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Sometimes, there can be discrepancies in the power rankings. How else can you explain when two teams with identical records are seeded so far apart, and one of those teams has been so dominant over the other in past playoff appearances? You really can’t.
But if you are the Winchester High School football team, you just go where the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) tells you, and play the opponent you have owned in three previous games.
In Winchester’s most recent game prior to Nov. 6’s Round of 16 matchup at Quincy’s Veterans Memorial Stadium, the Red & Black buried the North Quincy Raiders at Knowlton Stadium last year in the exact same round, 42-6.
The final score was somewhat different in this year’s contest, but the nasty, rainy conditions probably played a role in the slow start. But once they got going in the fourth quarter, the Winchester boys cranked it up another notch to dominate the home team, which resulted in a 40-29 victory. It was their fourth straight win over the Raiders in as many as games.
The Raiders were on paper the fifth seed in Division 2, while Winchester was 12th. They each had 6-2 records. The home team did lead at halftime, 21-16, but a 24-point fourth quarter explosion erased that deficit rather dramatically.
The Winchester comeback was fueled in large part by a strong running game. Senior captains Peter Alexopoulos and Dominic Vozzella combined for more than 400 rushing yards in the rain to lead the way.
Alexopoulos, the team’s quarterback, ran for 215 yards and two touchdowns, while Vozzella finished up with 194 yards and three touchdowns. The pair also accounted for all five of Winchester’s two-point conversions. Alexopoulos converted twice. Vozzella had the other three, one on a pass from Alexopoulos.
Coach Wally Dembowski could not have been more pleased with the offensive line that provided the blocks to make it easier for the backs to find the wide-open gaps.
“The (offensive line) did a very good job with their assignments. They all kept their feet moving,” the coach said.
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The Raiders jumped out to an early lead behind their quarterback Cole Doyle, who found James Toland in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown pass. But Winchester answered back with a 34-yard TD run by Vozzella to tie the score at eight.
North Quincy regained the lead on a Gavin Brown four-yard touchdown run later on in the first quarter.
But early on in the second quarter, Alexopoulos ran it home from the one. Following the conversion, the visitors were in front for the first time in the game, 16-15. Doyle, however, then connected with wide receiver Connor Lynch for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders the lead again, 21-16 heading into halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the fourth quarter was much different for the Red & Black. Alexopoulos got it going after breaking free for a 22-yard touchdown run. Vozzella then wore down the North Quincy defense even more with a monster 50-yard run to the endzone to account for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. The visitors now had a commanding 32-21 lead.
After North Quincy scored its final touchdown of the game, Vozzella finally sealed the win with a 13-yard touchdown run.
Dembowski blames the defensive effort that put the Red & Black in a hole early.
“We didn’t help the offense early on,” he simply said.
But eventually, the defense settled down, which definitely helped contain the Raiders offense. Senior captain Will Bolognese and sophomore Marco Winn stopped two of their offensive drives with an interception and fumble recovery, respectively.
“We need to clean up our assignments and techniques on defense and get a little healthier at some positions, but overall, we’re excited to be in the quarterfinals for the fourth year in a row,” said Dembowski. “We are now hoping to get back to the semifinals for the second straight year.”
But first up is Chelmsford, the fourth seed, in a Round of 8 game at Chelmsford on Friday, Nov. 13, starting at 7 p.m. The Lions defeated Algonquin Regional (3-6), the 13th seed, in their Round of 16 game, 49-14.
Counting their opening night playoff wins, both Winchester and Chelmsford now have matching 7-2 records. On Friday night, each team will be playing for the Final Four state banner and trophy that’d then put them just one game away from playing for the Division 2 Super Bowl championship in early December.
Jackson Lewis is a junior journalism student at Boston University. This story is part of a partnership between the Winchester News and the Boston University Department of Journalism's Newsroom program.
