By: Austin Mendes
McGuiggan drops back and looks downfield during Friday's action in Westford
Westford, MA -
A long trip on I-495 north, northwest of Boston is where the battle between Nashoba Valley Tech and Old Colony took place. The winner of this game would advance to play Blue Hills in the MVADA vocational Super Bowl the first week of December.
Another game without workhorse Chris Egan, along with two new names missing, Joe Rubini and Xavier Pratt, left the Cougars down in the numbers category for this matchup. The game kicked off with a big return by senior Jacob Legault, but on the return a hit would cause him to fumble the ball to the Vikings. The Vikings drive would stall out although at the Cougar 9-yard line.
A few small chunk plays would set up a connection between juniors McGuiggan and Taveira, with Trevor making an outstanding jumping catch to put Old Colony on the Viking 25 yard line. From here the Vikings would hold McGuiggan and the Cougars. The 1st quarter would end at a stalement, 0-0.
A run by Nashoba senior Elijah Murphy would put the Vikings up 6-0 halfway through the second after the missed point after kick. The kickoff to Legault would give the Cougars great starting field position. Legault, who fumbled on his first return, brought out a 72-yard kick return to the Vikings 10-yard line. A short 4 play drive would occur for the Cougars, pinning Nashoba on their own 3-yard line.
McGuiggan calls the offense
The Cougars and Vikings would hold each other on their respective drives to bring the first half to a close, 6-0 Nashoba advantage. Vikings QB Murphy Senecal would drive Nashoba down the field on the opening drive of the second half and connect with senior Randy Leblanc for a 20-yard touchdown pass. A good two point conversion attempt would give Nashoba a 14-0 lead. A three and out for the Cougars would put the ball back in the hands of Senecal. He would lead a drive down the field and top it off with a 14 yard touchdown rush, a blocked point after attempt by Cougar Junior Hunter Morrell would give Nashoba a 20 point lead.
Old Colony getting the ball back on their own 25-yard line would be where their second drive begin. McGuiggan would take the snap, roll out left, and heave it deep downfield to Shawn Markham, who was double covered, Markham would haul it in and turn on the jets for a 75-yard touchdown catch and run.
Markham out runs Vikings DB Jorge Huertas on the 75 yard touchdown
Down 20-6, the Cougars defense would hold Senecal and the Vikings to a three and out. A return on the punt by Markham would give the Cougars great starting field position on the Viking 43. Another big play by Markham would set the Cougars up on the Viking 20. The next play, McGuiggan would roll out to his right, make two Vikings miss, 3 more misses later on McGuiggan's best attempt to imitate Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, a 9-yard rush would give the Cougars life. The start of the 4th quarter would be a shifty 7 yard touchdown rush by McGuiggan again for a touchdown, the 2 point rush by O'Neil would bring Old Colony down by 6.
McGuiggan looks for more as Vikings DB Randy Leblanc closes in
Old Colony looks for a stop, Vikings QB Murphy Senecal would give the Cougars exactly what they want. Looking out to his left, Senecal releases the ball right into the outstretched hand of Cougar DE Max Finney, tipped at the line of scrimmage, Cougar junior DT JJ Pelletier caught the pass for the interception. McGuiggan's QB sneak, and McGuiggan's connection with O'Neil on the 2 point conversion would give them their first lead of the night, 22-20 Old Colony.
McGuiggan follows Ryan Letendre (69) into the endzone to put Old Colony up
Nashoba would get the momentum back on their side as a jet sweep to Randy Leblanc would result in a touchdown. The 26-22 advantage for Nashoba would give McGuiggan and the Cougars work to do. A failed 4 play drive would allow Nashoba's running back Elijah Murphy to score, the successful 2 point conversion put Nashoba up 34-22.
With time on the clock, McGuiggan would connect with Taveira, Legault, and Willwerth to bring Old Colony to the Viking 17. A connection with speedy Markham would result in a touchdown, the 2 point pass to Legault would bring Old Colony within 4 with under a minute to go.
Legault hauls in the 2 point conversion to bring Old Colony within 4
Down by 4, 38 seconds to go, Matt McGuiggan would line up with the attempt for Old Colony to get the ball back. The kick by McGuiggan would bounce off of a Viking hands team member, the fight for the ball would begin. Cougars and Vikings piling up fighting for the ball would end with the refs clearing the pile. At the bottom... a Viking hands team member held the football. Nashoba received the ball, going into victory formation. Two knee downs by Murphy Senecal would advance Nashoba to play Blue Hills for the vocational Super Bowl on Friday, December 3rd.
As for Old Colony, the loss would drop them to 6-4 on the season. Their last game on their 2021 season will be against Tri County RVTHS on Thanksgiving Eve.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Shawn Markham
Markham hauls in a pass with Viking DB Anthony Panetta in coverage
The sophomore receiver would be the spark that helped bring Old Colony all the way back against Nashoba. Markham would be a force for Old Colony through the air, on the ground, and on defense. On the defensive side of the ball, Markham was able to disrupt the passes of Senecal. When they were completed, he was in there making the stop to allow Old Colony to regroup. All over the field defensively, Markham made his impact felt against Nashoba. On the flip side, Markham hauled in 6 receptions for 134 yards, including a 75-yard reception for a touchdown, and a 17-yard reception for a touchdown from McGuiggan. On the ground, Markham accounted for 27 yards on 5 rushes.
His final stat line would be:
6 receptions; 134 receiving yards; 2 TDs; 22.3 yards/catch
5 rushes; 27 yards; 5.4 yards/rush
Cougar Statistics:
Passing:
McGuiggan: 12-19; 204 yards; 2 TDs; 2 2-Point Conversions; 134.5 QB Rating
Rushing:
McGuiggan: 12 rushes; 50 yards; 2 TDs; 4.2 yards/rush
O'Neil: 7 rushes; 34 yards; 1 2-Point Conversion; 4.9 yards/rush
Markham: 5 rushes; 27 yards; 5.4 yards/rush
Silva: 3 rushes; 9 yards; 3 yards/rush
Willwerth: 2 rushes; 9 yards; 4.5 yards/rush
Quin: 3 rushes; 9 yards; 3 yards/rush
Thibault: 2 rushes; 2 yards; 1 yard/rush
Receiving:
Markham: 6 receptions; 134 yards; 2 TDs; 22.3 yards/catch
Taveira: 3 receptions; 54 yards; 18 yards/catch
O'Neil: 1 reception; 3 yards; 1 2-Point Conversion; 3 yards/catch
Legault: 2 receptions; 5 yards; 1 2-Point Conversion; 2.5 yards/catch
Willwerth: 1 reception; 10 yards; 10 yards/catch
Defense:
Pelletier: 1 INT
Special Teams:
Legault: 81 return yards
Morrell: 2 PAT Blocks
WHAT'S NEXT: Old Colony will conclude their season on Wednesday, November 24th at 6 pm for their Thanksgiving game vs Tri County RVTHS. The Cougar Cup will be at Oliveira Field in Rochester, MA, the first time the game will be held at Old Colony in it's history.
Author's Note:
Thank you to Stasia Finney and my dad Steve Mendes for pictures from the game.
Link For Photos From Mrs. Finney:
Link For Photos By My Dad:
Thank you for taking your time to read this article!
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