Take a moment and appreciate the kind of effort, hard work, and determination it takes to turn around an 0-5 start. In order for that kind of feat to be accomplished, you need every single member of a team to completely buy into the program. You need your captains to exude confidence every minute of every practice. You need coaches that never doubt their team's capabilities.
The 2010 Beverly Panthers had all those things and more, and for that, they are your Division 3 State Champions.
Beverly was able to again ride their Wing-T attack to a big win Saturday afternoon, knocking off previously undefeated Somerset 28-20.
The usual suspects for the Panthers were up to their old tricks. Brendan Flaherty caught two Joe Wioncek touchdown passes, and Nick Theriault rushed for 139 yards to pace a Beverly offense that scored 21 unanswered points after falling behind 20-7.
For as special as the offense was, it's the defense that is deserving of the game ball. They were able to shake off their first-half hardships and shut-out a Somerset team that had not had that happen all season.
A key adjustment helped fuel their turn around. To neutralize the speed of the Somerset backfield, Beverly replaced a lineman with a linebacker. This allowed them more sideline to sideline quickness, as well as helped wear out the Somerset linemen, who would have a greater distance to travel when trying to get to their blocks.
The win speaks volumes about a program that hadn't reached the postseason in 22 years. Beverly showed everyone, including themselves, that with a lot of faith and a little bit of luck, the improbable is more than capable of happening.
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