Blue Hills football team falls to Shawsheen Tech in Div. 4 Super Bowl

By Tony Catinella
Citizen Staff

After a hard-fought game, the Blue Hills football team’s quest for a championship came to an end Saturday, as the Warriors fell to the Shawsheen Tech Rams 20-6 in the Division 4 Super Bowl at Curry College.

“They left everything they had on the field,” said Blue Hills head coach Ed Catabia of his players. “They played above and beyond their potential.”

Like every single game of their superb season, the Warriors (10-1) played tough, hard-hitting football.

Determined to capture their first-ever MIAA Super Bowl title, they battled on every possession. And even as they went into halftime trailing 6-0, they never panicked.

At the end of the third quarter, the Blue Hills running back duo of sophomore Vincent Burton and junior Isaiah Teixeira stormed through Shawsheen’s powerful defense. Just before the end of the quarter, Teixeira scored his seventh touchdown of the season, tying the game 6-6.

“We were hoping that we could hold on to that tie and bring the game into overtime,” Catabia said.

But on Saturday, on the biggest stage of Division 4 football, the Warriors could not hold off Shawsheen, a large technical school from Billerica.

The Rams broke a fourth-quarter tie with two late scores — first, a 25-yard touchdown run by Shawsheen’s Steve Reynolds with under five minutes remaining, followed minutes later by an interception return for a touchdown to secure the championship win.

The victory marked the first-ever Super Bowl title for Shawsheen and only its second appearance in an MIAA state final.

As for Blue Hills, even though they fell short, Coach Catabia couldn’t have been more proud of his team. They finished the season with a 10-2 overall record and outscored their opponents 316-148.

“The kids responded to what the coaches were telling them,” Catabia said. “They bought into the program and stuck together … they had one mindset each week, and that was to go out and beat the other team.”

After losing to West Bridgewater in their season opener on September 10, the Warriors reeled off ten straight wins, capturing the Mayflower Athletic Conference championship for the first time since 2007.

“Between the first and second game, it was the biggest jump I have ever seen in one team,” Catabia said. “The kids had a complete turnaround. It was amazing.”

They went on to defeat Case High School 32-8, plowed through East Boston 40-22, shut out South Shore Regional Vo-Tech 22-0, and secured a Super Bowl berth by defeating Bristol-Plymouth Vo-Tech on Thanksgiving Day. Among their many memorable wins, the game that Coach Catabia remembers most is when defender Alex O’Donnell returned an interception for a game-winning touchdown against Worcester Tech.

Conference Secretary David Balch was thoroughly impressed with the Warriors’ season. “They had a real good coaching staff,” he said. “It’s been a team in progress for the last three to four years, and they were a force to be reckoned with.”

The Warriors will have a bright future ahead of them as their two top scorers, Burton and Teixeira, will return next season. Only a sophomore, Burton finished the season with over 1,400 yards rushing, 30 touchdowns and 11 two-point conversions. Teixeira finished his junior season with seven touchdowns and 12 two-point conversions.

Although the Warriors’ season ended in a loss, players and coaches are already looking forward to next season. They now know what it takes to reach a Super Bowl, and more importantly, they know what it’s like to play together and have a special season.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Dec 9 2010. Filed under Beyond CHS, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.