For Amesbury, tonight is going to be personal.
Two years ago, the Redhawks saw their dream to be crowned state champs get thwarted on the Gillette Stadium turf, falling to a loaded team out of Uxbridge, 42-16, in the Division 7 Super Bowl. The seniors on this fall’s roster were just sophomores back then, but the loss still hurt all the same. Justin Dube was in his first year as the starting QB for the Redhawks, and he threw a touchdown pass while also tossing a two-point conversion to fellow sophomore Ollie Peters.
But as they walked off the visitor’s sideline and towards the lighthouse, the heartbreak started to set in.
Tonight, though, they’ll have a chance to pay some of that back.
Over at Landry Memorial Stadium, No. 2 Amesbury will host No. 7 Uxbridge in the Division 7 quarterfinals with a 6:30 p.m. scheduled kickoff. The Redhawks (9-0) enter this one as the favorites by seed, but it’d be foolish to think that the Spartants (7-2) — who are fresh off two straight undefeated Super Bowl-winning seasons in 2023 and ‘24 — won’t be ready to go.
It’s going to be a fascinating game.
Elsewhere, No. 8 Pentucket will make the trip down to the South Shore to try and upset No. 1 Norwell in the Division 6 quarterfinals. Then in non-playoff action, Triton hosts Salem while Newburyport hosts Lynn Classical.
Will we have anyone gearing up for a state semifinal next Friday night?
THURSDAY’S GAME Salem (3-6) at Triton (3-6), 6:30 p.m.
A battle of two teams who fell in the first round of the playoffs last week.
Salem snuck in as the last team in the Division 5 field, and had the pleasure of taking on an undefeated and top-ranked Shawsheen Tech program that is trying to defend its Super Bowl title. Meanwhile, Triton held on as long as it coul, before No. 2 Abington eventually flexed its muscle and pulled away. The Witches have dropped three in a row, and are averaging just 13.4 points per game for the season.
The Vikings have also dropped three in a row, but they’ll be home in this one.
And Carl Lucy is chasing history.
During last week’s game, the senior running back broke both the program’s all-time scoring record (38 career TDs), as well as the record for single-season touchdowns (26). Lucy currently sits at 1,507 rushing yards, and is only 235 away from breaking the school’s single-season record (1,741) with still two games left.
Spolier alert: It will only take one.
Lucy goes wild again and breaks the record in this one, giving him a shot to hit the 2,000-yard milestone against Pentucket on Thanksgiving.
PREDICTION: Triton 30, Salem 20.
FRIDAY’S GAMES Lynn Classical (3-6) at Newburyport (3-6), 6 p.m.
One more tune-up before Thanksgiving.
Lynn Classical has played in five straight close games, but comes into this one having dropped two in a row. And for the season, the Rams are only averaging 11.9 points per game offensively.
This is a good chance for Newburyport to continue to play solid football.
The surging Clippers have won three of their last four, with a defense led by TJ Skiba, Henry Thurston, Kian Markos and Bennett Beaulier holding opponents to just 17.3 ppg during that stretch. Braydon Fowler is having an excellent season as a dual-threat weapon, and senior QB Jack Miller just passed 1,000 passing yards and has an outside shot to also hit 1,000 rushing yards (currently at 603).
After an 0-5 start to the year, Newburyport rolls into the holiday with a chance to finish the season just one game under .500.
PREDICTION: Newburyport 24, Lynn Classical 10.
No. 7 Uxbridge (7-2) at No. 2 Amesbury (9-0), 6:30 p.m.
What a fun rematch two years in the making.
If you look at the “metrics” coming into this one, it — not shockingly — favors Amesbury. Besides the obvious of just being the No. 2 seed while Uxbridge is the No. 7, the final MIAA power rating of 11.7784 for the Redhawks almost quadrupled that of the Spartans (3.0927).
But numbers and spreadsheets don’t play football games.
As the two-time defending state champs, Uxbridge has both the experience and the pedigree to beat anybody. The Spartans feature an explosive offense that averages 36.3 points per game, and as a program, they had a 31-game winning streak snapped earlier in the year. But both of their losses this season didn’t come in regulation, falling to Auburn in overtime (39-33) and Bay Path RVT in double-OT (27-21).
If this was any other school with the same “résumé,” I might be tempted to call for an upset special.
But, like was said earlier … this one will be personal for Amesbury.
The harsh reality is that losing a Super Bowl in the house that Tom Brady built will stick with you more, and seeing that “Uxbridge” written across the chest on the other sideline will bring back memories. For Dube, Peters, Ethan Kirby, offensive linemen Stacy Peck Jr, Braden Delisle and Dylan Palen, and the rest of the Amesbury seniors, they’ve already been focused enough to roll through an undefeated year without any slip-ups.
It will be critical to limit possessions and keep that explosive Uxbridge offense off the field, which is exactly what Amesbury has built its brand around. Behind that offensive line and Joe Puleo (78-657-11), Joe Celia (70-480-10) and Connor Scialdone (69-415-5) running the ball, the Redhawks will establish their physicality and just chew up the clock.
It won’t bring a 2023 Super Bowl ring to Amesbury.
But it will keep the dream for a 2025 ring alive.
PREDICTION: Amesbury 32, Uxbridge 17.
No. 8 Pentucket (6-3) at No. 1 Norwell (7-2), 7 p.m.
Back to being fully loaded, Pentucket will need to put together its best game.
Nick Carrion and his 585 receiving yards, 144 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns takes this offense to another level, and you won’t find a better 1-2 combo than him and Jackson Miller (1,113 all-purpose yards, 11 TDs). Then for senior QB Steven Harper, it’s been nice to see athletes like Cooper Zaneski, Chase Dowling, Quinn Vuylsteke and Liam Foley step up as reliable options.
But where the Panthers will need to dig deep is defensively.
Norwell is averaging 34.1 points per game, and is just a great sports town that is synonomous with winning. Junior dual-threat QB Jack Luccarelli — who was named the South Shore League Sullivan Division MVP last fall — is one of many athletes on the team who won a State Championship in another sport last school year (basketball). Cole Maguire, Charlie Hajjar, George Bonnevie and Colin Gerhart will be other names to watch for the Clippers, who as a school won three state titles last year and were finalists in five of them.
So for Pentucket, a defensive front of Liam Hammond, Jesse Wirwicz, Tedy Cloutier, Jacob LeBel, Dowling and Max Cloutier will need to be stout. The Panthers will have their work cut out for them, but have the explosivness on offense to pull off an 8-1 quarterfinal upset.
PREDICTION: Norwell 35, Pentucket 24.
LAST WEEK: 5-0.
OVERALL SEASON RECORD: 32-8.