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ATTLEBORO - Twice the Red Rocketeers of North Attleboro High and twice the Bishop Feehan High Shamrocks responded with points on their very next possessions.

It was very much a donnybrook of a football game at McGrath Stadium on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon, but it was four interceptions by the Shamrocks and a turnover-free Bishop Feehan High offense which carved out a 13-9 decision in the annual rivalry between non-leaguers.

Eventually, it was senior wide receiver Matt Boulter's 23-yard reception of a Tom Romero toss along the left sideline, Boulter leaping into the end zone for the Shamrocks' go-ahead touchdown to culminate a 48-yard, 11-play series with just over five minutes left which enabled Bishop Feehan to win its second game of the season, pinning a setback on the Rocketeers in their season debut.

And yet, it was very much within the realm of the Rocketeers to have stolen a victory.

Because, after Bishop Feehan controlled the ball for 32 plays (North had just 16) and for 16:28 time of possession during the first half, the Shamrocks and Rocketeers were scoreless by halftime. And on the very first play of the second half, North junior quarterback Joe Kummer hauled off and fired a 75-yard scoring strike along the left sideline to junior running back Dan Lang.

"They controlled the ball and they got a big drive when they had to," said North coach Kurt Kummer, whose Rocketeers had three passes picked off by Bishop Feehan in the first half.

Yet, true to Big Red determination, the Rocketeers regained the lead at 9-7 two plays into the fourth quarter when Corey Wynn culminated a 62-yard, eight-play drive with a 22-yard field goal.

"We hung in there, we were lucky to get out alive," offered Bishop Feehan coach Tony Wood.

The Shamrocks limited North to merely 32 net yards and two first half first downs, the Rocketeers never advancing beyond their own 45-yard line on any of their four offensive series.

But, the Shamrocks also undermined their own force on offense with un-timely penalties, three botched snaps from center, suffering a pair of quarterback sacks and having eight of 11 passes fall incomplete.

"The first half, we had very poor execution," said Wood, minus three prime-time players in Jason Brown (knee), Pat Beksha (knee) and Chris Taylor (broken hand). "We were self-destructing and their guys gave our guys a hard time."

The Shamrocks fueled their second half fire behind the throwing of Romero, who completed six of nine tosses in the third and fourth quarters for 89 yards, while both Brian Gallagher and Boulter each came up with three of their four catches during that span.

It was a 34-yard catch of a tipped pass by Gallagher for a gain of 34 yards to North's 45-yard line, converting a third down and nine-yard situation on Feehan's first series of the second half, which orchestrated the Shamrocks taking the lead. Ted Schwieger rambled 18 yards to the North five-yard line and two plays later, Bryan Webb, behind tackle Dave Beissner scored from four yards out. Boulter's conversion kick gave Bishop Feehan a one-point lead.

North didn't blink. A 34-yard run, inside-then-outside along the left side by Rocketeer senior Chris Weeman to the Bishop Feehan 10-yard line set up Wynn's go-ahead field goal for North 20 seconds into the fourth quarter.

But, the play of the game may have been the very next one as the Shamrocks' Larson Kouvili latched onto a line drive of a North kickoff at midfield, the Shamrocks taking possession of the ball at the North 48-yard line.

Impressively, Feehan converted a fourth down and two-yard situation with Webb carrying for a first down and then converted a third down and two-yard situation with O'Brian McHayle carrying the distance to the North 28-yard line. Three plays later, Boulter and Romero combined on the game-winning TD toss.

Fortunately for Feehan, Joe Knaub (at the North 35), Dan Effler (at the Feehan 39) and Webb (at the Feehan 41) intercepted first half North passes, while Schwieger ended North's second series of the second half with another pass interception, that at the North 45-yard line.

But, never count North out.

After North's Kevin Richman had rambled 23 yards to the Rocketeer 49 and Kummer completed a 15-yard pass to Brett Mastropol, the Rocketeers were within striking distance of regaining the lead, still with three minutes remaining to be played.

But, the Shamrocks' Boulter created a three-yard loss with a first down tackle, Webb created another three-yard loss with a third down tackle and Andrew Nunes stopped the series by dropping Kummer at the Feehan 44.

"The kids played hard, but it was tough for us to get anything going," added Kummer, 14 of North's 23 rushing plays being for three yards or less and Feehan grabbing just one less pass than North completed to Rocketeers.

Time and again North stumped the Shamrocks in the first half - Mike D'Attilio and Josh Harris creating back-to-back quarterback sacks for losses of eight yards; Josh Keane creating a two-yard loss for a tackle on Feehan's third series of the first half, then Jeremy Roche and Harris forcing the issue with a furious fourth-down rush. And Gage Johnson came up with a terrific QB sack for eight lost Shamrock yards for North to stop Bishop Feehan's second series of the second half, at the North 30-yard line.

"That's the kind of game that you get when you have two good teams," added Kummer. "But, they outlasted us."

North commences its Hockomock League season Friday at Community Field against Stoughton, while the Shamrocks bid for victory No. 3 of the season Saturday at Hingham.