Perhaps the most unheralded undefeated team in the state will bump heads with one of the surprise teams still alive on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, as 12-0 Duxbury and Concord-Carlisle will play for the Division 2A title.
Concord-Carlisle wasn't picked by many to make it this far despite their going 10-2 and posting a perfect league record. But no single aspect has stood out about the Patriots, which made them the underdog going into their first round game against high flying North Andover.
None of that mattered, as the Patriots totally neutralized both the North Andover rushing and passing attacks. They also dominated with the ball, scoring 27 unanswered points after falling behind by 10 in the first quarter.
The catalyst was George Craan, who rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns. His job was made easier by an offensive line that has made up for its lack of size by using great leverage and getting off the ball quickly.
That will be incredibly important against a suffocating Duxbury defense that is giving up 10.8 points per game and shut out Big Three champion New Bedford. Tuesday their pass rush was a major factor in slowing Dennis-Yarmouth quarterback Matt Montalto en route to a 19-7 win. They'll need to play with their typical punishing style in order to keep Craan from having a repeat of Tuesday.
On offense, the Green Dragons have a three-headed monster that has given defenses fits all year long. Matt O'Keefe, Kane Haffey, and Henry Buonagurio have set the tone for a group that is able to put up points both on the ground and in the air.
The key will be Concord-Carlisle's ability to frustrate the Greed Dragon offense. Duxbury has disappeared offensively at times this year, and if Concord-Carlise can do their part to induce that, it will give them a chance win the field possession game, which will make the job of Craan and their offense much easier.
No comments:
Post a Comment