WALTHAM, Mass. — In the end, all it took was two touchdowns.
In a confrontation between two of the highest-scoring teams in the state, Whittier claimed its first Eastern Mass. Super Bowl title yesterday with a 14-12 victory over East Boston before an estimated 3,000 at Bentley University.
The two teams combined to score 70 points a game, so few thought defense would rule the day. Both teams scored on two short touchdown runs, but the difference was a two-point conversion run by Paul Buccos after Whittier's first touchdown.
"I figured 14 points wouldn't be enough," Whittier quarterback Dillon Ryan said. "But I'll tell you, it probably would've been the same score if we played two more quarters. That was the best game I've played in my life. That was the most fun I've ever had.
"I've never ever been hit that hard in a game. I'm bruised up and banged up, but this is all worth it. I don't think I can explain it."
It took East Boston (10-2) two minutes to grab a 6-0 lead on the first of Troy Williams' two touchdowns. The 2-yard plunge was set up by a 57-yard completion from Williams to tight end Kevin Orellana — not the last time the two would damage the Whittier defense.
"I thought it was going to be a 50-48 shootout," retiring East Boston coach John Sousa said. "It was one (heck) of a football game between two good teams."
The Wildcats (12-0), who had scored at least 28 points in each game this season, took advantage of East Boston's poor punting to grab the lead for good late in the first half.
A bad snap — the third of the second quarter — set up Whittier at the Jets' 11. Three plays later, Nate Allen scored from the one followed by Buccos' conversion for an 8-6 lead.
"I told my boys that if you're going to play with Whittier, you have to play four quarters of football and you can't make any mistakes," Sousa said. "If you make a mistake against this team, they are going to capitalize on you. The balls were wet and they were slippery. I don't blame my center. He had great snaps all year."
Special teams also set up Whittier's final touchdown when Buccos took the second-half kickoff 78 yards to the East Boston 1. Nick Ferreira scored on the ensuing play for a 14-6 advantage.
"That kickoff return really got things started for us," Bradley said. "We were playing scared. You come to a situation like this when you have a big opportunity like this, you get a little nervous. But they overcame their jitters, and that's what we told them (at halftime): 'Don't play scared. Play like you have all season. You be the dictator on how the game goes.'"
Troy Williams, who finished with 235 yards passing, brought East Boston back. Two completions netted 58 yards and he scored his second 1-yard plunge. Williams' conversion try, however, was stopped by a jolting Ralph Hancock tackle just short of the end zone.
The victory finally was secured when 6-foot-3 sophomore defensive lineman Ryan Tragakis blocked a 23-yard field-goal attempt by Victor Correa with 5 minutes remaining.
"I didn't know if they were going to kick the field goal," said linebacker Nate Allen, who was involved on nine tackles. "When I saw them line up, I pushed (Tragakis) all the way, and he blocked it. I was really concerned with a fake — they were looking to go up by one."
East Boston did have one final possession that began with 3:25 left, but the Jets ran out of chances following a Hancock tackle for a 6-yard loss and three incompletions by Williams.
Whittier lost its only previous Super Bowl appearance to Medfield in 2006 while East Boston saw it's title-game record fall to 1-5. It was the second time in three years the Jets fell to a Commonwealth Conference opponent, having lost to Greater Lawrence in 2007.
Whittier 14, East Boston 12
EMass Division 4 Super Bowl
East Boston (10-2):6âÇ0âÇ6âÇ0 — 12
Whittier (12-0):0âÇ8âÇ6âÇ0 — 14
First Quarter
EB — Troy Williams 2 run (run failed), 8:00
Second Quarter
W — Nate Allen 1 run (Paul Buccos run), 0:33.1
Third Quarter
W — Nick Ferreira 1 run (run failed), 9:39
EB — Williams 1 run (run failed), 1:10
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: EB (31-33) — Stanley Greene 5-23, Brandon Amadeo 6-16, Michael Lockley 6-11, Troy Williams 11-8, Brandon Campbell 1-(minus 1), Stephen Lockwood 1-(minus 11), team 1-(minus 13); Whittier (35-127) — Nick Ferreira 9-43, Donald Leighton 7-32, Paul Buccos 6-30, Nate Allen 5-13, Dillon Ryan 8-9
PASSING: EB — Williams 11-16-235 (0 interceptions); Whittier — Ryan 2-4-9 (0 interceptions)
RECEIVING: EB — Kevin Orellana 30-117, Campbell 3-34, Amodeo 2-43, Lockley 2-28, Greene 1-13; W — Steve Surette 1-7, Kobie Green-Jackson 1-2.
First downs: EB 12, Whittier 8
Punts-avg.: EB 2-17.5, Whittier 2-30.0
Return yardage: EB 14, Whittier 78
Penalties-yards: EB 5-25, Whittier 4-15
Fumbles-lost: EB 0-0, Whittier 3-2
Time of possession: EB 21:42, Whittier 18:18
Plays of the game
Don Leighton tackled a receiver on the 4 after a Hail Mary on the final play of the half.
Ryan Tragakis blocked a 23-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Nick Ferreira rumbled 5 yards on a fourth-and-1 with 2:30 to play.
Paul Buccos took the second-half kickoff 78 yards to the 1.
Unbeaten, untied
Whittier was one of the four teams out of 193 in Eastern Mass. to finish with a perfect record. The others were Xaverian, Gloucester and Reading.
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