By HECTOR LONGO

Correspondent

HOPKINTON – Hollis Brookline High’s football team hit Houston Field with a pair of objectives:

Show the rest of Division II that the Cavs are indeed a playoff threat.

Drop the message to ConVal that next week’s battle in Hollis will indeed be a grudge match.

The 54-14 thumping here Saturday of Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton certainly drove the two home with authority and conviction.

HB senior Brian Delaney caught all three TD passes from his little brother, Joey Delaney. For kicks, he added a score on a 27-yard interception return and a pair of two-point catches, the latter of which was a sweet one-hander that belongs on anyone’s highlight reel.

"We saw they were rolling the coverage to Matt (Simco)," said Brian Delaney. "I think he’s the best receiver in the league and they were going to double him up. Teams can’t do that. We have too many weapons. That left a lot of room out there for me.

"We work well together out there, and we just have this connection. I know where he’s going to throw it. He’s going to get me the ball."

The victory was the fourth straight for the Cavaliers (4-1), who opened the year with a loss to Windham but have done little wrong since.

Even Saturday, it was a slow start, playing to a 6-6 stalemate in the first quarter. And then the offense erupted.

Brian Delaney’s third TD grab was a masterpiece, playing the entire field as he zig-zagged sideline to sideline working with a slew of downfield blocks.

Joey Delaney added a pair of TD runs along with his slick work through the air. Derek Davidson piled on a 62-yard TD run.

For Hollis Brookline coach Chris Lones, he just isn’t ready to think about his team as a playoff contender yet.

"Right now, all I can think about is the fact that we have ConVal coming up," Lones said. "They’ve come into our place the last two times and taken it to us. So they’re all that I’m thinking about right now."