LYNN — With the football tucked under his arm, Salem High senior Devante Ozuna moves like a well-tuned Corvette: sleek, aerodynamic and powerful.
PARTY LIKE ITS 1999: Salem handles Stoneham, punches Super Bowl ticket
On his cleats, though, you’ll find a vehicle that doesn’t quite fit that billing. In fact, it’s … a van?
Yes, the sky blue and neon green color pattern on Ozuna’s feet that can be spotted from the farthest seat away in any stadium is copied from the Mystery Machine, the preferred method of travel of the Scooby Doo gang. His gloves also match and, after a sublime performance by Ozuna in the Division 6 state semifinal Friday night, Salem High can book its own bus for Gillette Stadium.
Thanks to a thorough 38-14 win over Stoneham at Manning Field, Salem will play in a Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Super Bowl for the first time since 1999. The No. 3 seed Witches (9-2) will meet the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between No. 8 Fairhaven (9-1) and No. 4 Hudson (8-2) in Foxborough the week after Thanksgiving; the MIAA will likely announce the exact date and time on Sunday or Monday.
A physical Stoneham team that had played in the Super Bowl last season uses tightly packed formations and basically wanted the game to be fought in a phone booth. Each time Ozuna broke through the first level of that defense, he flew to the end zone like Superman bursting out of said phone booth.
With 224 yards from scrimmage and touchdowns of 53, 81 and 16 yards, Ozuna had the fans — and the Spartans — watching his one-of-a-kind cleats blur all night long.
“I found them on a sneaker Web site,” Ozuna said of his Scooby Doo inspired wardrobe. “I just wanted something that would stand out … both for performance and looks, I guess.”
It was an odd game in that Salem returned the first two Stoneham kickoffs for touchdowns, with an 89-yarder by Quinn Rocco Ryan followed by a 68-yarder by Albert Pujols (which the Spartans tried to kick short to avoid another runback). Thus, the Witches ran zero offensive plays in the first quarter … yet led 13-8 on the scoreboard.
If you’re wondering how not taking a snap for an entire quarter might effect a quarterback’s rhythm, two things helped Salem captain Corey Grimes stay warm. First, he plays defensive end and spent most of that time shedding blockers … and second, a guy that can turn a sideways pass into a 53-yard touchdown tends to be his QB’s best friend.
That’s what developed on Salem’s first pass play of the game, which saw Ozuna take a short flare into the secondary and well past the safeties for six points.
“I was actually a little nervous calling that,” said Salem head coach Matt Bouchard, “I mean, Corey hadn’t thrown a ball for almost 25 minutes.”
The score gave Salem the lead for good at 19-14 and saw Ozuna make two absurd hip jukes to evade tacklers that may have made even Elvis Presley jealous.
“We have a whole individual period at practice where we get the hips upfield, shift side-to-side and work on maintaining that balance,” said Ozuna, who feels his aversion to being corralled comes naturally. “I’d like to say I’ve always been shifty, since the young ages.”
Grimes threw for 141 yards on three completions that travelled no more than 20-or-so yards in the air. A great night’s work for a patient, smart QB.
Salem got its first fourth down stop of the game with 51 seconds left before halftime. With 81 yards to go, Bouchard dialed up a safe but dangerous screen that saw Grimes execute a fake to the weak side and fire a screen pass back to the home sideline. Ozuna followed his blockers the length of the field to extend the lead and Salem was on its way to Gillette.
“Devante slides and glides so nicely. You watch him and it’s misleading because it looks like he’s going slow but he’s actually moving so quickly,” said Bouchard, noting that Ozuna’s unique skillset that allows him to play both tailback and middle linebacker is emblematic of what makes these Witches so successful.
Despite Stoneham running 67 offensive plays, holding the ball for long stretches of time and converting multiple third and fourth down chances, Salem got the stops it needed on defense. Shane Field and Ryan spearheaded that effort, captain Alfred Ferrioli sniffed out a Spartan fake punt in the third and Logan Abboud had a whale of a game moving from ‘backer to defensive tackle.
As runs by Ozuna, Grimes and Field chewed up the clock in the fourth, the Salem crowd that included family, friends and tons of recent Witches football began to chant “We’re going to Gillette.” In that moment, the Witches felt so grateful for all the support they’ve received in this historic season.
“Our principal, Mr. (Glenn) Burns, got a fan bus. That was key for us,” said Ozuna. “I have to thank him because he does everything for us.”
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You can contact Matt Williams at MWilliams@salemnews.com and follow along on Twitter @MattWilliams_SN