Marblehead stands tall, heads to Super Bowl

LYNN – The seemingly improbable has now become a sweet reality for the Marblehead football team.The Magicians, playing in the postseason for the first time in school history, got a touchdown pass and a touchdown run from quarterback Hayes Richardson and critical stops by their defense in the second half to seal a 21-12 win over Rockland and a trip to Gillette Stadium for the Division 3 Super Bowl against Bishop Feehan on Saturday morning (11).Click here for a photo gallery.”It was unfathomable for Marblehead to think about a trip to the Super Bowl not so long ago,” Magicians coach Jim Rudloff said. “And you don’t think a thing like this is ever going to happen but I am so proud of these kids. They did a great job (Tuesday).”Marblehead (10-2) was actually outgained 254-220 in the game but the Magicians came up with a pair of huge stops in the second half to thwart any momentum that Rockland was gaining.”The defense was just incredible,” Rudloff said. “We knew what they were going to come out and try to do, and my hat’s off to the guys on that side of the ball.”Damarco Dooley set the tone for Marblehead’s night when he returned the opening kickoff 61 yards to the Bulldog 36-yard line. Six plays later, Richardson snuck in from the one to give the Magicians a 7-0 lead after Mike Bernato’s extra point.”We were afraid that we weren’t going to be able to put points on the board with how they play offense,” Rudloff said. “So to come out and score first was huge.”The Bulldogs (6-6) showed their style of offense on their first possession as Mike Driscoll and Terrence Graham did most of the work on a 12-play, 62-yard march that ate nearly six minutes off the clock. Driscoll powered in from 11 yards out to cut the lead to a point (the PAT bounced off the right upright).Marblehead charged right back after getting good field position on a short kickoff. And on the first play of the second period, Richardson threw a strike to a wide-open Matt Perlow for a 49-yard touchdown and a 14-6 lead.The Bulldogs would block a Marblehead punt later in the second but failed to convert as they were stopped on downs at the 23 with 1:14 left in the half.Instead of being content to go to the half leading by eight, the Magicians went on the attack as Richardson went for a 25-yard gain on an option keeper to start the drive. He hit Ian Haigis for 11 yards and Perlow for back-to-back gains of 11 to move the ball to the 13 with time winding down.After a spike, the Magicians caught the Bulldogs napping as Evan Comeau raced for a touchdown on a draw play to make it 21-6 at the break.”We saw some things with them that we thought we could take advantage of,” Rudloff said. “And Hayes found a good rhythm there.”Comeau’s touchdown proved to be huge as Rockland got the ball to start the third quarter and embarked on a 16-play, 69-yard drive that Driscoll ended with a one-yard plunge. He fumbled on the 2-point conversion try, keeping it a nine-point bulge.Marblehead then fumbled on its next play, giving Rockland the ball back at the 37 with all the momentum. But the Magician defense stood tall and Ryan Stanojev’s interception of a D.J. Austin pass killed the drive.It proved to be as close as Rockland could get to the end zone the rest of the night as the Magicians played their way into Foxborough.