One went into overtime, while the other wasn’t close. In the end, however, both the Lynnfield and Marblehead football teams bowed out of their respective state tournaments Friday night.
Lynnfield, ranked sixth in Division 6, was knocked out by No. 3 Fairhaven in overtime by a score of 36-34. No. 6 Marblehead, in Division 4 action, was sent home from Grafton High empty-handed in a 35-0 final.
And the Pioneers of Lynnfield were oh, so close.
After a 14-7 halftime hole, quarterback Tyler Adamo took control, delivering touchdowns left and right through the air. Jared Bernabei, Madux Iovinelli, and Jesse Dorman all went home with scores in this one.
At the end of regulation (28-28), Fairhaven struck first in overtime and converted its 2-point attempt. From there, Adamo spotted Iovinelli for another touchdown, but the Pioneers failed to tie the game as Adamo rolled to his left and threw an incomplete pass under pressure.
The Pioneers finished the season with an 8-2 record and a round-of-16 win against No. 11 Dennis-Yarmouth last week (45-20).
At Grafton High, troubles hit Marblehead before the game even started. It was announced Thursday that the game would be on, but with the teacher strike in Marblehead, union member and head coach Jim Rudloff, along with assistant coach Mike Giardi, would be unable to coach.
Whether the absences played a role or not remains unknown, but in this one, it was all Grafton. The hosts were led by superstar Finn Gilmore, who totaled four touchdowns and more than 200 yards rushing.
It was close early, however, as the Gators led just 7-0 after the first quarter. Even at halftime, Marblehead only trailed by a pair of touchdowns.
But with two touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the fourth, Grafton put the finishing touches on Marblehead’s season. Leading the way for the Magicians was Cam Quigley, who snagged an interception. Other than that, despite a few marches into Grafton territory, the visitors struggled on both sides of the ball.
Despite the lop-sided ending and, frankly, a controversial few weeks, what a season it was for the Magicians. After an 0-2 start, the Red and Black rattled off seven consecutive wins to reach the state tournament, where Marblehead took down Norwood, 42-6, in the round of 16.
The Magicians checked out with a record of 7-3 ahead of their highly-anticipated Thanksgiving game against traditional archrival Swampscott. That one is slated for Wednesday, Nov. 27 at Fenwick Park with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m.
