MIDDLEBORO — After a “nail-biting” championship game, the Middleboro Cobras have taken home the gold. 

The semi professional football team defeated the Southern Vermont Storm 10-7 on Saturday, Oct. 5, earning them the title of 2024 New England Football League Champions. 

“It was probably our toughest game all season,” said Special Teams Coach Charlie Paine, who said players really came together after some challenges in the first quarter. 

“The toughness of the team really came through,” he noted. “These guys came together as a unit and pulled out a victory.”

“I’m really proud,” he added. 

This win comes after the Cobras lost in the championship last year to the Glens Falls Greenjackets. The team ends the 2024 season with a 9-2 record. 

Adding to the significance of the victory is the fact that Saturday’s championship game was long-time player Garrett Perry’s last one. A retirement ceremony was held for Perry on Sept. 28. Perry has described the 35 seasons he spent with the team as “a gift.” 

With the 2024 season under wraps, Cobras’ Head Coach Tim Grew said a big highlight for this year was the team’s resilience after two back-to-back losses earlier in the summer.

“I really thought there was a chance we were going to spiral… and we didn’t. We all came together,” he said. Those two defeats were the only losses of the season. 

Grew called attention to how well the team’s two quarterbacks, Curtis Cann and Tedaro France, work together. 

Grew described France as a “leader” who averaged three to four touchdowns a game. “Everything he does is impressive,” he said. 

Paine noted that this season was so successful in large part due to the sense of collectivity between coaches and players. “It’s one big brotherhood,” he said.