By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Northborough / Holden – Many of the pundits of area high school football said it couldn’t happen again. One victory over vaunted Wachusett Regional in the season was more than could be asked for, an aberration perhaps. Expect a vengeful payback against Algonquin Regional when the two teams collide on Nov. 4 in the Central Mass Division 2 semifinal on Mountaineer turf.
But this Tomahawk bunch had far different ideas and they translated those thoughts into a bruising 48-27 victory that stunned their opponent’s sideline into a form of submission. Indeed, Algonquin’s 21-6 victory over Wachusett two weeks prior was the real deal. Credit Algonquin’s success to hard work, discipline and a general belief in themselves, say players, coaches and supporters.
The team (6-3) now takes on Shrewsbury High (6-3) in the title game to be played on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Worcester’s Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon.
“It started earlier in the week. We didn’t win this game today,” explained senior quarterback Ryan Barry. “We started it Monday in film, in the weight room and in practice. It took a collective group to do what we did today so credit to my teammates and especially my offensive line. They’re one of the best lines in CMass.
“We’re a group that wants to come to practice and work hard every day. We knew the magnitude of this game and we really wanted to come out and get this win for each other and the community that hasn’t been in this position a whole lot.”
Algonquin would never trail in this one with a jumpstarted offense combining the run and pass that wasted little time putting points on the board. Max Cerasoli knifed three yards through traffic for a TD to forge an early 7-0 advantage. Wachusett answered right back with a touchdown of their own to even things up before the Tomahawks scored three times in rapid succession.
Colin Robinson hauled in a 20-yard perfectly-placed pass from Barry for his first of two touchdowns on the night. His next was a 32-yard strike from Barry for his second TD that came right after a Barry nine-yard crash up the middle for six points. Algonquin carried a 27-14 lead into the break with cautious optimism besides.
The second half proved dubious from the opening kickoff when Wachusett’s Sam Brewer ripped off a 50-yard TD burst from scrimmage that tightened the gap. The Mountaineers threatened to take the lead following an Algonquin fumble on the ensuing kickoff placing them in close range for back-to-back quick scores. But the Tomahawk defense stiffened and held off on fourth and goal with Matt Paglia, who was responsible for the fumble, coming up big deflecting a pass that could have opened the door for Wachusett.
“The nice part about it was that the kid who made the mistake ends up making the big play on fourth down,” said head coach Justin McKay. “Matt Paglia makes a great play on fourth down to stop the touchdown and I couldn’t be prouder of him. He was so down when he made the mistake but he learned from it and came back and was able to make a good stop.”
“That was huge,” Robinson said of the stop on downs. “They could have ended up taking the lead and then we go down 80 yards downfield and score. It set the momentum and turned it right back around for us.”
Algonquin would pour it on more with offensive fireworks that put this one out of reach. Cerasoli, Brett Sherman and Marcus Ellis all added late-game touchdowns with carries of six, one and 15 yards, respectively.
Despite the solid win, McKay talked post-game of the toughness of the Wachusett program and the preparation his team set forth to prove the earlier season win over them was the real deal.
“There’s an aura about Wachusett when you play them,” he said. “To be able to play with them you have to be able to focus on every single play. They’re a really good football team and for us to come on top tonight, we just had to focus on the little things. Tonight we focused on one play at a time and that was the difference tonight playing against this team because they’re so good.”
“We had a great work of practice to start. Our o-line played phenomenal and that’s why we could get everything done on offense,” said Cerasoli echoing his players and coaches emphasis of a team victory. “Our defense made some big stops. We let them back in but we finished the game off strong.”
