REHOBOTH - Injuries have taken their toll on the Dighton-Rehoboth High football program. Starting center Mark Wetherall went down in the first game of the season against Somerset with season-ending ACL and MCL damage.

Reserve lineman Justin Galego severely sprained his knee in the second weekend of the season. Two-way lineman Mike Morais suffered the same fate and running back-linebacker Tyler Berry is just recovering and returning to form from a hip-pointer.

And that's not to mention the sprained ankles, the abrasions, the dislocated fingers and fatigue that sets in for the final month of the high school football season.

Then there is the flu bug.

Despite it all, the Falcons of D-R are atop the South Coast Conference with a 5-0 slate, having a one-game lead over once-beaten Fairhaven and once-beaten Seekonk. Fairhaven (6-2, 5-1) pays a visit to D-R's Robert T. Roy Field tonight, the outcome of which has a major impact upon the SCC title and an MIAA Division 3 playoff berth. If D-R wins, the Falcons can control their own destiny. If Fairhaven wins, the Blue Devils have the first tie-breaker (head to head competition) for first place.

D-R coach Dave Driscoll admits that the Falcons "are a little thin, a lot of our second unit players have gone down," having to play more than a fair share of players both ways. "Plus we got hit with the flu bug this week, so there hasn't been great attendance at practice." D-R (6-2 overall) will need every available body to slow down Fairhaven QB Taylor Motta.

"He's the best player in the league," unequivocally stated Driscoll. "He single-handedly beat King Philip and last week (against Old Rochester) he scored four touchdowns. "He finds a way to win."

D-R is hopefully to nullify Motta's ball possession in the wishbone offense. "It's a big game, no doubt," added Driscoll. "They chew up the clock, if you don't stop Motta and their offense. They want to annihilate you."

Wareham at Seekonk

Jack Whalen breaths a sigh of relief from week to week, the Warriors being a bit thin in depth. "We've had a lot of guys nicked up, the football type of bangs at this time of year - the rolled ankles, some sore shoulders, bruised fingers," said the Seekonk coach.

Fortunately for the Warriors, neither of the Seekonk engines, running backs Joe Teixeira and Matt Lockwood have been forced off the field. And fortunately for Seekonk (5-3, 5-1), having them on the field against Wareham (3-2 in the SCC) is imperative to keep their SCC title chances alive.

"Joe gets his 80-100 yards a game and teams watch him, so they put an outside linebacker or defensive end on his side to make it tough," said Whalen. "So that gives Matt his chances and he's over 1000 yards now." Whalen would like that forward motion to continue against the Vikings.

"Wareham is always one of the top teams in the league," said Whalen. "I've seen them and you say to yourself, how in hell did they lose (three games)? They're not as overpowering as they once were, but nonetheless, we want to win every game. If we can beat Wareham and D-R beats Fairhaven, then Thanksgiving Day becomes really interesting."

Dartmouth at Attleboro The Bombardiers don't have their trump card (Ryan Araujo) and now they don't have, arguably, their best lineman (Don Caouette). Araujo, after sitting out two games with the chicken pix, is gone for the season with a bout of mononucleosis. Caouette sprained an ankle last week against Bishop Feehan and is out indefinitely.

"Plus we have the flu bug going around, it's been a tough week," said AHS coach Kevin Deschenes of the dozen or so Bombardiers missing practice on any given day. Then there is the normal maintenance of the wear and tear of the season.

The Bombardiers (4-4, 0-2 in the OCL) staged a superb second half in blanking Bishop Feehan 20-0 over the final 22 minutes last week, Araujo's pair of TD producing specialty teams returns in the first half keeping AHS afloat. "The defense played well, they decided what they needed to do," said Deschenes of shutting down the Shamrocks.

Dartmouth (1-7) was decimated by graduation losses, "they've hit a lull, but they're still dangerous," said Deschenes. "We have to play four quarters of football, we have to come out right away." It's Senior Night at Tozier-Cassidy Field too, "so they'll be ready to go."

Bishop Feehan at Durfee

There's been No. 45 and no No. 39 on the field for Bishop Feehan. First fullback Ted Schwieger broke a foot bone during the pre-season and re-injured it in the first game of the season, taking away the prime-time Bishop Feehan running back. Senior wide receiver and safety Kyle Cataldo has been out for nearly a month with a high ankle sprain.

That's two of the Shamrocks' major weapons on offense on the injured list, another having to sit out a school-mandated suspension. "I have to give the team (5-2, 3-0 in the EAC) credit for adapting and overcoming injuries," said Feehan coach Tony Wood. "Like they say, if you're not hurt, you're not playing for something."

The Hilltoppers (1-7) might be a mere bump on the road for Bishop Feehan, which still needs to beat Somerset next weekend in order to secure the EAC title and an MIAA playoff berth. Somerset plays Coyle-Cassidy this weekend, the Blue Raiders being 2-0 in the EAC. The Shamrocks need to go forward, but not look ahead.

"Watching the film of the Attleboro game, those two returns (by AHS' Ryan Araujo), we had two or three kids on those units out sick," said Wood of the Shamrocks' breakdown in coverage. "But that's ancient history, we'll play with whoever we have in uniform."

Millis at Norton

The Lancers' injury list hasn't been long, but it's been big because the lone starter on the offensive line from last season, 185-pound junior Tim DeMartin has been out since the pre-season with a shoulder injury. "Other than him, we've been kind of lucky," said Norton coach Ted Currle.

Norton (5-3, 3-3 in the TVL) currently has two players sidelined with concussions and defensive back, kicker, special teams player, running back Scott Coleman has a broken wrist. The Lancers will need all hands on deck to beat Millis (4-4), which stretches and tests defenses.

Pat Duffy, the Mohawk QB, operates out of a shotgun formation and runs frequently. Millis might not throw the ball more than 12-15 times, but containment by the Lancer linebackers and defensive ends is essential. "Their offense is all around the quarterback and they have two good receivers," added Currle. "We have to stop Duffy."

Norton has scored more than two TD's just once in its last four outings, three of those losses. "I hope that we can score on them, we're trying a lot of different (offensive) looks," said Currle. We've got to do a better job of putting the ball in the end zone."

Tri-County at Blue Hills

"Knock on wood, we've been lucky so far," related Tri-County High coach Dan MacLean of the relative lack of injuries and controlled illnesses through the season. "We haven't been hit by any major injuries and we've been stressing that they have to take care of themselves."

The Cougars (6-2, 5-1) have the edge on winning the Mayflower League's Small School Division title, but must win its final two games in order to clinch the championship. Before that is a 5 p.m. "non-divisional" game in Canton against a Blue Hills team (2-6) that is physically imposing and athletic.

"They've been in every game, despite their record," said MacLean. "They're big up front, so we have to play a complete game. This is a non-league game, but we have to get the rhythm down." The Cougars had just over 300 yards of offense in beating Nantucket last week, but scored only once.

"I'm proud of the kids, we're getting close to playing four good quarters of football," added the Cougar boss. "But, we have to take and play every game like everything is on the line."