Dracut rises to challenge
Dracut coach Jason Rivers wasn’t sure what to make of his team’s carefree attitude in the locker room Friday night.
Their performance on the field later alleviated any fears.
The Middies jumped out to a 28-0 lead and went on defeat topseeded Marblehead, 28-14, in a Division 4 North quarterfinal Friday night. Dracut thus became just third team in the six-year history of the current playoff format to win an opening-round game as an eight seed joining Everett and Bedford, both of whom did it in 2015.
“I’m one of those coaches who is locked in before the game,” Rivers said. “I see the way the kids were before the game and I wasn’t sure but my coaches told me not to worry, we’re good.
“Our kids just went out there and played a great game. They were balling right from the start.”
Dracut may have entered the game with a 3-3 record and the last seed, but the Middies are not your prototypical No. 8 seed. They opened the season 3-0 before running through a gauntlet of Acton-Boxboro, North Andover, Tewksbury, all ranked in the Sweet 16 and have a combined record of 23-1.
“It was a tough stretch of games,” Rivers said. “I think the kids were frustrated, so what we told them this week was lets establish our own identity. We’ve got a lot of kids on this team who have been here two, three and four years.”
As any prior underdog will tell you, a fast start is almost imperative to provide that sense of confidence. The Middies exploded out of the gate as Devin Lambert threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth in the first half alone to give Dracut a 28-0 lead.
“It’s so huge to get going like that, especially on the road,” Rivers said. “No one ever expects an eight-seed to do something like that, but we just played great football.”
Dracut was the only No. 8 seed to win on the opening weekend, but three other eight-seeds made the top seeds sweat. Bridgewater-Raynham carried a 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter before Mansfield rallied with a pair of touchdowns to escape with a 21-7 win.
Falmouth led Foxboro by just two points in the fourth quarter before a Jake Murphy touchdown gave the Clippers barely enough breathing room to advance into the Div. 5 South semifinals, 22-14. Undefeated Old Rochester received a stiff challenge from Bishop Stang before prevailing, 27-22, to earn a Div. 6 semifinal date against Dedham.
Sweet 16
1. EVERETT (8-0): Crimson Tide began their quest for a three-peat in impressive fashion against Andover.
2. XAVERIAN (6-1): Defense rises to the challenge once again for the Hawks.
3. ST. JOHN’S PREP (7-1): Passing game was clicking on all cylinders against Haverhill.
4. DUXBURY (8-0): Dragons showing they can beat you on the ground as well as through the air.
5. NORTH ANDOVER (8-0): Dominant two-way effort against Westford Academy.
6. ACTON-BOXBORO (8-0): Colonials survive a brilliant effort from Methuen’s Connor Bryant.
7. LINCOLN-SUDBURY (7-1): Terrific all-around offensive firepower sends the defending Div. 2 North champions to the sectional semifinals.
8. MANSFIELD (7-1): Hornets needed a fourth-quarter rally to subdue pesky Bridgewater-Raynham.
9. CATHOLIC MEMORIAL (6-2): Itwas a successful opening night for the Knights against Attleboro.
10. MASHPEE (8-0): Falcons take care of business against Archbishop Williams to move on.
11. NATICK (6-2): Redhawks overcome a slow start to eliminate New Bedford in a Div. 2 South quarterfinal.
12. CENTRAL CATHOLIC (6-2): Total first-half dominance allows the Raiders to make plans to head to Everett Friday.
13. TEWKSBURY (7-1): Redmen certainly had no problems playing on their home field of Chelmsford for one night.
14. READING (7-1): Rockets will be a very dangerous underdog heading to Lincoln-Sudbury.
15. KING PHILIP (6-2): If it’s the postseason, then it must be Defense Time for the two-time defending Division 2 state champions.
16. HINGHAM (6-1): Harbormen survive a wild shootout with a dangerous Bishop Feehan squad.