BOXFORD — Impossible is nothing.
So what if the Masconomet Regional football team wears Under Amour gear? There’s no better way to describe Friday night’s pulsating 45-42 win over Marblehead than that old Adidas slogan.
Trailing the previously unbeaten Magicians by three scores with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter, the Chieftains (now 7-1) put together a comeback for ages that’ll be talked about in Northeastern Conference football circles for years to come.
This was one of the craziest high school football games of the 21st century. There were a combined 1,087 yards from scrimmage, 13 touchdowns and a ridiculous 174 total plays (that’s 146 snaps, 13 extra point plays and 15 kickoffs).
Believe me when I tell you that if any one of those 174 unfolded just a little bit differently, the entire game changes.
Things had to go exactly right for Masconomet over those last 5 minutes and 30 seconds. The Weidman brothers got the comeback train rolling, putting 14 points on the board with a mere 58 seconds coming off the clock.
Sophomore Trip Weidman made a 67-yard catch-and-run, somehow keeping his balance and shucking off a Marblehead defender for a touchdown; senior workhorse Jack Fabiano (don’t worry, we’ll get to his heroics) called the play “a total game changer.” Masconomet then recovered an onside kick (on their third try of the night). Two plays later, senior Drew Gustafson dropped a deep ball in the bucket for Cal Weidman for a 43-yard bomb and another score.
Frustrated as they were to get beaten deep, Marblehead had a 42-38 lead and 4:32 to kill. When Breydan Callahan caught a screen pass that bounced off two helmets and rumbled for a first down, it seemed like the Magicians had enough tricks left to run out the clock. Instead, Masconomet’s Lucas Magnifico and his fellow defensive linemen dug in, forced a punt and the Chieftains took over needing to go 85 yards over the final 2:28 for their first-ever NEC title.
Common football wisdom says that’s a passing situation. Masconomet decided to defer to the words on Fabiano’s hat and Run The Damn Ball.
The record-setting senior carried eight times on an 11-play march, gaining 63 of this final 85 yards on the ground. After Cal Weidman was tackled just outside the end zone, Fabiano leg-pressed his way through the Marblehead defensive line for a 1-yard touchdown (his fifth of the night) with just 18 seconds to go.
Masconomet had its first, and only, lead of the night, 45-42.
“We had to keep believing,” said Fabiano. “It obviously wasn’t a good situation, but we don’t give up. We got some big stops on defense and that got everything going.”
The game with more twists and turns than the Superman ride at Six Flags wasn’t over. Marblehead’s Owen Coyne caught a desperation heave for big yardage, giving his team a shot at a game-tying 46 yard field goal. When the attempt sailed wide, Masconomet’s fans rushed the field and relished in their school’s first-ever victory over Marblehead and first ever NEC title.
“This feels surreal right now,” Masconomet head coach Pat Sheehan said afterwards. “I can’t say enough about our resilience. We’ve got incredible, incredible and resilient kids.”
Fabiano ended the night with a Herculean 42 carries for a school record 338 rushing yards. He is now Masconomet’s all-time single season points leader (176 and counting) and helped erase some early Marblehead leads (28-6, 35-19, 42-25) with touchdown runs of 3, 39, 16 and 9 yards, plus his game-winning plunge.
How to describe a running back who has put himself in the conversation with Steve Chew, Tim Gale and Evan Bunker as the best ever at Masconomet?
“Is he fast? Yes. Is he elusive? Yes. Is he physical and violent? Yes,” Sheehan said. “Jack is built different. He’s one of the greats.”
The Chieftains racked up 642 yards of total offense, with 423 of those coming in the second half. Gustafson had one of the best games of his career, throwing for 307 yards; a circus catch by Liam Ginley to set up one of the four fourth quarter TDs shouldn’t be overlooked.
So much credit must also go to the Masconomet defense, led by Magnifico, Nino Stefanelli, Alex Russo and so many others. After being run all over in the first half, they found a way to get stops when it mattered most.
“We had a little heart-to-heart chat at halftime. It was probably uncomfortable for a lot of people, but the kids responded and I couldn’t be prouder to be their coach,” Sheehan said.
Let’s not forget to give some flowers to Marblehead. The Magicians were basically one play away from a knockout punch all night.
I thought sophomore Madden Lyons’ end zone interception in the third quarter might do it. When Marblehead recovered a muffed punt and senior quarterback Finn Gallup scored with 5:30 left, it sure looked like Masconomet was down for the count. I’m still not sure how the Chieftains answered the ball after Gallup escaped the grasp and pitched to Callahan for a 42-yard third quarter score.
The Magicians also ran absolutely wild in the first half. Captains Callahan (30 carries, 189 yards, 3 TDs) and Gallup (11 rushes, 142 yards) were both over the century mark in the first half.
Marblehead will see things on tape it wishes it had done differently. They won’t lose many games when they rack up 425 yards, and they almost never allow 45 points. They’ll adjust, and they’ll be a bear of an opponent for anybody in the Division 4 playoffs.
“Some of it was conditioning and some of it was mental wear and tear,” said Magicians head coach Rudloff. “My guys played their hearts out. What we did was nearly perfect for 55 minutes and in those last five minutes, we were just exhausted.”
Like Cobra Kai, Marblehead football never dies. The Kings of the NEC since 2013, they let Danvers (2019) and Peabody (2022-23) borrow the throne for a minute but always wrestle it back.
That’s what makes Masconomet’s triumph so special; they didn’t rally from 17 down in 330 seconds against just anybody — they did it against the best of the best.
Memorable? Heck yes. Improbable? Absolutely.
Impossible? When you’ve got Fabiano surrounded by a bunch of guys who believe … well, impossible is nothing.
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Assistant sports editor Matt Williams has covered high school football for The Salem News since 2007. You can read his full game story from Friday night’s epic clash on SalemNews.com.