BURLINGTON — Two powerhouses faced off at Burlington High School Friday night. Undefeated Needham, ranked fourth in Division 1, took on top-seeded St. John’s Prep with a shot at Gillette Stadium on the line.
In the end, Aidan Williams picked up 144 yards rushing and a touchdown to propel Needham over The Prep, 22-14. Needham will take on Saturday’s winner, either No. 3 Xaverian or No. 2 BC High in the state championship.
The rain was coming down hard, so the game had to be won in the trenches. After a pair of three-and-outs to start the game, there was little to write home about offensively.
Needham finally got things going in the opening quarter, but on fourth down, Prep’s defense – especially Aaron Radke – swarmed the ball-carrier and forced a turnover on fourth down.
But a fumble on the punt set Needham up at the Prep 21-yard line. That’s where Williams fumbled on the 5-yard run, but the ball bounced into the arms of teammate Joe Kajunski, who ran in a bizarre touchdown to open the scoring.
After one quarter, Needham cashed in on the turnover and took a 6-0 lead over the Eagles.
On fourth down in the second quarter, The Prep needed an answer and, in timely fashion, drew a pass interference penalty.
From there, Jeff Quigley took a handoff and ran into the endzone for a 13-yard touchdown on fourth-an-5. Langdon Laws tacked on the extra point to give The Prep a 7-6 cushion.
It would only take Needham three plays to get back on the board, however, with a running back pass from Williams to Kajunski for 38 yards, followed by a 42-yard touchdown run from Williams. Add a successful 2-point conversion, and Needham found itself ahead, 14-7.
Another big play from Needham – a blocked punt by Caden McNamee – set up a first-and-goal at Prep’s 5-yard line. Quarterback Griffin Carr ran in for a touchdown and after another conversion, Needham extended its lead to 22-7 just before halftime.
Bad to worse. Out of the break, Prep’s offense tried to get things going, but ran into a Needham wall and turned the ball over on downs.
At the end of the third quarter, The Prep made a quarterback change and went with Deacon Robillard. He hit Merrick Barlow for a 38-yard catch. Then, Quigley rushed for a 10-yard touchdown and the extra point was good to make it 22-14 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
With possession back on a crucial fourth-and-4, Prep’s Jordan Toribio took one 49 yards to the Needham 9-yard line. Two plays later, however, Needham’s defense came up with a massive play, intercepting Robillard in the endzone.
Needham took over with three minutes remaining, still ahead by eight points. From there, it pounded the rock for a couple of first downs, and that was all she wrote in a Division 1 upset.
Owen Finn is a student at Endicott College studying journalism
