CANTON — The Marblehead Magicians football team had their season end at the hands of the #3 Canton Bulldogs, losing 27-22 in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 4 state tournament at Memorial Field in Canton on Friday night.
“We had plenty of opportunities to make up for the mistakes that we made,” said head coach Jim Rudloff after the loss. “We didn’t take those opportunities, but it’s difficult to say to everyone else on the team that we can win that game if we’re going to give them the ball four times.”
Marblehead had a dream start to the game with junior return man, Armany Villar, running 94 yards to the house on the opening kickoff to give the Magicians the lead after just 12 seconds.
After the defensive units from both sides dug their heels in to force a trio of three-and-outs, the Magicians would double their advantage on a 34-yard scramble by quarterback Finn Gallup to make the score 14-0 with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter.
After taking possession at the 35-yard line following a kickoff out of bounds, two big gains by the Bulldogs through the air would set up senior running back, Nick Crowe, for a five-yard run to the end zone to bring the game within a single score.
While both teams struggled to convert on third down, going a combined 0-for-10 in the first half, the Canton offense would pick up a major fourth down conversion to give themselves a red zone opportunity. The Bulldogs would capitalize on the short field with quarterback Brian MacGillivray finding Antoine Jamison on a crossing route for a 14-yard passing touchdown to tie the game at 14-all late in the half.
Gallup would throw interceptions on his next two throws, the first to Jake Marcel and the second to Nolan Harney, the latter being returned to the one-yard line with just seconds remaining in the half.
With the ball just inches from the goal line, a bad shotgun snap would see the Bulldogs backed up to the 11-yard line. Matters would only be made worse due to the ball being spiked in frustration by a Canton player, setting his team back an extra 15 yards. A failed toss to the end zone would bring the half to a close with the score tied, 14-14.
The Marblehead defense would make a major fourth down stop, but Harney would pick off another Gallup pass to give the Cantonians solid field position just beyond the halfway line.
A methodical Canton drive would be capped off with a patient MacGillivray throw to a wide open Jake Marcell, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the night, 21-14, with five minutes to play in the third quarter.
After forcing another Marblehead punt, Canton would capitalize on the Magicians jumping offsides on a field goal attempt, giving the Bulldogs a first down at the five-yard line. Crowe would pound the ball home for his second touchdown of the night. The kicking unit would fault to convert the extra point, keeping the score at 27-14 early in the fourth.
After stopping a Marblehead fourth down play at the two-yard line, the Bulldogs would, once again, have trouble with the snap, handing the Magicians two points by way of a safety. With the ball back in the hands of Marblehead following the safety kick, Gallup would throw his fourth and final interception of the evening, the third picked off by Harney.
After regaining possession by forcing a three-and-out, Marblehead cut the Canton advantage to five on a highlight reel throw by Gallup to Breydan Callahan. The two point attempt would end in a quarterback sack, forcing Marblehead to score a touchdown to keep their season alive.
Receiving the ball at the 20 following a Marblehead touchback, the Bulldogs gained a pair of first downs before kneeling out the final 50 seconds of the contest to send them to the MIAA Division 4 semifinals, handing the Magicians a 27-22 loss to end their season.
Marblehead’s season ends with their fourth quarterfinal defeat in as many years.
Looking ahead, the 116th meeting between Marblehead and Swampscott will mark a return to the traditional Thanksgiving date after the game was moved to Fenway Park last season. The rivalry will be renewed on Thanksgiving morning at 10 a.m. at Piper Field.
The Current spoke with Coach Jim Rudloff right after the game.
