When the Hingham High football team's coaching staff was cramming for Friday's Division 3 Southwest playoffs, chance are they saw a lot of No. 36. Game time is 6 p.m. at Stoughton High.
Now, the question is how does head coach Paul Killinger and his staff deal with Jovani Pires, a senior running back and defensive back, who is basically all over the field for the Black Knights. He uses his speed on defense to track down receivers, while on offense, he runs by opponents.
"Pires's a tough and great player," said Stoughton High head coach George Burke. "He is filling with Malachi Baugh down."
Hingham quarterback Caleb Brodie is going to have keep an eye on Pires when he drops back to pass. As Foxborough found out last Friday night when Pires made a finger-tipped interception.
"I was just happy to be in the right back at the right time," he said.
"What a catch. He plays center field on the baseball team," said Burke. "I'm really very happy with him."
Without Baugh, sidelined for the rest of the season with a broken leg, Pires and the rest of the defensive back knew they would be challenged.
"All week long, we knew everyone was against our defensive backs because Malachi was out," said Pires. "We had to work on our keys."
Being his senior year, Pires is excited to be playing in the playoffs.
"We are always the underdog and we're always facing adversity," he said. "This is very special."
The 6-1 Black Knights are making their first playoff appearance and seeded second, behind unbeaten Oliver Ames. Hingham defeated Whitman-Hanson, 21-0, last week to earn the seventh seed.
"Hopefully, we continue to play well," said Burke. "Playoffs games will be tough."
The two teams have scrimmaged in the preseason in the past.
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