HOLLIS – A month is a long time to go without a win, but the John Stark Regional High School football team has been working hard in that span.
Junior Ethan Byers returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, and senior captain Cooper Twombly ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, and also had an interception and two tackles for loss on defense, and the Generals played their most complete game of the season to spoil Hollis-Brookline’s homecoming with a 17-6 victory on Saturday afternoon.
John Stark improves to 2-3 with the win and snaps a three-game losing streak that followed the Generals’ Week 1 come-from-behind victory over Trinity.
John Stark quarterback Jack Sheppard fakes a handoff against Hollis-Brookline on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. John Stark spoiled Hollis-Brookline’s homecoming with a 17-6 victory. Credit: DAN ATTORRI / Monitor 
John Stark middle linebacker William Arnold III takes down Hollis-Brookline running back Cole Duncan during Hollis-Brookline’s homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 in Hollis. John Stark’s stout defense helped secure a 17-6 victory. Credit: DAN ATTORRI / Monitor 
John Stark’s Cooper Twombly (left) carries the ball while Hollis-Brookline’s Gabe McGrath attempts to tackle. Twombly ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to lead John Stark to a 17-6 victory on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 in Hollis. Credit: DAN ATTORRI / Monitor
“This is our first (game) where we played four quarters of good football for the entire length of the game,” Daley said. “It’s the first one where we’ve played consistently for four quarters on both sides of the ball.”
After Byers’ touchdown and senior AJ Bellen’s extra point gave John Stark a 7-0 just 12 seconds into the game, the Generals’ defense went to work stalling Hollis-Brookline’s first two drives. The Cavs reached Stark’s 10 and 21, but turned it over on downs both times.
Hollis-Brookline senior Stevin Niebel (2-for-8, 19 passing yards) and junior AJ Scott (3-for-14, 12 passing yards) both took snaps at quarterback, and Niebel was also Hollis-Brookline’s leading rusher with 57 yards on six carries, while Scott had 32 yards on 11 carries.
Niebel scored on a 10-yard keeper with 5:04 left in the first half, but the extra point was kicked into the line, allowing John Stark to hold a 7-6 halftime lead.
Twombly intercepted a throw by Scott on the first drive of the second half and nearly returned it for a pick-six, but was taken down at the 2. Twombly finished the job with a 2-yard dive for a score on the next play and Bellen’s extra point made it 14-6 with 10:36 left in the third quarter.
Bellen connected on a 42-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in the third quarter to complete the scoring.
Hollis-Brookline struggled offensively, but had a solid performance from senior Cole Duncan (41 yards on nine carries, two catches for 15 yards), who connected with sophomore Thurston Balmer for 32 yards on a trick play (the longest passing play in the game), and sophomore Nolan Barry (33 yards on 15 carries) was also a key contributor for the Cavs.
Despite the big pickup from Duncan, Hollis-Brookline’s final drive stalled at Stark’s 26 with 3:41 left in the game, and Twombly and senior quarterback Jack Sheppard (4-for-10, 17 passing yards) moved the ball enough to run out the clock.
“I expect more from our offense,” Daley said. “It’s taken us four weeks to find an offense that fits these guys. I think we found it, we just need to fine tune it. …We still need to fix our offense and make it a little more explosive, but we’ve been a very stout defense so far.”
Seniors Camden Towles (two sacks), Noah Patenaude (two tackles for loss) and Twombly were the defensive leaders for John Stark.
“They’re a great group of guys,” Daley said. “They do everything I ask and then some. They’re learning a whole different brand of football. There’s a learning curve and I think we’re finally on the other side of that.”
John Stark hosts Hanover (2-3) next Saturday.