SALEM — Jordan Zannini knew his hand hit the ball, but with a mass of bodies falling all around and on top of him as the clock hit 0:00, the Salem High star was left unsure, until he heard the crowd erupt.
“We all knew that we just had to be in the right place and knock the ball down,” said Zannini. “But I wasn’t sure if anyone caught it or what happened. Then I heard the crowd, so I knew we did it. It was awesome. I just got up and got into the celebration.”
Salem quarterback Van Mason ran a QB sneak in for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:35 left in the game, and a Portsmouth-Oyster River Hail Mary into the end zone fell incomplete in the game’s final seconds, as the No. 7-ranked Blue Devils held on for a 35-28 thriller over the No. 10 Clippers in the Division 1 first round on Friday night.
“This is incredible!” said fullback/linebacker Jacob Beaudry. “When the game ended, it was like a huge weight off our shoulders, getting the stop in the final seconds. It just came down to running hard, blocking and tackling hard. It feels amazing and we couldn’t be more pumped to be moving on to the next round.”
The Blue Devils move on, to take on No 2 seed Manchester Memorial in the Division I quarterfinals on Friday (7 p.m.) at Memorial.
“We knew this was going to be a tough one, but we got it done in the end and we’re thrilled to be moving on,” said running back/defensive back Colin Salkovitz. “Last year we lost here in the first round (8-7 to Windham). We were all thinking about that, and that gave us that boost to win this. We are so pumped.”
Salem started fast, forcing a three-and-out on the opening possession, then going 87 yards on 12 plays, taking the lead on a Mason 26-yard touchdown pass to Jack Marconi.
Portsmouth tied it up, but the Blue Devils responded with a 14-play, 68-yard drive that Salkovitz ended with a 1-yard TD run. The Clippers then made it 14-14 at halftime.
Salem took the lead on the opening drive of the second half, on a Salkovitz 2-yard TD run. But once again Portsmouth had the answer to make it 21-21.
After a Blue Devil punt, Zannini — as he has done all season — delivered a game-changing play, snatching a tipped ball out of the air for an interception.
“Once I saw the ball go off the receiver’s finger tips, I knew I was in the right place at the right time,” said Zannini, who finished with a team-high 86 rushing yards. “The guys made it easier for me to get that pick. I took off running down the field and saw my linemen blocking for me, and I did what I had to do.”
Three plays later, Beaudry scored the game’s most impressive highlight, when he took the handoff and charged into a mass of bodies, before squeezing out and going 14 yards for a touchdown.
“I just kept moving my feet,” said Beaudry. “My linemen kept blocking and kept them in check, and I eventually found a hole and and took it. I though I could finish it off. I just had to keep running until I was in. It was amazing.”
Portsmouth again tied it, but Salem came right back with a 14-play, 80-yard drive that Mason finished off with the touchdown.
The Clippers then drove to the 33, but Zannini batted down the pass on third down, and helped ice it on the game’s final play.
“It was great, but now we’re moving on, to get ready for Memorial,” said Zannini. “They’re a great team. But we’re ready to do anything to come out on top.”
Salem 35, Portsmouth-OR 28
FIRST QUARTER
S — Jack Marconi 26 pass from Van Mason (Ryan Bryant kick), 3:00
P — Andy Brown 58 run (Daniel Soler-Sala kick), 2:08
SECOND QUARTER
S — Colin Salkovitz 1 run (Bryant kick), 6:25
P — Zach Hall 11 pass from Brown (Soler-Sala kick), 0:40
THIRD QUARTER
S — Salkovitz 2 run (Bryant kick), 6:27
P — Micah Gedney 17 pass from Brown (Soler-Sala kick) 0:49
FOURTH QUARTER
S — Jacob Beaudry 14 run (Bryant kick), 9:19
P — Brown 1 run (Soler-Sala kick), 6:43
S — Mason 1 run (Bryant kick), 1:38
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Salem — Jordan Zannini 10-86, Colin Salkovitz 12-46, Aidan Shikrallah 13-62, Jacob Beaudry 8-63, Van Mason 5-42; Portsmouth-OR leaders: Andy Brown 12-132, Kevin White 8-58
PASSING: Salem — Mason 4-6-1, 72; POR — Brown 9-20-1, 112
RECEIVING: Salem — Jack Marconi 2-38, Zannini 1-26, Salkovitz 1-8; POR — Micah Gedney 2-36, Zach Hall 4-41, White 2-21, Van Gruner 1-13