The Marblehead Magicians (4-0 in the Northeastern Conference Dunn Division, 5-5 overall) came into the annual Thanksgiving Day game riding a 12-game winning streak over traditional rival Swampscott. But these games are never easy, and this one was no exception.
In the end, however, visiting Marblehead withstood another Swampscott scare — remember Eli Feingold’s game-winning field goal on the last play of the game two years ago? — to take home another Rotary Cup plus the NEC Dunn Division crown with a 28-21 triumph over the Big Blue (2-2 in the NEC Dunn Division, 6-5 overall) at Swampscott’s Blocksidge Field on Thursday morning, Nov. 23.
There was plenty of scoring early on in this 114th edition of the rivalry. The Magicians got it going on an interception by Brooks Keefe on the Swampscott 47.
Quarterback Finn Gallup had the big play of that drive with a 18-yard run to the 17. He then completed a pass to Andy Palmer, and two plays later Brooks Keefe finished it off with a three-yard touchdown run at 5:46 of the first quarter. Sure-footed Greg Motorny was back on target with another successful extra point try.
But the early lead was short lived when Jack Hazell brought the kickoff back 95 yards for six points. Jack Marino added the extra point to tie the score at 7-7.
Hazell followed up his touchdown return with an interception that thwarted the subsequent Marblehead drive, which led to a Jack-Spear-to-Marino 4-yard scoring strike. Marino again tacked on the extra point to give his teammates a 14-7 lead after one quarter.
With just 2:57 left in the second quarter, the Magicians tied it up on another 3-yard Keefe touchdown run and one more Motorny successful extra point boot. Each side still had a chance to get the go-ahead touchdown, but to no avail before the first-half clock ran out.
The Marblehead defense rose to the occasion again early in the second quarter, when senior captain Jake Scogland came up with a big sack on Spear for an 8-yard loss on second down to pin the Big Blue back on their own 10 to virtually end that possession for all intents and purposes.
The second half started off quite well for the Magicians. Quarterback Colt Wales picked up a big first down with a 17-yard pass to senior captain Chris DeWitt on third down to the Swampscott 46. One play later, the Marblehead tandem hooked up again for 25 more yards to the 20. At 6:19 of the third quarter, Wales took it himself for a 12-yard touchdown run. Motorny, a recent University of New Hampshire commit, buried his third PAT to break the tie again, 21-14.
The Marblehead defense almost stopped the home team deep in its own territory after Cam Quigley sacked Spear on the 3. But the Swampscott sophomore quarterback miraculously got out of it by heaving it to Sam Nadworny for what turned out to be a 92-yard pass to the Marblehead 5. From there, Nadworny took it in to trim the deficit to one before Marino tied the game 21-21 with the extra point with 3:31 left in the third quarter.
The Magicians put together a fourth quarter drive to account for the game-winning score on a Wales 1-yard scoot over the goal line. Motorny followed with another good extra point on a redo after the Big Blue was called for a penalty, while he was kicking the ball well over the storage facility behind the goalpost. But never fazed, he took care of business on the second attempt with 4:56 left in the game.
On Swampscott’s final offensive possession, Scogland sacked Spear again, forcing fourth and long on the home team’s 37. It was followed by an incomplete pass, and with 1:43 left coach Jim Rudloff’s team simply ran out the clock after getting one last first down on a 9-yard run by Wales to the 27.
