Marblehead’s football team, ranked sixth in Division 4, bowed out of the state tournament at the hands of No. 3 Grafton last Friday.
Truth be told, at Grafton High, troubles hit Marblehead before the game even started. It was announced Thursday, Nov. 14 that the game would be on, but with the teacher strike in Marblehead, union member and head coach Jim Rudloff, along with assistant coach Mike Giardi, would be unable to coach.
Whether the absences played a role or not remains unknown, but in this one, it was all Grafton. The hosts were led by superstar Finn Gilmore, who totaled four touchdowns and more than 200 yards rushing.
It was close early, however, as the Gators led just 7-0 after the first quarter. Even at halftime, Marblehead only trailed by a pair of touchdowns.
But with two touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the fourth, Grafton put the finishing touches on Marblehead’s season. Leading the way for the Magicians was Cam Quigley, who snagged an interception. Other than that, despite a few marches into Grafton territory, the visitors struggled on both sides of the ball.
Despite the lop-sided ending and, frankly, a controversial few weeks, what a season it was for the Magicians. After an 0-2 start, the Red and Black rattled off seven consecutive wins to reach the state tournament, where Marblehead took down Norwood, 42-6, in the round of 16.
The Magicians checked out with a record of 7-3 ahead of their highly-anticipated Thanksgiving game against traditional archrival Swampscott. That one is slated for Wednesday, Nov. 27 at Fenwick Park with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m.
