The Cape Ann Youth Football C league Super Bowl was a battle of heavyweights, featuring the Masco Chieftains versus the Marblehead Magicians.  Masco came into the contest with the league’s top ranked offense and the top ranked defense, while Marblehead boasted the league’s second raked defense and third ranked offense.  The Masco offense is led by the offensive line of Connor Hubbard, Theo Hutt, Harrison Lattimer, Matheous Kartsounis, Sean Bonefant and Diego Gomez, offensive ends Zach Manual, Jack Gilmore, and offensive backs Billy Stevens, Tim Dowd, Bobby Huford, Chris Callahan and Sam Lockhart. On the defensive side of the ball, the Masco defense, which only gave up three touchdowns all year long, includes defensive linemen Simon Kotarski, Wesley Stoops, Robbie Peachy and Colby Fecteau, linebackers Harrison Greenslade, Matt Crowley, Jack Evaul, Bobby McKenna and Ryan Cass and defensive backs Caleb Clark and Jack Wilmot. 

Fueled again by the season long support of the fantastic and award winning cheerleading squad, Masco won the coin toss and elected to receive. It appeared that Masco was off to a great start when Billy Stevens took the opening kickoff and returned it all the way to the Magicians 45 yard line. However, the Magicians defense stood tall and forced a three and out, preventing Masco from getting a first down and forcing a Masco punt.   On the ensuing Series, the Masco defense returned the favor, and Marblehead punted the ball back to Masco. The Masco offense then started getting on track and drove for the games first first down. The Magicians defense then stiffened up, and stopped Masco on a 4^th down with a great defensive play that drove the Masco ball carrier back 20 yards and Marblehead took over the ball in Masco territory.  Once again, the Masco defense held the Magicians to three plays and a punt and the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie.  On the opening drive of the second quarter, Masco began a sustained drive that produced two first downs, but once again the offense was stymied on a fourth down by strong defensive play from Marblehead.  Marblehead’s third offensive series produced the same results as the first two, with the Masco defense holding the Magicians to three downs and forcing a punt.  The Magicians defense then held Masco to a quick three plays and a punt and the magicians took the ball over with two minutes remaining in the first half. Aided by an offside’s penalty, the Magicians offense finally produced a first down before the Masco defense again put the clamps on led by a devastating tackle on third down and short yardage by Harrison Greenslade, and the first half ended with scoreboard still reading 0-0.

The second half began as a mirror image of the first, with the Masco defense playing dominating football and the Masco offense demonstrating patience and continuing to soften up the stout Magicians defense behind the tough blocking and hard running of the Masco offense.  Once again, the field position shifted back into Masco’s favor as the third quarter dwindled to a close. As is so often the cases in such a close football game, a key play occurred to turn the game around. With the Magicians once again pinned deep inside their own 20 yard line and forced to punt,   Stevens collected the punt at midfield and behind some tough blocking by the punt return team, made a great runback all the way to the Magicians 11 yard line. The Masco offense wasted no time in taking advantage of this opportunity, with Stevens taking an inside handoff and following a plethora of blockers into the end zone for a 6-0 lead with a minute left in the third quarter. 

The Magicians offense finally began to pull some rabbits out of their hat on the next drive, using a mix of inside and outside runs  to get two first downs and drive into Masco territory.  The trick backfired however, when a halfback pass was intercepted by Stevens at the Masco 40 yard line. The Masco offensive line then took the game over, wearing down the Magicians defense in a long and sustained drive that consumed a bulk of the fourth quarter and ended with a Tim Dowd touchdown that put Masco ahead 12-0 with about 4 minutes remaining in the game. The magic show ended on the next drive as the Masco defense once again stifled the Magicians offense and Masco took the ball over and ran the clock out to end the game.

Head Coach Ned Stevens commented “ This was a very exciting  and hard fought game between two very strong and well coached teams that really came down to a handful of plays.  Our defense played very tough as they have all season, and our offense was very patient, disciplined and consistent, with no penalties and no turnovers.” Stevens continued “All year long, the kids worked hard, supported each other, listened to their coaches, and were great teammates to one another.   We coaches could not have asked for a better group of kids and we are all very proud of each one of them.” 

On Sunday, both the Masco B Team (7th Grade) and Masco C Team (6th Grade) took care of business by winning their playoff games and now move on to play in the Cape Ann Youth Football League B and C Super Bowls next Sunday.  The Masco B Team shut out North Andover 8-0 in a thrilling hard fought game against a long-standing rival.  The Masco C team played a strong game from start to finish and stormed over Amesbury for a 36-0 win.  The Super Bowl schedule for this Sunday

 is as follows:

Sunday November 10th at Marblehead High School (2 Humphrey Street, Marblehead)

 *   10:00AM - Masco C Team vs. Marblehead C Team
 *   Noon - Masco B Team vs. Marblehead B Team

Let's make every effort to get over to Marblehead on Sunday to cheer on our boys to two undefeated Super Bowl winning seasons!

Go Masco!
Pat Aylmer
President, Masco Youth Football & Cheerleading