Since Jim Rudloff took over as Marblehead football coach 13 years ago, losing seasons have been rare. Usually, the Magicians are right there at the top of their league with very real Super Bowl aspirations.
This year began differently, with the Magicians – who came into the season beset with injuries to key people – dropping successive games to Bishop Fenwick (14-10), King Phillip (34-6), North Andover (22-7) and Peabody (41-21). It was Rudloff’s worst start in his tenure.
In fairness to Rudloff and the Magicians, three of those schools – King Phillip, Peabody and North Andover – qualified for the Division II tournament – two levels ahead of Marblehead with Peabody and King Phillip still alive heading into the second round Friday.
Those losses to three Division II teams netted the Magicians – who are two divisions lower in the eight-tiered MIAA football divisions – enough points in the rating system that, combined with three season-ending wins, Marblehead qualified for the postseason tournament.
After its loss to Peabody, the Magicians started getting some players back and have reeled off four wins in a row over Masconomet, Beverly and Danvers to close out the regular season, with a mild upset over No. 3 Middleborough (21-12) in the first round of the DIV tournament.
The No. 14 Magicians will travel to No. 6 Grafton Friday (6 p.m.) for the state divisional quarterfinal.
“We played four very good teams in the beginning of the season,” Rudloff said, “And we had COVID, strep throats, stomach bugs, concussions … and it affected everyone from coaches to players.”
“Not to take anything away from the teams that beat us,” he said, “but we couldn’t have a practice with the same kids on the field for four weeks. Once kids started to recover, we got our footing back.”
That happened in Week 5, a 20-0 shutout win over Masconomet. From there, things have improved enough for the Magicians to win, but things aren’t where they need to be, Rudloff says.
“It gets better every week but we haven’t played our best football yet,” he said. “We’re young and have a lot of new players on offense. That’s the area where we make the most mistakes. Procedure penalties, missed assignments … if we could clean up those, we could move forward.”
Rudloff is alternating between two quarterbacks, Colt Wales and Finn Gallup. The Magicians lost their star junior quarterback, Miles O’Neill, to prep school as he sifts through Division 1A college offers. Gallup is a sophomore and Wales a junior. Both have come along as the season has progressed, Rudloff said.
Elsewhere, Brooks Keefe handles tailback duties, Ryan Comnoss, Andy Palmer and Drew Monaco at wide receiver, and Chris DeWitt tight end.
“Those have been our starting skill guys,” Rudloff said. “Once we got everyone back, we could rotate in and out on offense.”
Defense has gelled faster, Rudloff said, with Monaco, Palmer, Keefe, and DeWitt playing key roles.
The Magicians came out of the gate flat, Rudloff said, losing to Fenwick.
“That was a disappointment,” he said. “The game was decided on two big defensive mistakes, and it was a tough loss because we knew the next three teams (all Division II playoff schools) would be tough.”
Even though the Magicians played better the next three weeks, the competition was extremely tough.
“And when you’re in the middle of a four-game losing streak, you look at it as catastrophic,” Rudloff said. “Now, I feel you can’t judge the season until it’s over.”
Of course, there is nowhere to go but up, he said. Whatever happens Friday, there will be another game – either a divisional semifinal or non-playoff game – before the Thanksgiving match against Swampscott.
Here, Rudloff has had the upper hand during his tenure, as the Magicians have defeated the Big Blue every year since 2012.
“It’s been 13 years of phenomenal football games,” Rudloff said. “It always ends up being one of the best games we play. They know us well. We never really fool them. The coaching staffs know each other well. You just hope your guys understand the importance of the game.”
