In front of a roaring fan section at Bunker Stadium, the Masco Chieftains asserted dominance over the Melrose Red Hawks on Friday night, 35-14, sending them to the Elite Eight.
Just like in the Chieftains’ last two games, they rode senior workhorse running back Jack Fabiano into the sunset. On just the second play from scrimmage, Fabiano broke through a seam and paid dirt from 69 yards out. He put together another Madden-type stat line, boasting 332 rushing yards on 38 carries and five touchdowns, along with 30 yards through the air.
“It’s definitely tiring taking a ton of carries, but I, along with our whole team, am well conditioned from our offseason work. It has allowed us to always run the ball since no one is going to quit, including the offensive line with their blocks,” said Fabiano.
The 5’11”, 195-pound Topsfield native has had a wild three-game stretch, to say the least. Over the past three games, Fabiano has totaled an astounding 110 carries for 965 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has broken Masco’s single-season touchdown record and is attempting to break the entire North Shore record. This season, solely on the ground, he has carried the ball 203 times for 1,745 yards and 33 touchdowns.
“I thought Melrose countered our run game well in the first half,” Fabiano said. “However, we made adjustments at halftime and then started to run power pretty well for the rest of the game. We are just going to keep doing what we do for Milton, and we’ll see what happens. We are going to do everything we can in practice, and I know our run game will be ready to go come Friday.”
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Chieftains’ offense, despite scoring five touchdowns. Masco was moving the ball well all night, but execution in the red zone was an issue in the first half. Masco had four possessions in the red zone in the first half, but one resulted in an interception, another in a turnover on downs, and another in a missed field goal. Luckily for the Chieftains, they were able to retake the lead before halftime when Fabiano found the pylon from four yards out.
Even though the Chieftains were only up by a score at that point, it didn’t feel like it. Masco was clearly the better team, but Melrose showed immense determination in the first half before taking their foot off the gas in the second.
“All credit to Melrose for their fight and their ability to dominate the line of scrimmage and do a great job tackling Jack Fabiano,” said head coach Patrick Sheehan. “We’re a big team, and we go fast, so defending all those plays wore on them, just like we’ve seen in a lot of second halves this season.”
Melrose was able to move the ball effectively thanks to strong first-half play from quarterback Jack Feeney, but after some halftime adjustments, the Chieftains’ defense turned up the intensity. Masco had arguably its best defensive drive of the season midway through the third quarter, recording back-to-back sacks on first and second down and a tackle at the line of scrimmage on third down, forcing a punt.
“Our defense has come a long way since the beginning of the season. I think we spend a lot of time trying to keep guys fresh on our offensive line,” said Sheehan. “We’ve got a lot of good players on defense, and when they’re playing confidently, there’s sometimes a disconnect—when we play confidently versus when we don’t. It usually takes something to spark us. Whether it’s an Achi Koutoulas tackle, a Lucas Magnifico hit, or an Alex Russo spark when we need one, those moments help us play downhill and tackle well. Frankly, I thought we tackled really well today. At times, our fits were a little off, which allowed them to move the chains fairly often, but I couldn’t be more proud of these kids.”
Among many warriors on the Chieftains’ defense, senior captain and defensive end Lucas Magnifico was ferocious when it came to tackling the Red Hawks’ ball carriers.
“Our defense has shown this year that, whether we’re trailing by a touchdown or have a two-score lead, we can adjust and fight through the second half no matter the circumstances,” said Magnifico. “That really shone against Melrose, Marblehead just a few weeks ago, and in other games as well. Feeding off each other’s energy has helped us succeed late in our games.”
Magnifico has played all four seasons on varsity and has been through many ups and downs, coaching changes, and Masco football game atmospheres.
“It’s surreal to have the opportunity to not only win a playoff game but also play in front of a home crowd,” said Magnifico. “It’s been four years since this team has won a playoff game at home, and I wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything.”
Senior quarterback Drew Gustafson found his go-to guys in senior receivers Cal Weidman and Liam Ginley on passing downs. Ginley had a strong day with three catches for 49 yards and a fourth-quarter interception. The defensive back duo of senior Ryan Richardson and Ginley is also very good against the run, as they came up and laid the boom multiple times on outside runs.
Whenever Masco needs a yard or wants to punch the ball into the end zone, they turn to their bellcow and rely on their giants on the offensive line, like senior Cam Bucchieree, to clear the way.
“Power is always one of our go-to run plays. Using [senior running back] Alex Cantalupo, [tight end] Magnifico, or [senior tight end] Connor Mitchell as a lead blocker, we will always get the few yards we need,” said Sheehan.
The Chieftains will now begin preparation for an extremely strong Milton football team. Last time Masco squared off against a top-ranked team, it didn’t go well. This coming Friday, Sheehan is confident there will be a different result.
“We’re going to climb, and we are going to climb. We’re going to get better because that’s what this team does. This team is so committed to being the best they can be,” said Sheehan. “I thought we had a really, really great week of practice. Again, we didn’t play our best football tonight, but all credit to Melrose and their staff for neutralizing an explosive offense for such a long time.”
Masco (6) will make the trip to Milton High School (3) to take on the Wildcats, who just defeated Reading 42-14, at 7 p.m.
Masconomet vs. Melrose
at Walt Roberts Field, Boxford
Masconomet (8-1); 6; 8; 7; 14; 35
Melrose (5-4); 7; 0; 0; 7; 14
Scoring Summary
MSC — Jack Fabiano 69-yard run (2-pt pass failed) — Masco 6-0
MEL — Jack Feeney 58-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Garipay (#7 kick good)
MSC — Fabiano 4-yard touchdown run (Drew Gustafson 2-pt rush good)
MSC — Fabiano 16-yard touchdown run (Nicco Cefalo kick good)
MEL — Feeney 31-yard touchdown pass to Garipay (#7 kick good)
MSC — Fabiano 19-yard touchdown run (Cefalo kick good)
MSC — Fabiano 35-yard touchdown run (Cefalo kick good)
Individual Statistics
Passing (Masconomet): Drew Gustafson: 10/20-126-0-1
Rushing (Masconomet): Jack Fabiano: 38-332, Gustafson 2-8
Receiving (Masconomet): Liam Ginley: 3-49, Cal Weidman: 5-47 yds, Fabiano 2-30