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Plymouth North blanks Hopkinton 29-0 for its first shutout and first win since Oct. 8

The Eagles (2-7) ended a three-game losing streak and held an opponent scoreless for the first time this fall. Their next listed game is Plymouth South on Thanksgiving morning.

By the SC360 Sports Desk | Published Nov. 7, 2026 | Last verified Nov. 7, 2026, 10:45 a.m. ET

PLYMOUTH Plymouth North kept Hopkinton scoreless for four quarters Friday night and won 29-0 at home, the Eagles' first shutout of the season and their first win since Oct. 8.

The nonleague win at Plymouth North High School ended a three-game losing streak for Plymouth North (2-7) and dropped Hopkinton to 1-8 with its seventh straight loss.

It came from a defense that had allowed at least 19 points in seven of its first eight games, including 54 to Duxbury a week earlier, and it gives the Eagles a second win to carry into their Thanksgiving morning game against Plymouth South.

How the shutout fits the season

Every Plymouth North opponent had scored before Friday, by our count of the Eagles' MaxPreps results. The fewest any team scored was six, in a 6-0 loss at Silver Lake on Oct. 23, and every other opponent put up at least 19, with Duxbury scoring 54 on Oct. 30 and Cohasset 48 on Sept. 24.

The 29 points were Plymouth North's second most of the fall, behind the 34 it scored in a 34-19 win over Whitman-Hanson on Oct. 8, its only other victory. In the three games after that, all in the Patriot League's Keenan division, the Eagles were shut out 42-0 at Marshfield and 6-0 at Silver Lake and lost 54-7 to Duxbury, leaving them 1-4 in the division.

Hopkinton's only win came 21-6 over Chicopee Comprehensive on Sept. 18, and the losses since include a 44-8 game against New Bedford on Sept. 25. Friday was the third time the Hillers were shut out, after 35-0 at Wayland in the opener and 32-0 at Medfield on Oct. 23, and they have scored 69 points in nine games.

The Eagles to know

Plymouth North came into the season built around Anthony MacLean, an All-Patriot League linebacker who led the Eagles in tackles last year and was set to take most of the work at running back after multiple games of more than 100 yards rushing in 2025, The Boston Globe reported in its preseason preview.

Trey Thatcher entered his third season as a starter at wide receiver and middle linebacker, and the Globe named Sam Gabriel, Ethan Nelson, Joe Daniels and Owen Perry as the linemen to watch. The preview listed returning starters and depth on both lines as the team's strengths and inexperience at the skill positions as its concern.

Coach Chris Whidden, in his eighth season, runs a spread offense and came into the fall with a 26-35 career record after a 5-6 season in 2025, by the Globe's count.

Hopkinton

Hopkinton, in its sixth season under coach Mark Sanborn, arrived after back-to-back two-win seasons, including 2-9 last fall, the Globe reported. Its four captains, Lucas Reed, Gabe Cafazzo, Devin Morrissiey and Connor Richardson, each came in with multiple years of starting experience on both sides of the ball, and junior Connor Blinn took over at quarterback, according to the Globe's preview and the Hopkinton Independent.

Cafazzo, a strong safety who also takes snaps on offense and returns kicks and punts, had a team-high 35 tackles and an interception through six games, the Hopkinton Independent reported in an Oct. 27 athlete spotlight.

"We only have seven seniors, so there are definitely some growing pains, but I think a key thing we look at as coaches and as a group is the fact that we have gotten better every week against good competition," Sanborn told the Hopkinton Independent in October.

What comes next

Plymouth South, which lost 42-0 at North Attleborough in a Division 3 first-round game Thursday night, visits Plymouth North on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, at 10 a.m., the Eagles' next listed game.

Hopkinton's schedule, kept by HCAM, lists one more home game with its opponent still to be announced, then Ashland at home on Thanksgiving at 10 a.m.

Every South Coast final is on the Friday Night Scoreboard.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

The final is posted by three separate owners, Hopkinton's results page kept by HCAM, The Boston Globe's scoreboard and MaxPreps, all read Saturday morning. Records and every season comparison are our own count from the two teams' MaxPreps schedules, and the Patriot League Keenan mark matches the Globe's. Players, coaches and the preseason outlook come from The Boston Globe's Division 2 preview and the Hopkinton Independent, credited in the story. Each date and weekday was checked against a calendar.

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)

  1. HCAM: Hopkinton Hillers 2026-27 fall schedule and resultsRead Nov. 7, 2026: "Non-Playoff Week 9: @Plymouth North (11/6) L 0-29"; "Non-Playoff Week 10: VS TBD (TBA)"; "Thanksgiving (11/26): vs Ashland (10:00am)".
  2. The Boston Globe: high school scoreboard, Nov. 6, 2026Read Nov. 7, 2026: Hopkinton 0 at Plymouth North 29, 6 p.m., Non-Playoff, final.
  3. MaxPreps: Hopkinton at Plymouth North, Nov. 6, 2026Read Nov. 7, 2026: final 29-0, Hopkinton 1-8, Plymouth North 2-7; Hopkinton scoreless in all four quarters.
  4. MaxPreps: Plymouth North 2026 schedule and resultsRead Nov. 7, 2026: at Old Rochester L 27-13, Fairhaven L 35-13, Cohasset L 48-21 (9/24), at Hingham L 28-7, Whitman-Hanson W 34-19 (10/8), at Marshfield L 42-0 (10/16), at Silver Lake L 6-0 (10/23), Duxbury L 54-7 (10/30), Hopkinton W 29-0 (11/6); 11/26 10 a.m. vs Plymouth South.
  5. MaxPreps: Hopkinton 2026 schedule and resultsRead Nov. 7, 2026: at Wayland L 35-0, Chicopee Comp W 21-6 (9/18), New Bedford L 44-8 (9/25), at Brookline L 13-10, Holliston L 41-8, Norwood L 42-14, at Medfield L 32-0 (10/23), at Westwood L 42-8, at Plymouth North L 29-0 (11/6); 11/26 10 a.m. vs Ashland.
  6. The Boston Globe: high school scoreboard, Nov. 5, 2026Read Nov. 7, 2026: MIAA Division 3 first round, Plymouth South 0 at North Attleborough 42, final.
  7. The Boston Globe: Previewing every Division 2 football team in Eastern Mass. in 2026Sept. 9, 2026. Plymouth North: coach Chris Whidden, 8th season, career 26-35, last year 5-6, spread offense, strengths returning starters and depth on both lines, concern inexperience at skill positions; MacLean, Thatcher and the four linemen. Hopkinton: coach Mark Sanborn, 6th season, last year 2-9, back-to-back two-win seasons; captains Reed, Cafazzo, Morrissiey, Richardson; junior quarterback Connor Blinn.
  8. Hopkinton Independent: "Hillers football wants to make noise in TVL"Oct. 15, 2026, by Chris Villani: coach Mark Sanborn; captains Lucas Reed, Devin Morrissiey, Gabe Cafazzo, Connor Richardson; the Sanborn quote.
  9. Hopkinton Independent: "Move In Style Athlete Spotlight: Gabe Cafazzo"Oct. 27, 2026: strong safety, snaps on offense, kick and punt returns; team-high 35 tackles and an interception through six games.

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