Tewksbury Pulls Away From Marblehead 34-21

Two well matched high school football teams squared up like mirror images for all but the final three minutes Saturday afternoon, a playoff tilt won by Tewksbury 34-21 over Marblehead playing on the road at Doucette Stadium.

With about three minutes left in the game Tewksbury Redmen defender Tom Casey wrapped his arms around a short, cross-field pass from Marblehead Magician quarterback Matt Millett.

Casey angled 22 yards to the end zone and broke the 21-21 tie, robbing air from the Marblehead tires. A missed extra point pumped some air back into those tires leaving the score 27-21 with enough time left for Marblehead to mount a drive.

The Division 3 Northeast championship was played on a balmy Saturday, and the teams' play had a lot in common as did the coaches' post-game comments.

The second half was a defensive struggle that saw its share of four-and-outs after small gains on runs, clouds of dust and punts.

The first half was wide open. 

Tewksbury sprang a 78-yard touchdown run from scrimmage; Marblehead's Mark Cohen ran back a kick off almost the length of the field for six points.

He cut to his right and raced along the side getting a nice block to whoosh past the last defender in his way.

The teams traded interceptions and Marblehead also recovered a fumble.

A Millett-to-Millett touchdown pass accounted for a Marblehead score after a long run by Brooks Tyrrell.

Tewksbury gained about 250 yards on the ground in the first half.

At the intermission both teams sketched chalkboard adjustments then executed them on the gridiron to crimp their counterparts' offensive bursts.

The second half play was physical, at close quarters, as each team played with care and a controlled sense of urgency, taking a few down-field chances.

They fought like heavyweights, gang blocking and gang tackling, runners churning their legs forward in the heap.

With three minutes to go both teams showed the results of the struggle. It had been an unseasonably warm day harkening back to the early days of the season.

The players' faces were sweaty and their eye black smeared. Their uniforms were dirty, some smeared with dirt.

Players were cramping up.

After a Tewksbury punt put Marblehead in their own end the tide turned. It turned on a turnover triggered, in part, by defensive pressure from Tewksbury. Then it continued to turn on the next Marblehead possession, in their end, again on a turnover.

The first was the short pass snatched by Tom Casey. The second turnover was a fumble Tewksbury recovered while sacking the Marblehead quarterback.

After the game Tewksbury Coach Brian Aylward praised Marblehead's effort and his team's. He said his team had its share of lingering injuries at this point in the season and he imagined Marblehead had its share as well.

Marblehead Coach Jim Rudloff said there were several players who were injured but determined to play, including running back Brooks Tyrrell.

The coach said he was proud of his players and their effort, and he said hat's off to Tewksbury, the best team in Northeast Division 3.