The magic was on display at SSG Christopher N. Piper Field Friday night, with No. 6 Marblehead racing past No. 11 Norwood, 42-6, in the Division 4 state tournament to advance to the round of 8 against No. 3 Grafton.
At press time, according to the Marblehead High athletics page, Friday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Grafton High School. With the ongoing teacher strike, details are subject to change.
Back to last Friday. The last time they took the field, Jim Rudloff’s Magicians got to work early.
Yandel Garcia danced down the right sideline for a rushing score and the game’s first touchdown. Brady Selvais muscled his way into the endzone for another touchdown on the ground (14-0).
Garcia rolled into the promised land in the second quarter. The next thing you knew, the hosts had built a 21-6 halftime cushion in front of the home faithful.
From there, Finn Gallup looked to his left and threw a 10-yard strike to Selvais, who scored again in the third quarter. Add two quarterback-keeper touchdowns in the second half, courtesy of Colt Wales and Gallup, and that was all she wrote.
Since dropping its first two games of the season (Bishop Fenwick and King Philip), Marblehead has rattled off seven consecutive wins. Two of those victories came in enemy territory, to boot.
Talk about a revenge game. Marblehead won its tournament-opener last season – a 21-12 squeaker against Middleborough – but fell to Grafton, 17-6, in the round of 8.
Should the Magicians (7-2) get to play in Friday night’s rematch, expect some physicality between familiar opponents.