FOXBOROUGH — Senior quarterback Joshua Robertson and junior running back Connor Cronin had a night to remember Thursday at Gillette Stadium, as they led the Marblehead Magicians to a 35-28 win over North Attleborough and a Division 3 Super Bowl.
With the victory being Marblehead’s first ever Super Bowl, Robertson was filled with emotion as he lifted the trophy.
“It was awesome,” the quarterback said. “I just felt all the hard work kind of pay off right there. They say hard work pays off, and when I lifted that trophy I really got that message.”
Robertson showed off his touch and arm strength throughout the first half. After getting stuffed in the red zone at the five-yard line on the opening drive of the game, the senior led Marblehead down the field and into the end zone a few minutes later. The 46-yard drive concluded with Robertson throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Cronin that gave the Magicians a 7-0 lead after a successful point-after attempt from senior Eli Feingold.
Cronin and Robertson connected plenty of times throughout the first half. Cronin went into the locker room at halftime with seven catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns. The junior wideout ended his night with 10 catches, 263 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and an interception to ice the game away late in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve been putting in work since our freshman year,” said Cronin. “He’s my brother, he truly is. We are always working from seven’s, all summer long workouts, we are truly just a brotherhood. It’s awesome to go out in his last game like that.”
Robertson’s second touchdown pass belongs in The Hall at Patriot Place. The senior unleashed a 72-yard bomb to Cronin, who managed to stay on his feet and rumble his way into the end zone just before the end of the second quarter.
“Josh just had to throw it up to me,” said Cronin. “I wanted that ball. It was great defense, (but the ball) squeezed through and I was able to get it and shake off some tackles to score with five seconds left. It was amazing, definitely a huge momentum change.”
The respect for each other is mutual, as Robertson mentioned all the work that the duo has put in.
“I’ve been throwing to Connor for years,” said Robertson. “We put a lot of work in the offseason, extra practice, extra hours watching film together. I think it boosted our chemistry off the field and it shows on the field.”
The quarterback had a stellar first half, completing eight of his 11 pass attempts for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the night with 14 pass completions out of 18 attempts, 290 yards, four passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. In the final season of his Marblehead career, Robertson threw for more than 2,500 yards and 32 touchdowns.
And while Robertson ends his senior season on the ultimate high note, Cronin will be working his magic in 2022 for his senior season.
