Tewksbury Triumphs 34-21 To Advance in Playoffs

Two well matched high school football teams played like mirror images for all but the final three minutes Saturday afternoon in a playoff game at Doucette Stadium in Tewksbury.

Then Redmen defender Tom Casey wrapped his arms around a short, cross-field pass from Marblehead quarterback Matt Millett.

Casey angled 22 yards to the end zone and broke the 21-21 tie, sending the Tewksbury stands into orbit and the players airborne with joy.

The interception also led the Tewksbury Redmen to a 34-21 win and the MIAA Division 3 Northeast.

They play next on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m. in Lowell at Cawley Stadium against Melrose for the Mass Div. 3 North Championship. 

On Saturday the teams' play had a lot in common as did the coaches' post-game comments.

The second half was a defensive struggle that saw its share of four-and-outs after small gains on runs, clouds of dust and punts.

The first half was wide open. 

Tewksbury sprang a huge 78-yard touchdown run from scrimmage; Marblehead ran back a kick off almost the length of the field for six points.

The teams traded interceptions and Marblehead also recovered a fumble.

At the intermission both teams sketched out chalkboard adjustments then executed them on the gridiron to crimp their counterparts' offensive bursts.

The second half play was physical, at close quarters, as each team played with care and a controlled sense of urgency, taking a few down-field chances.

They fought like heavyweights, gang blocking and gang tackling, runners churning their legs forward in the heap.

With three minutes to go both teams showed the results of the struggle. It had been an unseasonably warm day harkening back to the early days of the season.

The players' faces were sweaty and their eye black smeared. Their uniforms were dirty, some smeared with dirt.

Players were cramping up.

After a Tewksbury punt put Marblehead in their own end the tide turned. It turned on a turnover triggered, in part, by defensive pressure from Tewksbury. Then it continued to turn on the next Marblehead possession, in their end, again on a turnover.

The first was the short pass snatched by Tom Casey. The second turnover was a fumble Tewksbury recovered while sacking the Marblehead quarterback.

After the game Tewksbury Coach Brian Aylward said both teams played with a sense of urgency in this game. He praised Marblehead's effort and his team's.

The Tewksbury players are especially close, and it has shown itself in the team's playoff run, the players staying on the field with lingering injuries, he said.

The season continues for the Redmen.

If they win next week they are Super Bowl bound, advancing to the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 7.