Division 2A State Champions: Duxbury Green Dragons (13-0)

     Discipline. Fundamentals. Physicality. Those are the three things that stood out to me this season when watching Duxbury.

     Week in and week out, they were able to limit mistakes while forcing their opponents into countless penalties and turnovers. They consistently out hit and out manned the team lining up across from them, knocking off the likes of Bridgewater-Raynham, Plymouth North, and Dennis-Yarmouth.

      But it is the fundamentally sound brand of football that would make even the most staunch football traditionalist proud. From their quarterbacks to their defensive ends, they executed their assignments correctly and efficiently. Their running backs ran with the ball securly under their arm, the tip of the ball never exposed.  Their defensive linemen did a wonderful job using their hands to get off the opposing linemen's block attempt. All those things and more were the reasons Duxbury was able to handily beat Concord-Carlisle 35-13 to secure another state title.

      The Green Dragons' offense again leaned on the abilities of their two highly skilled quarterbacks, Matt O'Keefe and Kane Haffey, who threw for a combined 298 yards and four touchdowns.

      O'Keefe and Haffey were not the only players who shined for Duxbury. Receiver Matt Hallisey was responsible for 117 receiving yards and a score, and tight end Don Webber torched the C-C secondary to the tune of 124 yards and two touchdowns. Webber's last score, a 39-yard screen he took to the house, may have been the prettiest play of the game, as he used his blockers well, broke two tackles and made two other defenders miss.

      As has been the case all season, the Duxbury defense was bent but didn't break. They dominated the line of scrimmage, freeing their linebackers to roam and make plays the entire game. Concord-Carlisle's George Craan had another big day, piling up 149 yards and two touchdowns, and all in all the Patriots were able to move the ball relatively well. But each time they seemed headed for a score, the Duxbury defense tightened their belts and went to work.