By Tyler Amaral
NEFJ Staff
MARSHFIELD – With a tick under eight minutes left in the game, Marshfield senior Jake Brilliant completed the second half hat trick on a 36-yard catch and run from quarterback Tor Maas.
Brilliant’s go-ahead score gave Marshfield its first and only lead of the game, as the Rams outlasted Methuen 31-23 in a wild comeback effort.
Brilliant was the key cog in the Rams high-octane offense in the second half as the hosts erased an early 20 point deficit.
“We’re never panicking,” said Maas. “That’s what we do. We’re conditioned. We come out in the second half and we’re ready to go. The other team’s gassed and we’re coming out hot in the second half. And [Brilliant’s] ready to roll every time.”
With just under three minutes left in the third quarter, Brilliant was on the receiving end of a 42-yard touchdown pass from Maas to tie the game as 23. Brilliant’s first touchdown came on a rushing score from 1-yard out early in the third quarter.
The touchdown swung the momentum in Marshfield’s favor. Jameson Bongiolatti had a huge return to put the Rams within striking distance before Brilliant found paydirt on a jet sweep.
“Our coaches just bury in our head; never give up,” said Brilliant. “Keep going. Keep sticking to the play. And keep playing your role.”
Marshfield dominated the second half after the first 12-plus minutes were dominated by Methuen. The first 12 minutes and 13 seconds were the Shane Eason show as the senior star scored three touchdowns, while displaying a jaw-dropping array of moves in the open field.
Eason opened the game’s scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run just over two minutes into the game. Later in the opening frame, Eason caught a pass from junior quarterback Josh Danella and took it 41 yards for a touchdown to make the score 14-0.
Then, on the first play of the second quarter, Eason caught a pass from Danella, made a few Rams missed and scored from 45 yards out.
Eason finished the game with 224 yards from scrimmage and all three Ranger touchdowns.
“We’d read the play right and have [Eason] in the hole, but then he’d pull a spin move and get out of it,” said Marshfield head coach Chris Arouca. “He’s one of the best high school running backs I’ve seen in a long time.”
Marshfield got a late second quarter touchdown run from running back Davin True to cut the Methuen lead to 20-8 before halftime. Hicham Aboutoui added a 30-yard field goal for Methuen in the second half.
“Methuen had beaten us three years in a row and we really wanted this win,” said Marshfield captain and defensive leader Will Devine.
Marshfield improves to 1-1 on the season and will host Bridgewater-Raynham next Friday. Methuen (1-1) has a bye week before taking on Merrimack Valley rival Chelmsford on September 27.
