The Duxbury Dragons exploded for 21 second-half points enroute to a 35-13 win over the Concord-Carlisle Patriots, enabling Coach Dave Maimaron’s squad to capture their third Super Bowl title and second Division 2A crown in the last three years.

“All year long we’ve dominated third and fourth quarters because of our depth. We start 22 kids and not many teams can say that,” said Maimaron.
Using the dynamic QB tandem of senior Kane Haffey and junior Matt O’Keefe, the Duxbury offense put up close to 300 passing yards with four TD passes, and used its big-play offense in the second half to beat the Dual County League champions, ending their season at 10-3.

“We’ve been using this combo all year, but decided to go with Haffey down the stretch,” said Maimaron. “We wanted to make sure we got Matt some experience in case we are fortunate enough to get back here next year.”

Every facet of the team contributed to Duxbury’s undefeated (13-0) season, and it was special teams that got the Dragons off and running in the second quarter when defensive superstar, senior Denis Maguire, continued his season-long knack for making big plays at key moments in the contests.

“That blocked punt was huge to get us going. We really spent a lot of time this year on special teams and we thought we could get one. We thought Randall might get one from the right side, but Maguire came in from the left. It wasn’t exactly how we drew it up, but it worked,” said the Duxbury coach. “To get those seven points is so important in these playoff games to score first with the short quarters.”

With C-C deep in its own territory on its second possession, Maguire blocked the Patriot’s punt on the goal line, allowing defensive back Reilly Naton to fall on the loose ball in the end zone for a 7-0 lead after Tucker Hannon’s PAT with 8:39 left in the quarter.

The Patriots went to their workhorse on their next possession after senior QB Peter George hit a 36-yrd completion that brought C-C down to the Duxbury 24-yard line. George Crann (32 carries/149 yards) carried four straight times for 10 yards and a first down before scampering around the left side for a 14-yard TD run.  The extra point tied the game at 7-7.

It was now O’Keefe’s turn to show Patriot League opponents what Duxbury has in store for them next year, as the junior took over at QB with less than five minutes to go in the half and the ball at its own 34-yard line.

Running a play that has been one of Duxbury’s most successful all year long, O’Keefe dropped back and hit senior Matt Hallisey wide open down the middle of the Patriot secondary for 40 yards and a first down at the C-C 26-yard line.

Five plays later O’Keefe spotted junior Andrew Buron in the left corner of the end zone for a 9-yard TD pass with 2:10 to go that gave the Dragons a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Coach Mike Robichaud was determined to ride the horse that got his team to the Super Bowl in the second half, and he did just that, as Crann ran it eight times in a 79-yard drive that ended in a 6-yard TD pass to Max Barrett. The Patriots tried to catch the Dragons off-guard with a fake 2-poiny conversion, but it failed leaving C-C with a 14-13 deficit.

It would be the closest Concord-Carlisle would get the rest of the afternoon, as Haffey connected on three straight passes to sophomore Joe Guilfoile (13 yards), junior Don Webber (33 yards), and Hallisey (14 yards and a TD) to take a 21-13 lead following Hannon’s PAT.

Following a fruitless Patriot possession, the Dragons struck for another big-play series, as Haffey hit Guilfoile for 28 yards to the C-C 40, followed two plays later by a beautiful sideline catch by Webber down the right sideline that he took into the ended zone for a 27-13 lead.

Maimaron showed he could be just as creative as his Patriot counterpart, as he faked the conversion and had Hannon throw a pass to a completely uncovered Seamus Connelly in the left corner of the end zone to make it 29-13 with 2:07 left in the third quarter.

A nice kick-off return by the Patriots put the ball at the Duxbury 38, as they continued to plug away with Crann, moving the ball down to the six-yard line. Staring at a fourth down and time dwindling away, C-C went for it and George was taken down by junior Max Randall on the Duxbury seven-yard line with nine minutes left in the game.

It was now up to the Duxbury offense to run time off the clock, and they did it well, going 93 yards in 10 plays behind the running of sophomore Jon Hurvitz and Haffey, and the receptions of Webber (4 receptions/124 yards/2 TDs) and Hallisey. The drive culminated in a Haffey to Webber screen pass in the left flat that went for a game-clinching 39-yard TD run behind the devastating blocks of senior Brett Harasimowicz and freshman Ron Kosharek.

When asked how he would describe this year’s team compared to other Duxbury teams in the past, Maimaron responded, “This is a team and the kids support each other, and the whole town and community supports us. It’s great to be back here.”