ITEM FILE PHOTO
Justin Faia caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in Marblehead’s 35-0 rout of Wayland Friday.
By GORDON VINCENT
MARBLEHEAD — There will be an opponent that challenges the Marblehead High football team in this year’s MIAA Division 2A North playoffs. That team wasn’t Wayland, though.
The Magicians (8-0) scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and rolled to a 35-0 win over Wayland (3-5), in a quarterfinal round tournament game Friday at Piper Field. Top-ranked Marblehead plays 4th-seeded Gloucester (7-1) in the sectional semifinals Friday (7) at Piper Field.
The Magicians scored on offense, defense and special teams. Drew Gally threw touchdown passes to Manning Sears and Justin Faia, while Derek Marino ran for an 81-yard score. Andy Clough returned a Wayland fumble 52 yards, while Ted Mayle recovered a blocked a punt in the end zone.
“We knew nothing about (Wayland) except that they play in a good league and have a great program,” said Marblehead coach Jim Rudloff, who tied Bruce Jordan‘s school record with his 67th career win at Marblehead High. “So it was important for us to get off to a good start.”
An interception by Marino on the third play of the game set up the Magicians for their first touchdown, a 14-yard throw from Gally to Faia on 4th-and-4. Marblehead held Wayland without a first down on its next drive, and Devin Romain blocked the ensuing punt (his second blocked punt of the season) that Mayle caught in the end zone.
Marblehead’s next offensive series lasted one play, an 81-yard touchdown run by Marino on a sweep to the left. Jaason Lopez‘s two-point conversion rush gave the Magicians a 21-0 lead with 32 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Magicians scored their fourth touchdown with six seconds left in the first half. Gally engineered a 72-yard, 12-play drive that included a 19-yard run by Marino, which set up a 4th-and-2 from the Wayland 15. Gally connected with Sears on a post pattern to give the Magicians a 28-0 lead.
The only touchdown in the second half came on Clough’s fumble return. Sam Frontero stripped the ball from Wayland halfback Jeremiah Darlington. Sears had the first crack at a recovery, but Clough gathered the ball and raced down the left sideline, deftly avoiding Wayland quarterback Liam Henning at about the 10-yard line.
Wayland’s deepest penetration in the game was Marblehead’s 19 late in the first quarter, but Faia broke up a halfback option pass on 4th-and-1 to turn the ball over to the Magicians on downs.