Marblehead 32, Swampscott 27: Last minute TD, last ditch defensive stand clinch historic title

MARBLEHEAD – Football is played in four quarters ? but this year’s Marblehead-Swampscott Turkey Day tilt was more like a drama in three acts.Act I: With the winner of the game winning a Northeastern Conference/South title and a trip to the postseason, Marblehead looked ready to punch its ticket, posting a 26-7 lead in the third quarter to the delight of the home fans at Piper Field.Click here to see a photo gallery from the Swampscott/Marblehead game.Act II: Refusing to buckle despite three turnovers and a 19-point deficit, Swampscott rallied on the arm of Matt Barbuzzi and the legs of Kyle Shonio to stun the Magicians and take a 27-26 advantage. But not so fast?Act III: Marblehead, led by quarterback Hayes Richardson, wide receiver Alex Haigis and an enterprising defense, “brought down the house” with a rousing finale, getting the winning touchdown in the final moments and posting a last-second defensive stand for the 32-27 final score.Needless to say, the grand finale resulted in some rave reviews from Magicians first-year coach Jim Rudloff.”Last year was the best Marblehead-Swampscott game ever played until this happened,” the coach said. “I couldn’t be happier – happier for the town, the old-timers, the youth football kids, the mothers?”Marblehead (9-2) won its first league title in 36 years. The Magicians also defeated the Big Blue in Marblehead for the first time since 1993. Next stop: The playoffs on Tuesday against Rockland.”We’re going to the playoffs,” Richardson (14-25, 244 yards) said, holding his helmet in one hand and a Gatorade bottle in the other, after the game. “I didn’t get to play last year. I wanted to make sure I was not going to let the guys lose on my account.””We played the most dominating team in the NEC,” Rudloff said. “It didn’t matter how much (time) was left. They can score from anywhere. I’m not sure everyone in the stands felt the same about the Marblehead offense. I can’t say. But the linemen blocked, Marcel ran hard, Haigis made tremendous plays, and Hayes was Hayes.”Marblehead looked ready to make a statement in the first half, taking an 18-7 lead into intermission. Richardson threw touchdown passes of 27 yards to Haigis and 20 yards to Will Quigley, with Hardmon taking it in 25 yards for the final Marblehead first-half score. Meanwhile, Quigley and Flynn McCormack came up with interceptions.Swampscott (7-4) got on the board trailing 18-0 on an 8-yard dump pass from Barbuzzi to Shonio, and Barbuzzi’s extra-point kick accounted for the 18-7 halftime score.The Big Blue made a nice defensive stand to end the half, but it looked like the third quarter would be more of the same. Richardson scored on a fake to Hardmon, which became a 55-yard jaunt into the end zone and the aforementioned 26-7 lead (after Richardson’s conversion rush).It took a bit of time, but Swampscott responded. The first step was an 8-play, 57-yard scoring drive culminating in Shonio’s 5-yard TD run that made it 26-14. The Big Blue then faced what looked like a disaster when A.J. Baker fumbled on a 55-yard catch and the ever-present Haigis knocked it down and picked it up for a recovery. But the Big Blue forced a three-and-out and, it turned out, were just getting started.Swampscott scored on a four-play drive thanks to Shonio’s 1-yard TD run. Trailing only 26-20 (the PAT attempt missed), the Big Blue then tried an onside kick and recovered despite some complaints. That gave them the ball on the Magicians’ 46 ? and eight plays later, Barbuzzi (17-24-2, 274 yards) took it in for the tying score, a 2-yarder, with 6:32 left in regulation.Barbuzzi then kicked the extra point. It was 27-26, Swampscott.However, Marblehead wanted an encore performance from what had up till now been a showstopping effort from the Magicians. They would get their chance when, after Swampscott forced a three-and-out, the Big Blue marched from their 46 to the Magicians’ 6-yard line with 3:02 to play.Once again, there was Haigis ? in on the key tackle on fo