Red Raider football are Div. 4 North Champs

Puts deep freeze on Marblehead, 28-20; 1 game to Super Bowl

Published in the November 17, 2017 edition

AN MIAA official presents coach Tim Morris and his captains, Adam Caffey (left) and Colin Kieran the (right) the 2017 Div. 3 North trophy after Melrose defeated Marblehead, 28-20, last Friday. On Saturday they face Hopkinton for a bid to the Super Bowl. (Steve Karampalas photo)

By JENNIFER GENTILE

MELROSE—The Melrose Red Raider football team are Div. 4 North Champions and remain one step away from a trip to Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium after beating undefeated Marblehead Magicians, 28-20, in the Div. 4 North Finals on Friday, Nov. 10 at a blistery Fred Green Field in Melrose. The Red Raiders remain perfect at 10-0 and face off against Hopkinton in State Semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 2:00 p.m. at Weymouth High, with a trip to the Division 4 Super Bowl on the line. Friday’s victory represents Melrose’s fourth Sectional title since 2013.

On a bitter cold night, the Melrose Red Raiders were red hot. Junior running back Isaac Seide scored 3 TDs for Melrose and ran for 245 yards on 30 carries, including a late game touchdown that lifted top-seeded Melrose over No. 2 Marblehead. The stakes could not have been higher, the competition more intense and the weather colder. Both Melrose and Marblehead came into the game undefeated with four sectional appearances behind them. Melrose came fighting for a right to earn their third Super Bowl appearance in four years; Marblehead, a return to Gillette after last year’s Super Bowl loss against Falmouth. All the cards were on the table. 

“Marblehead was a good team,” Melrose coach Tim Morris said after game. “They made some great plays when it counted. And their quarterback [Clough] was a load to bring down, but we managed to slow him and man up and score early, which was huge for us.”

Melrose struck first in the end zone and never gave the Magicians a lead. Receiving the ball first, Melrose killed the clock and ran 75 yards on a series of Isaac Seide carries, including a 50-yard dash and 7-yard scamper into the end zone. A good point after from Mike Calvert made it a 7-0 game.

“It was huge for us to score early,” says Morris. “We planned that coming in. Isaac is such a talent, with great speed and great feet. He never gives up on a play and the more he plays this season, the better he gets.” 

The Red Raiders soon battled against imposing Magician quarterback, Andy Clough, a 6’6 college recruit who struggled against a bitterly cold win (9-25, 85 yards 1 TD) during a night that called for a running game. So Melrose’s Isaac Seide and Charlie Stanton (QB) went toe-to-toe with Marblehead’s Clough (75 yards rushing) and Magician running back Tim Cronin. While they proved a tricky duo, they were thwarted in their first two drives, thanks to defensive efforts from Melrose Drew DiFraia and Colin Kiernan. By the end of the first quarter, Melrose remained 7-0.

“I thought our offensive and defensive lines were big for us and came through when we needed them,” says Morris of their early drives. 

Melrose forced a fourth down during the Magician’s next possession, but Marblehead faked the punt with a pass that was broken up by Melrose’s Derek DiRaffaele. It would prove to be huge for Melrose, who took over on their own 40 and saw Seide hit pay dirt on a 60-yard touchdown run that gave Melrose an advantage of 14-0. In their next drive, Marblehead’s Derek Marino scored in the end zone to put his team on board, 14-7.

Melrose was forced to punt on their next drive, then paid for it as Marino ran the ball back  57 yards all the way to the Melrose 15-yard line. From there Marblehead’s Tim Cronin scored on a five yard touchdown making it 14-14 at the two minute warning before the half.

But Melrose took advantage of their last possession and Seide charged 50 yards to help set up a 13 yard Gabriel Nyland TD pass from Melrose’s Stanton, to open the game up 21-14 at half. 

The two teams would probably like to forget the third quarter, where both teams fumbled and gained possession only to squander both opportunities, along with some wonky punts. But the quarter featured well-executed defense and tackles by Melrose’s Jack Whitley, Drew DiFraia, Cam Rosie and sophomore Billy Pesce against a kick off return.

Then, the Magicians found the end zone from the Melrose 28 on a series of carries, topped by a Clough TD that brought the game, 21-20. A blocked point-after by Melrose’s Isaac Seide denied Marblehead a tie and may have taken the air out of their game.

Melrose clung to a 21-20 lead as the start of the 4th commenced. The teams traded possession and the Magicians lost major yards when Cronin was steamrolled by Adam Caffey and Cam Rosie. Then Drew DiFraia took down Clough to force the punt. Melrose killed the clock starting on their own thirty, with an impressive drive spearheaded by Charlie Stanton, who ran for about 35 yards on a series of keepers, before Seide gave Melrose a safe cushion: a 33 yard touchdown run into the end zone with 3:29 left in the game.

The Magicians would go on to attempt a drive from their own 10 but Melrose’s defenders, among them Colin Keirnan and Chris Cusolito, swatted down any passes and it was Melrose for the win. 

Said Morris after the game. “I’m proud of the kids, they played hard and really came up with big plays when we needed them. Charlie [QB] was able to help push through when Isaac was being focused on. And we managed the clock well to pull it off. It was a great game.” 

Now, just one opponent stands in the way between Melrose and a return to the Super Bowl: Hopkinton, an undefeated 10 squad who Melrose plays this Saturday at Weymouth High at 3:00 p.m. 

Says Morris of their rivals: “Hopkinton can do a lot of things. They can throw and run. They have a strong quarterback and solid running game. We’re taking this week to prepare and study.”