GIRD, Indians get past Hanover
Running back scores pair of TDS as Billerica advances
billerica » Dominic Gird made his presence felt Friday night.
The Billerica senior running back rushed for a pair of touchdowns, while also delivering a game-shifting hit, as the second-ranked Indians defeated seventh-seeded Hanover 15-14, in the second round of the Div. 3 tournament.
With the win Billerica advances and will play the winner of Saturday’s contest between No. 3 North Attleboro and No. 6 Milton, in the Div. 3 semifinals.
“It’s awesome to get here, but to do it at home is an even better feeling,” said Gird, who went 14-for-49 rushing with 2 TDS. “I couldn’t be happier. They were so tough, but we knew all we had to do was win by 1 point. We knew they were going to be tough, but we were going to be tougher.”
Billerica coach Duane Sigsbury saw his team show plenty of heart.
“We battled adversity being down 14-0 in the first half, but we answered,” said Sigsbury. “We’ve been in that situation before and these kids are resilient. They battled. When they get knocked down, they get back up and that’s the best thing we can teach them as coaches.”
Trailing 14-0, Gird rallied his troops with a relentless ground game. He keyed the comeback scoring on a 7-yard scamper in the closing seconds of the half. And when quarterback Jacob Martin broke in on the ensuing 2-point conversion rush, Billerica cut the deficit to 14-8 at intermission.
Gird continued to chip away breaking into the end zone on another 7-yard strike, moments into the fourth quarter tying the game. Senior Shaan Rana added the extra point kick, putting Billerica ahead to stay.
According to Sigsbury, Gird injected life into his team’s offense.
“Dom is my man,” Sigsbury said. “In the first half he was feeling it and wasn’t getting what he usually gets. I knew when the money was on the line, he was going to make the plays for us.”
Hanover looked to talented quarterback Michael Landolfi