By Tyler Amaral
NEFJ Correspondent
PLYMOUTH – Three point lead, four minutes to go and possessing the ball. It’s an offensive lineman and running back’s dream scenario.
The dream scenario played out perfectly for No. 6 Wakefield as senior running back Nathan Delgado carried the ball five times, picking up 55 yards and sealing the 24-14 road victory over No. 3 Plymouth South with an 11 yard touchdown.
Wakefield (10-0) advances to the Division 3 semifinals to play the winner of Friday night’s matchup between Billerica and North Attleborough at a neutral location next weekend. Plymouth South (9-1) plays crosstown rival Plymouth North on Thanksgiving to finish its season
“It felt awesome. We worked hard as a team all year long. This is what we worked for,” said Delgado after the game. The game-clinching score was Delgado’s second of the night.
Wakefield forced a Plymouth South punt on the game’s first possession. The Warriors then went on a seven play, 62 yard drive for a touchdown. Delgado capped off this possession with his first touchdown.
“(The offensive line) are everything. Without them I couldn’t do anything. They make the holes and I run through them. We play as a team” added Delgado, who amassed 146 yards on the ground.
Wakefield scored again in the first half on a quarterback sneak by senior Javin Willis. The Warriors got the ball back from Plymouth South on a Christian Delgado interception. The Warriors defense was nearly impenetrable through the first three quarters, keeping Plymouth South off the scoreboard, but the Panthers had a fourth quarter rally in them, spearheaded by a powerful rushing attack.
Junior star running back Casious Johnson ran for a game-high 172 yards on 22 carries setting up two Panther touchdowns.
“He’s dynamic. And he was proving that tonight. We did all we could do and we’re fortunate to come out on the top side of the ledger” said Wakefield coach John Rafferty when asked about how hard it is to contain Johnson.
The first touchdown came on a three yard pass by quarterback Cole Brunstrom to Nick McNulty. The second score was a six yard plunge by fullback Heath McGillvray.
Following the second Plymouth South touchdown, Wakefield responded immediately with a scoring drive of its own.
The drive stalled after Willis tripped over his lineman’s foot and took a seven yard loss, but Wakefield confidently trotted out their field goal unit. Junior Mark Letchford calmly booted a 32 yard go-ahead field goal to give the Warriors a 17-14 lead.
Ian Dixon was a force on both sides of the ball for Wakefield making many plays at or around the line of scrimmage on defense while adding 76 yards on four receptions on offense.
“I’m proud of my kids. We got on a bus this afternoon at 3:30. And we trucked down here. Two and a half hours down. We’re in foreign territory. (The Wakefield players) had never been south of Boston for crying out loud” added Rafferty. “Here we are and we come down here and get this accomplished against a very good Plymouth South team.”