Last Friday night – not the Katy Perry song – the varsity football teams of Marblehead, Lynnfield, Swampscott, and St. John’s Prep advanced in their respective state tournaments.
Championship aspirations are still alive – at least, for now.
And if you want to get to Gillette Stadium in a few weeks, you’re going to need some big-time players. After Week 1, we saw plenty of them put their teams on their backs.
Let’s start with Marblehead. The Magicians breezed past Norwood at SSG Christopher N. Piper Field with a 42-6 win. It marked the third consecutive week the Magicians have allowed single-digit points.
Defense wins championships, right?
Cam Quigley has been a ballhawk as of late. He snagged another interception to make it three in his last four games.
When the ball comes loose – on the ground or through the air – Marblehead is usually the first to react. Just ask Julius Galante, who recovered a fumble, and Rylan Golden, who went home with an interception.
From Marblehead to Lynnfield we go, where the Pioneers defeated Dennis-Yarmouth by a score of 45-20.
You don’t have to look too far to see who had a big hand, literally, in the win. Quarterback sensation Tyler Adamo accounted for six touchdowns.
Yes, six.
Adamo threw 80- and 83-yard touchdowns for the fans at Pioneer Stadium. The 80-yarder was scored by Madux Iovinelli.
Speaking of Iovinelli, once he gets into the open field, good luck catching him. He delivered two touchdowns and chipped in defensively with an interception.
Jesse Dorman was on the receiving end of the 83-yard score, highlighting how fast and tricky Lynnfield’s playmakers are when they get into space.
Swampscott.
Its bell-cow, Henry Beuttler, normally finds the endzone when he’s lined up in the backfield. Against Bay Path RVT, however, Beuttler was in the right place at the right time to recover a fumble and bring it 89 yards to the house.
Talk about setting the tone. That was the first touchdown of the game for the faithful at Blocksidge Field.
Truth be told, defense took over for Swampscott, with Jay Domelowicz registering a safety and defensive back Gabe Tripp recording an interception to help the Big Blue advance with a 28-14 win.
Last, but certainly not least, St. John’s Prep got its postseason off to a strong start with a 42-0 rout of Attleborough. Sophomore Jordan Toribio found the endzone three times, not including his two-point conversion.
With Jeff Quigley powering the running game and freshman phenom Christopher Vargas under center, something tells me The Prep could be running through that Foxborough tunnel in a few weeks, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Week 2, let’s see what you’ve got in store.
I’ll be watching. That silly Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight can wait.
