By Paul Vozzella
NEFJ Staff
DORCHESTER – The second-seeded Boston College Eagles led right from the get go against seventh-seeded Springfield Central in a Division 1 quarterfinal matchup on Friday night after wide receiver Adam Ayyub took the opening kickoff to the house for a touchdown.
BC High never looked back, but did have to hold on down the stretch for a 41-36 victory.
BC High moves onto the Final Four where it will take on Xaverian with a trip to the D1 Super Bowl on the line (Time/Location/Day TBD). The Golden Eagles dropped to 8-2.
“They kicked it exactly where we wanted [them to] and we returned it just how we wanted to,” said Boston College High head coach Paul Zukauskas of the explosive opening play. “We were hoping they would do it, they did it, and we took it to the house so that was a great way to start.
“Credit to coach [Ty Alcorn and Stevie Oliver] on our team, we had set that up, we had watched them. We knew exactly where they were gonna kick.”
The weather played a huge factor early, as well. Springfield Central fumbled twice in the first quarter – once on its first kick return and again later on in the same drive, ultimately recovering both.
Springfield Central was unable to produce much on offense before Eagles running back Brenden Ryan was able to break. off a touchdown run to up BC High’s lead to 13-0.
“He’s a captain [and] he’s one of the heart and souls of the team,” said Zukauskas. “He runs so hard and he’s not 100% even. He just battles and it speaks to all those guys… He could’ve waited another week but he was getting back out there no matter what.”
After letting up Ryan’s touchdown, the Golden Eagles locked in and mounted an offensive drive, finished off with a 34-yard touchdown run for running back Ja’Cyion Cox. Springfield Central’s two-point conversion attempt failed – something the Golden Eagles could not complete all night – ending the game 0-5 on attempts.
Just over three minutes later, BC High quarterback Carter Carroll got his first of two rushing touchdowns on the night, both on quarterback sneaks.
In a wild turn of events following Carroll’s touchdown, Springfield Central fumbled after a completed pass, surrendering the ball to the Eagles, just for the Eagles to fumble the ball back to Springfield Central on a completed pass of their own.
BC High took a 20-6 lead into halftime and the Golden Eagles did not help their cause on the first offensive possession of the second half. Three false start penalties forced a punt into the wind, setting up the Eagles around midfield.
Tight end Matty Duddy was the recipient of a Carroll strike just over the goal line to bump up BC High’s lead to 27-6. He was one of five different players that added a touchdown to the home team’s performance.
“I think that’s what we want to do,” said Zukauskas. “We try to have everyone that’s talented touch the ball and try to stay multidimensional on offense.”
Isaiah Rodgers – who was the Golden Eagles leading rusher on the night – cut the lead to 27-12 with a short yardage touchdown run. Wide receiver Kyle Pickering put Springfield Central in the position to score with a massive reception a few plays beforehand.
On the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, running back Jackson Richard joined the scoring party on a goal line touchdown run, giving BC High a 34-12 lead.
Then, the Golden Eagles started to make things interesting. Cox broke free along the left sideline again for a 24-yard touchdown. Under a minute later, Springfield Central defensive back Xavier Thomas intercepted a Carroll pass and brought the ball all the way back to the red zone. The return was negated due to a personal foul that brought the ball back to the Golden Eagles’ 30-yard line.
It didn’t hinder the SC offense though, as Devon Brown reeled in a deep pass from quarterback Jareth Staine for a touchdown, bringing the score to 34-24.
Springfield Central made a massive stop on fourth down on defense to give the offensive unit a chance to cut the lead to one possession. The Golden Eagles quickly put another six points up on the board thanks to Rodgers getting the job done on the ground.
At 34-30, BC High was on the verge of being on the wrong side of a major comeback story. That was until a gutsy play call on third down saved the Eagles from disaster.
In a play wherein the whole offense slid to the right, wide receiver Conrad Babka was left wide open on the left side of the field and hauled in a pass, scampering 56-yards all the way down to the one-yard line. Carroll put the nail in the coffin, getting BC High’s final touchdown.
“We threw that play week one,” said Carroll. “We didn’t hit it against La Salle but came right back to it and we hit it when we needed it the most… We knew we needed to use it in the biggest situation possible. Coach [Chris Miller] – he’s the best [offensive coordinator] in the state. To have the courage to call that on third and long, trying to go to the final four, it says everything about BC High.”
Springfield Central scored a touchdown as time expired, but it only had an effect on the final score.
“You knew Xaverian was gonna be in it,” said Zukauskas. “We had a good game [versus Xaverian], so you knew how talented they were. They missed a player [and] we were down a couple of players too… I’m hoping we’re healthier than what we felt like at the end, but it’s gonna be a battle. They’re a great football team. They’re really well coached. It’s exciting to play in a game like that.“
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” added Carroll. “We’ve been dreaming of this since freshman football. I’ve been repeating it to my friends all week. We’re living this dream and we gotta keep it going.”
