Magicians see playoff run conclude

TEWKSBURY – A first-half track meet morphed into a second-half defensive brawl Saturday afternoon as undefeated Tewksbury (10-0) put away Marblehead (8-2) with two late scores to win the Division 3 Northeast title, 34-21, at Doucette Field.As is generally the case when there are championships to be had, defense settled it.With the score tied, 21-21, and OT looming, Tewksbury?s junior linebacker Tom Casey jumped a short hook route for a game-winning 24-yard interception return with 2:43 to play.James Sullivan sealed it 30 seconds later with a 21-yard score following Eddie Matovu?s strip sack of Magicians quarterback Matt Millett and Ethan Eloi?s fumble recovery at the Marblehead 23.Casey?s game-changer, on which he slid outside off pre-snap slot coverage, occurred feet from the Marblehead sideline.?Right before the play, their kid (Casey) called the (play) – he turned to another player and said ?hitch.? My mind was thinking ?timeout,?” said Marblehead coach Jim Rudloff, mouthing the word in slow motion, “and then he picked it off.?They?re the best team in the Northeast and the best team we?ve played. I just wish the end (score) didn?t get blown up the way it did,” Rudloff added. “We played great except for some critical errors in the second half that killed us, things we haven?t done all year.”How distinctly different were the two halves? The teams combined for 493 total yards and a single punt in the first 22 minutes. The second-half offensive output shrank to 133 combined yards while the punts ballooned to seven total.Beset by horrible field position, Marblehead punted on its first four possessions of the second half, which started at its 32-, 16-, 17- and five-yard lines. Casey?s pick-six came on the Magicians? fifth possession starting from the 13.A Liam Gillis fumble recovery halted Tewksbury at the Magicians? 42 on the game?s opening drive and Marblehead immediately turned to junior back Brooks Tyrrell, who carried four times for 30 yards before catching a five-yard scoring flip from Millett. Garrett Keough?s PAT made it 7-0 with little more than three minutes played.Rudloff revealed that Tyrrell didn?t practice all week, playing on a sprained ankle that made his final totals – 19 carries for 121 yards, four receptions for 56 yards, two TDs – all the more remarkable.?He probably shouldn?t have been in today,” Rudloff said. “Anything he gave us was gravy. I give him a lot of credit. We had a lot of kids banged up – they played a great game today and I?m proud of all of them.”Marblehead?s lead was short-lived. Less than a minute later, Matovu (10 carries, 100 yards) rumbled 78 yards on an inside reverse and Mitchell Miskell?s kick tied it, 7-7.The teams traded interceptions on consecutive plays late in the period before Tewksbury launched a 58-yard scoring drive capped by a five-yard TD from Sullivan (20 carries, 147 yards) on the first play of the second quarter for a 14-7 lead.That lasted 12 seconds as Marblehead sophomore Mark Cohen found a gaping alley on the ensuing kickoff and, aided by quarterback Matt Millett?s pancake block of the kicker Miskell near midfield, dashed 96 yards for the score. Keough?s kick tied it, 14-14.Matt Millett?s 14-yard scoring pass to Will Millett gave Marblehead a 21-14 lead with 4:43 left in the half.Tewksbury countered on a terrific play by six-foot, three-inch receiver Kevin Dick with 1:12 left in the half. Though bracketed by two covering Magicians, he snagged Johnny Aylward?s 29-yard delivery in the front left corner of the end zone.Then the offense went away and defense held sway in the second half.?We just traded punches. Their kids seem to be a lot like ours in terms of character and my hat?s off to them,” said Tewksbury coach Bob Aylward.GAME NOTES: Tewksbury meets Northwest champion Melrose in a State Semifinal Saturday at Cawley Field in Lowell (11) while Marblehead turns its attention to its traditional Thanksgiving matchup against Swampscott … As well as Marblehead?s defense