The prep work has been done and the game plan has been installed, as the No. 2 Swampscott football team gets ready to go for its second straight Division 5 Super Bowl title when it takes on No. 1 North Reading Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.
“The message has been clear to everyone — we still have one more game to go,” said Big Blue coach Bobby Serino. “You don’t get many opportunities to win a Super Bowl, let alone a second one in a row. A lot of these guys were here in 2019 and they know what it takes.”
The Big Blue worked through a perfect regular season and then rattled off three playoff wins to get here, only losing to perennial rival (and Super Bowl participant) Marblehead, in a thrilling Thanksgiving Day battle.
After earning the No. 2 seed in the Division 5 playoffs, Swampscott (11-1) opened up with a blowout 55-19 win over Apponequet. Running back Xaviah Bascon had a big night for the Big Blue, rushing for more than 100 yards to go along with four rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Cam O’Brien, who was back in the lineup after missing the regular season finale last week, threw three touchdown passes in the win — one each to receivers Elijah Burns, Nakaree Davis and Cole Hamernick. Running back Anthony Nichols also rushed for a touchdown.
The quarterfinal game was a tougher battle, as the Big Blue needed to grind out a 23-9 win over No. 7 Dover-Sherborn. The Swampscott offense still had a big day, and once again Bascon led the way. Bascon totaled nearly 200 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown while adding three receptions for 61 yards. O’Brien completed 10-of-18 passes for 140 yards and also rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns.
Then came one of the best matchups of the season, with Swampscott taking on No. 3 Bishop Fenwick under the lights at Manning Field. The Big Blue came out on top 20-6, with Bascon leading the way on the ground, rushing 11 times for 94 yards. O’Brien did the scoring for Swampscott, completing 3-of-8 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 40 yards and a touchdown. Burns had two receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown, while Hamernick had one reception for 28 yards and a touchdown.
On the opposing side of the field, No. 1 North Reading is playing in its first Super Bowl since 1979. The Hornets currently sit at 11-1 after pulling out a thrilling 28-25 Thanksgiving Day win over rival Lynnfield on the road.
But that Thanksgiving Day game was one of the only difficult battles North Reading has faced all season. The Hornets averaged nearly 40 points a game during the regular season and outscored opponents on average by 30 points — with most of their points allowed on defense coming during garbage time.
It started with a dominant 56-21 win over No. 16 Fairhaven in the opener, followed by a 33-6 drubbing of No. 9 Norton. Next came fellow Cape Ann League powerhouse and No. 4-ranked Pentucket, but that game wasn’t close either, as the Hornets won by a score of 31-14.
“It’s basically like looking at our team in a mirror,” said Serino. “They do a lot of the same things we do, they like to get their guys in space and they like to let their athletes take over. It’s going to be a tough test.”
Swampscott and North Reading will meet under the lights at Gillette Stadium Wednesday night (8).
