Big Little: Belmont Hill QB has big day

BELMONT — Sophomore quarterback Reis Little turned in one of his best performances of the season, finishing with 249 total yards and six touchdowns, as Belmont Hill won its fifth straight game with a 42-28 statement victory over BB&N.

“As a team, we obviously work hard for this,” said Little. “We practiced all week for this. We knew what they had, we knew their defense, and all it came down to was making the right reads, making the right plays, knowing what to do when we’re in that situation. I just think we really executed today.”

Little completed 14-of-20 passes for 186 yards, while adding 63 yards rushing, and Belmont Hill (5-1) needed just about every one of his plays in this one. He provided his group a 7-0 edge with 6:37 to play in the opening quarter, as he lobbed a 49-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to Charlie Walsh. Belmont Hill extended its lead to 14-7 in the second quarter, as Little connected with Nick Andersen for a 6-yard touchdown strike.

BB&N’s Henry Machnik knotted the score at 14-all with 50 seconds to play in the second quarter as he sprinted eight yards on a quarterback keeper.

After BB&N took its first lead at 21-14 off a four-yard touchdown rush by Bo MacCormack, Belmont Hill struck for consecutive scores in a span of just 1:54. Little connected with Andersen for a 13-yard touchdown with 5:39 left in the third quarter, before Little found the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown rush, helping his group regain the lead at 28-21.

MacCormack would knot the score at 28-all with a 14-yard touchdown rush with 11:56 left in regulation, but the Knights’ offense fizzled out from that point. Little would rush for two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter himself, icing the win.

“This is a kid who works really hard,” Belmont Hill coach Anthony Fucillo said. “He’s only a sophomore, and every game, he has matured. He has gotten so much better. He has developed leadership skills, and it couldn’t be better for him to cap it off with an awesome game today against a really good football team.”

Since opening its season with a 24-0 loss to Lawrence Academy, Belmont Hill has won five straight. The school will look to keep its momentum going against Milton Academy next week.

“That’s an awesome (BB&N) team,” Fucillo said. “They’re so well-coached, they have so many good players. But I think we’ve established that we’re a really good football team in this league too. I think every win for us is big. I try to preach that every week, that it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, our kids need to treat every game (like it matters). But to beat a team like that in the fashion we did, being able to run the ball at the end, I’m really proud of our guys.”