Spellman reverses result vs. St. Mary’s
Just two weeks after they fell, 12-0, to Catholic Central League rival St. Mary’s, Cardinal Spellman drew the defending Division 6 state champions in a playoff rematch.
With multiple players back from injury for both teams, the second meeting proved a shootout, with the visiting Spartans scoring 16 straight points before host Spellman responded with three straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal a 41-30 victory.
The sixth-seeded Cardinals (7-2) will head to the North Shore to face third-seeded Salem (7-2) in the D6 quarterfinals Friday (6:30 p.m.).
“Obviously there’s a huge familiarity, being in same league, but [St. Mary’s was not] at their best two weeks ago, and we weren’t either,” said Spellman coach Ryan Donovan, who shares head coaching duties with Jequan Johnson.
“I feel like we got that on Friday. We kind of had an explosion of offense with both teams about fully healthy. It was a great back-and-forth high school football game.”
Defense was the difference early for Spellman, with defensive tackle Evan Malick recovering a fumble to preserve a 21-6 halftime lead.
St. Mary’s (6-3) climbed ahead, 22-21, on touchdowns from Tyler Guy in the third quarter, then Spellman quarterback Matt O’Donnell took charge with rushing touchdowns of 20 and 35 yards, and a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jay Comeau during a 20-0 run.
Donovan credited right guard Mauricio Gaytan with springing a few of those big runs by blocking at the second level, and senior D’anthony Amado for sealing the win with a late interception.
“We were wearing on them all game,” Donovan said. “We pride ourselves on being able to make things happen, especially late in the second half. We’ve had a number of comebacks this year. St. Mary’s runs a hurry-up offense that had us on our heels, but you could see our guys were able to stick with it and they weren’t gassed by the end.”
■ Holliston had no layoff in between matchups with TriValley League rival Ashland. A week after beating the Clockers, 41-0, in their regular-season finale, the second-seeded Panthers welcomed No. 15 Ashland in the Division 4 first round.
Ashland proved to be a tougher opponent the second time around by unleashing a number of trick plays and creative formations in a 24-16 defeat.
“That was a first for us, going back-to-back against the same opponent,” Holliston coach Todd Kiley said. “We knew Ashland is a very good team and we expected this type of game from them.”
Holliston opened a 17-3 halftime lead, but Ashland regained possession with 1:36 left in a one-score game. The Panthers stayed disciplined on a double pass attempt and forced an interception to seal the win.
After opening the season with mixed results against elite nonleague competition and taking a 25-24 last-second loss at Norwood, Holliston (6-3) hit its stride down the stretch with three wins by a combined margin of 134-7.
The improvement of quarterback Kaua Lima, a converted wide receiver, has helped Holliston’s offense take off, with third-year starter Devin Harding handling the bulk of touches out of the backfield. Through eight games, both seniors have eight touchdowns, with Lima rushing for 509 yards and Harding totaling 873 scrimmage yards.
Jack Schellings and Jimmy Parmese have led Holliston’s offensive line, which is “undersized, but scrappy, per usual,” in Kiley’s words. David Villa and CJ Pacheco lead the defensive line, with Miguel DeJesus and Lima anchoring the secondary.
The Panthers have received a boost on special teams with Connor Teague serving as kicker after playing soccer the past three falls. Teague has only missed one extra point, and he’s been a valuable contributor as a slot back.
“At this point in the season, you find your identity, and try to do what works best to accentuate your strengths,” said Kiley, who steered Holliston to Super Bowl wins in 2010, 2014, and 2015.
Now Kiley prepares to face Herb Devine’s Scituate program in the D4 quarterfinals (Friday, 5 p.m.), the fifth postseason meeting between the teams since 2014.
“We feel like we’re getting better each week,” said Kiley. “It’s a lunch-pail group that comes to work and gets better every practice.”
Extra points
■ Randolph (4-4) scored a 3-0 win at Ware in the Division 8 Round of 16 when Alin Norisca hit a 30-yard field goal. Senior Nathanyel Gomes surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season in the victory . . . Cam Aieta led Weymouth to the school’s first playoff win with three touchdowns and an interception in a 20-0 victory at Lincoln-Sudbury . . . Vincent Ciancio found Ben Christopher for a 5-yard touchdown as time expired to give Tewksbury a thrilling 35-33 win over Canton in the D4 Round of 16.
■ St. John’s Prep, the top seed in D1, extended its statebest win streak to 16 games with a 42-7 win over Leominster . . . West Boylston, the top seed in D8, has won 10 straight since capturing the D7 Super Bowl last December.
■ In the Independent School League, Governor’s Academy handed Lawrence Academy its first defeat, 33-22, behind a pair of touchdown runs from Dawson Dubose. Belmont Hill and BB&N are tied with Lawrence atop the ISL-7 with one league loss apiece.
■ On Oct. 27, first-year Wareham coach Brandon Perry stepped down and interim coach Chris Gardner led the Vikings to a 34-8 win over Cape Cod Tech. The Vikings (6-3) followed that up with a 44-21 win at Hull this week in nonplayoff action. Jayce Travers tallied three touchdowns, including a 55-yard fumble recovery for a score and Taj Lewin-Pina provided a pick-6 in the win.