Top-seeded Stoneham earned its first journey to the Super Bowl since 2018 with a 24-17 victory over Cardinal Spellman within the Div. 6 soccer semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Weston High School.
“We made a lot of mistakes,” stated Stoneham coach Bob Almeida. “It was a struggle all game long, but fortunately we were able to come through.”
Spellman took a 17-16 lead with 10:08 left within the recreation on a 24-yard discipline objective by senior Jack Duffy, however the Spartans answered on their subsequent drive.
On a third-down play from the Stoneham 45-yard line, senior Colin Farren busted free for a 55-yard landing run with 8:42 left. Farren ran within the 2-point conversion, Stoneham’s third of the sport, to push the result in seven.
Spellman’s final drive noticed the Cardinals convert thrice on third-and-long earlier than the possession lastly ended when a tipped cross on fourth down from the Stoneham 27-yard line was intercepted by SHS junior Matthew Tran with 54 seconds remaining.
Duffy, Spellman’s quarterback, was excellent through the remaining drive.
On third-and-10 from the Spellman 38, Duffy scrambled to the left sideline earlier than turning and crossing all of the again throughout the sector earlier than connecting with junior D’Anthony Amado for a 14-yard completion.
Duffy added a 16-yard scramble on third-and-nine and a 17-yard cross to junior Jay Comeau on third-and-16 earlier than the run lastly ended and Stoneham was in a position to take a knee for the ultimate minute.
Defensively, Spartan senior Paul Mannke had a vital sack late within the fourth quarter after which drew a holding penalty on second-and-six from the 16-yard line, forcing Spellman to throw on the ultimate three performs.
Cardinal Spellman took a 7-0 lead with 4:26 left within the first quarter when Duffy ran 59 yards for a landing. Duffy added the additional level.
Stoneham took the lead with a protracted drive that ended with a 1-yard run by senior James Landers with 7:46 left within the first half.
Farren ran within the conversion for an 8-7 Spartan lead.
“It’s what we do,” added Farren. “We’ve been doing this for years. I give all of the credit to the line. Without them, we couldn’t be as good as we are. It’s huge.”
Stoneham picked up six first downs on the 80-yard, 14-play drive that chewed up virtually 9 minutes of recreation time.
Late within the first half, Stoneham tried a faux punt from its personal 49-yard line, however senior quarterback Jason Nutting’s cross fell incomplete.
Spellman scored on its subsequent drive as first-down runs of 13 and 27 yards by Duffy arrange the Cardinal landing. Duffy’s run for 4 yards out ended with a fumble into the top zone that was recovered by junior lineman Ryan Kennedy.
Duffy’s additional level gave Spellman a 14-8 lead at halftime.
“He’s was a one-man show,” Almeida stated of Duffy. “He was tremendous.”
Stoneham used one other lengthy possession to regain the result in begin the second half.
The first drive of the third quarter went 62 yards in 9 performs and ended when Farren scored on an 11-yard run. Nutting ran within the conversion for a 16-14 Spartan lead with 6:39 left within the quarter.
The Spartan protection got here up massive late within the third quarter, stopping Duffy on fourth-and-one at Stoneham’s 36-yard line with 4 minutes left within the stanza.
Stoneham fumbled three performs later and Spellman turned the takeaway into factors.
A 13-yard cross to senior Kristian Simpson and a 19-yard run by Duffy to the Spartan 15-yard line arrange the go-ahead discipline objective by Spellman.
“(Spellman) fought hard the whole game,” stated Farren, who was within the eighth grade the final time Stoneham performed within the Super Bowl. “But you have to give us credit too. We got the job done.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com