Gozdeck’s 2 TDs lift L-S past A-B
Malone provides winning margin
SUDBURY — In a season that is anything but normal, certain things remain eminently familiar, like the Acton-Boxboro and Lincoln-Sudbury football teams facing off for Dual County League supremacy.
Gordon Gozdeck ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns for the Warriors and Jack Malone provided with winning margin with a 5-yard jet sweep with 6:44 remaining as L-S claimed the DCL Large title with a 28-21 victory on Friday night.
“We have been out here since the summer working our (butts) off so it feels great to come out here and beat our biggest rivals on Senior Night in one of the biggest games of the year,” said Gozdeck.
L-S had surrendered just 14 points in four wins entering the contest but saw the Colonials score three times in a back-and-forth first half that ended knotted at 21-21. But the Warriors defense found its groove out of the break, pitching a shutout that was keyed by a pair of interceptions in the red zone.
“It lived up to the billing,” said L-S coach Jim Girard.
“A-B has a hell of a football team, They have some dynamic football players on offense as you saw and they made some big plays, so it was just matter of making sure we got back to basics and fundamentals, and in the second half they kept working at it”
The pivotal play on the winning drive came on third-and-7 from the A-B 48 when L-S quarterback Riley O’Connell hit Zach Lucchini on a quick out, and the shifty wideout broke a tackle and raced 40 yards. Two plays later, Malone was in for the only touchdown of the second half.
A-B got to the Warriors’ 41 on its final possession but stalled there, with Collin Murphy coming through with a critical third-down sack and a drop turning the ball over on downs.
A wild first half was tied on three occasions. Colonials QB Sean Kelley was a force, throwing TDs of 68 and 12 yards to Jed Hoggard, the latter on fourth down, while also sprinting for a 17yard score on a draw, totaling 195 yards in the half.
But Godzeck countered with trips to the end zone of 17 and 5 yards after Lucchini, who is playing football for the first time since his freshman year, had taken jet sweep 36 yards to the end zone for the Warriors’ first score just three plays into the game.
“The kids responded. It was encouraging, but it was expected,” said Girard, whose team now awaits a DCL semifinal opponent. “We have a veteran group back from last year’s team that went to the Super Bowl. They are pretty seasoned now, so it’s good to see.”