MILFORD — In Saturday’s Division 6 semifinal game between No. 7 Swampscott and No. 3 Fairhaven at Milford High, the Big Blue fell into a big hole and couldn’t climb out.
In a 42-13 final, Fairhaven (10-1) punched its ticket to the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium – where top-ranked Hudson (11-0) will be waiting – while Swampscott checked out with a record of 8-3 ahead of its highly-anticipated bout against Marblehead on Wednesday. That one is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Fenway Park.
Back to Saturday’s game, which came with heavy amounts of wind. Fairhaven marched into the promised land on its first drive (70 yards) to set the tone. Justin Marques – a name all over this one – rushed for 3- and 2-yard touchdowns in the first quarter, which began with a 13-0 Fairhaven cushion.
But Swampscott didn’t quit, as Henry Beuttler took a handoff 15 yards to paydirt to bring life to the Big Blue (13-6).
The Marques show continued in the second quarter. He reached the 180-yard mark by halftime to go with two more touchdowns. With no answer for the explosive running back, Swampscott faced a 28-6 halftime hole.
From there, it was a déjà vu kind of second half. Marques finished with six touchdowns and nearly 300 yards. As a result, running time made its way to Milford High as Swampscott faced a 42-6 deficit.
Jameson O’Keefe scored Swampscott’s final touchdown of the tournament after taking a screen pass to the house, but that was all she wrote on the scoreboard.
In the end, Swampscott won’t be hoisting a state championship trophy in early December, something the Big Blue did in 2019 and 2021. But in coach Peter Bush’s second season in charge, there was lots to appreciate.
Swampscott won six regular-season games (Lynn English, Peabody, Gloucester, Winthrop, Saugus, Salem) to go with two more in the tournament (Bay Path RVT, Stoneham).
Playing the numbers game, Swampscott outscored opponents, 255-103, in the regular season. Against Saugus (56-0) and Salem (33-0), the Big Blue conceded zero points across a two-week stretch.
Now, Marblehead, which has taken care of Swampscott in 11 consecutive Thanksgiving matchups. But with a new scenery – one that features a giant green wall – and new players, anything can happen in the world of high school football.
