, where Debrito and senior Owen Dorego made stops on first and third down, and Benjamin's fourth and 8 pass down the middle for junior Jackson Weber went incomplete with 3:43 left, the third stop.
Diman's offense took time off the clock from there, as senior Peytonn Massey cut back on a jet sweep for more than 20 yards to near the Diman 40, and Kelly ran for about 8 more, before a fourth-down throw fell incomplete and Somerset Berkley took over at the Diman 48 with 1:02 left. Senior Justin Roderique was in coverage on a third and 7 incompletion, and on fourth and 7 Benjamin hit Gooch on a short throw, with Gooch cutting outside and keeping his feet for the first down inside the 35 with 12 seconds left. A quick throw to the right missed, and then came the last throw to the end zone.
Somerset Berkley's defense kept the Raiders in it all night, as Gooch made tackles behind the line, seniors Tyrese Brown and Ligunya and junior Anthony Ragonesi helped stuff Diman's runs inside, and Weber made an ankle tackle to slow the Bengals' scoring drive. Gooch also took the opening kickoff back for good field position, and Benjamin, who kept drives going with his keepers, also brought down Kelly on defense in the fourth quarter.
Scoring: Third quarter, Diman: Kelly run around left end from inside the 25 (Jayden Fernandez run for the two-point conversion), 6:20. No other points were scored; a Diman touchdown late in the second quarter was called back for holding.
The rain came down hard enough to leave standing water on the turf by the third quarter, and it let up only in the final minutes. The crowd that came anyway filled close to half the stands, the JJ Silvia Broadcasting announcers said on the broadcast, for two neighboring programs that met at Hanson Memorial Stadium a year ago, when Diman won 20-0 on Nov. 7, 2025.
By the numbers
| Diman | Somerset Berkley | |
|---|---|---|
| Record after Friday | 6-3 | 1-7 |
| Points scored this season | 133 | 106 |
| Points allowed this season | 83 | 241 |
| Points allowed in the last five games | 20 | 138 |
| Shutouts this season | 2 (Old Colony, Somerset Berkley) | none |
| Last meeting | Won 20-0, Nov. 7, 2025, at Somerset Berkley | Lost 20-0 |
| Next game | Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, 10 a.m., vs. Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech at Durfee High School | Consolation game next week, opponent to be announced Sunday; then Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, 10 a.m., vs. Joseph Case at Hanson Memorial Stadium |
What comes next
Diman closes its regular season on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26, at 10 a.m. against Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech at Durfee High School in Fall River, according to its Arbiter Live schedule. Somerset Berkley plays one more consolation game next week, with the opponent to be announced Sunday, the JJ Silvia Broadcasting announcers said, and then hosts Joseph Case on Thanksgiving morning at 10 a.m. at Hanson Memorial Stadium, according to its Arbiter Live schedule.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The final comes from both schools' Arbiter Live pages and MaxPreps, read Nov. 6 and 7, 2026. The game account comes from the live broadcast by JJ Silvia Broadcasting, Somerset Access TV and Berkley Community Access TV, with every name checked against the teams' published rosters. Season numbers are our math from the Arbiter Live results. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. We asked both schools for comment from Diman coach Luke Bahry and Somerset Berkley coach Chris Santos, and their words will be added when they reply.
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 (9)
- Arbiter Live: Diman boys varsity football schedule and resultsNov. 6, 6:30 p.m., at Somerset Berkley, Hanson Memorial Stadium, "W 8-0", record (6 - 3); season results Sept. 11 to Oct. 30; Nov. 26, 10 a.m., vs. Greater New Bedford at Durfee High School. Read Nov. 6, 2026.
- Arbiter Live: Somerset Berkley boys varsity football schedule and resultsNov. 6, 6:30 p.m., vs. Diman, Hanson Memorial Stadium, "L 0-8", record (1 - 7); season results Sept. 11 to Oct. 30; Nov. 26, 10 a.m., vs. Joseph Case. Read Nov. 6, 2026.
- MaxPreps: Diman RVT vs. Somerset Berkley Regional, Nov. 6, 2026Final, Diman RVT 8, Somerset Berkley Regional 0, away non-conference game. Read Nov. 6 and Nov. 7, 2026.
- MaxPreps: Diman football 2025-26 schedule11/7 at Somerset Berkley Regional, W 20-0. Read Nov. 6, 2026.
- MaxPreps: Diman football rosterNames, classes and numbers as the team entered them (roster updated Sept. 12, 2026). Read Nov. 6, 2026.
- MaxPreps: Somerset Berkley football rosterNames, classes and numbers as the team entered them (roster updated Oct. 12, 2026). Read Nov. 6, 2026.
- Somerset Berkley Regional High School: AthleticsFall coaches: "Chris Santos, Football". Read Nov. 6, 2026.
- Diman Regional athletics staff directoryLuke Bahry, Football. Read Nov. 6, 2026.
- JJ Silvia Broadcasting: Somerset-Berkley Raiders vs. Diman RVTHS Bengals, live (also carried by Somerset Access TV and Berkley Community Access TV)Game action, the weather and crowd, the consolation game note. Watched live Nov. 6, 2026, 6:15 to 8:19 p.m.