WATERTOWN – A game between two of the top teams in New England lived up to the hype and then some on Friday evening.

Tabor visited BB&N for a showdown between two 6-0 teams atop the ISL. With one game each remaining in the regular season, this showdown would determine who gets a share of the league title with a chance to close out the outright championship next weekend.

The Knights built a 13-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but had to survive a final pass attempt from Peter Bourque inside the red zone as time expired to secure a 28-22 win.

Bo MacCormack had a hand in the final play on defense and also dominated the game on offense. MacCormack had 40 carries for 304 yards and four touchdowns, providing just about all of the Knights’ offense.

“Our defense is just kind of a bend, but don’t break group and that last drive, they just didn’t break,” said head coach Mike Willey. “Everyone was tired. They just made a great play at the end. Got a little heat on them…just really good stuff.

“Bo MacCormack…there’s not enough adjectives, there’s not enough superlatives. Bo’s in a league of his own. Obviously (he’s) a great player, but watch him be a teammate. Watch him in the weight room. Watch him in class. That kid is an unbelievable kid that happens to be an unbelievable football player.”

Leading 22-15 at the half, Willey decided to go for a surprise onside kick to open the third quarter. It worked and seven plays later, MacCormack had his third touchdown of the game from three yards out. The TD run was set up mostly by a big catch and run from Sam Kelley.

“Coach Rock – who is our special teams coordinator – whispered in my ear, ‘hey we’ve got to do this,” Willey explained of the onside kick decision. “I said ‘absolutely we’re going to do this,’ and then Ellis Barnes comes up with an unbelievable recovery and it was just an awesome play.”

Six plays later, Will Volk forced a fumble on a Bourque carry and Vince Snoonian recovered at the Knights’ 35. Just five snaps after that, Garrett Salit picked off Damon Taylor.

As time ran out in the third quarter, a promising Tabor drive stalled out with a turnover on downs at the Knights’ 27. BB&N had a chance to seal the game with a drive, but had to punt after Tabor jumped offside to turn 4th-&-7 into 4th-&-2, but the Knights wasted it with a delay of game of their own and eventually gave the ball back.

Two plays later, Bourque was picked off by Collin Hoffman – who made an incredible play ripping the ball away from a receiver – at the BB&N 40 with 6:56 left. The Knights went three-and-out, but a great punt from Snoonian pinned Tabor at its own 13. A deep shot by Bourque to Dameer Phifer down to the BB&N 38 was a key part of a seven-play drive that ended with Bourque scrambling in from 18 yards out. Salit’s PAT cut it to 28-22 with 3:22 left.

The Knights recovered the onside kick, but turned it over on downs when MacCormack was stuffed on 4th-&-4 at the Tabor 22. With 52 seconds left, Bouruqe proceeded to use his legs to gain huge chunks of yards. A pass deep over the middle for Trey Grant also helped set up the game’s final throw, which was slightly behind Grant as he ran over the middle just across the goal line, allowing MacCornack to get his hands up as the ball fell incomplete.

Seconds later, the Knights mobbed the field.

“I have to finish that game out on that last (offensive) drive,” MacCormack added. “It is what it is, but the next time we’re in that position I can’t let them have that time to have the ball back and drive down, that’s on me.”

As for the game sealing play, MacCormack didn’t really know what happened.

“I thought they were going to spike it, I didn’t really know what they were going to do,” he said. “They went and ran a play…he kind of threw it like, right over my head. I looked back and saw he was on the ground. I checked (the clock) to see if there was zeros, there was and I just went crazy like everyone else.”

MaCormack started the game with a bang, breaking off a 59-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage. Snoonian added the extra point for the 7-0 lead just 22 seconds in.

Tabor marched right downfield – led mostly by running back Hugo Djeumeni Kemeni (200+ rushing yards) – and eventually worked into a 1st-&-goal situation from the seven. But, a penalty ended up moving the Seawolves back to the 18. Tabor settled on a 32-yard field goal from Salit. BB&N answered with a methodical 10-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown run for MacCornack. The PAT was blocked, keeping it a 13-3 game

Djeumeni Kemeni had an answer on the very next play after the kickoff, busting out for a 64-yard TD run. That PAT was also no good, leaving it at 13-9 after the first. Early in the second, MacCormack punched it in from 15-yards out to cap another 10-play drive. That bad special teams day all around continued as that PAT was blocked.

Just over three minutes later, Djeumeni Kemeni scored from seven yards out, but (you guessed it) the kick was no good.

For the majority of the final 4:48 left in the half, the Knights put together another lengthy 13-play drive that ended with a Snoonian 45-yard field goal that probably would have been good from at least 50, giving BB&N its 22-15 halftime lead.

Usually, BB&N is onto the next opponent within a few hours of the next game, but this one was special.

So special in fact, that Willey may even allow himself, the staff and the guys to enjoy it for 48 hours.

“We’re going to enjoy tonight, probably going to enjoy tomorrow,” he added. “Then, Sunday we’re going to start figuring out how to beat Rivers. We haven’t broken them down at all.

“We look forward to doing that and then we’ll get after it and get back to practice on Monday.”