Duxbury gets back to the basics in Patriot League win over Hingham

DUXBURY — A strong first half kept Hingham within striking distance Friday night, but an overpowering second-half surge from rival Duxbury proved to be insurmountable.

The sixth-ranked Dragons scored 21 unanswered, running away with a 35-9 Patriot League victory at Duxbury High.

Duxbury (6-0) built a 14-0 lead through one, then Hingham (5-2) responded with a promising second quarter to slice the deficit to 14-9 at halftime.

Duxbury was relatively quiet early — by its standards, at least — but the Dragons turned it on when they had to and won convincingly. With games against Whitman-Hanson next Friday and Marshfield on Thanksgiving Day to play, they’re still on track to capture their 14th straight Patriot League title after yet another signature win.

“We played sloppy in the first half, but it was a great second half,” senior captain Chris Walsh said. “That showed what our team can do this year.”

Duxbury 14, Hingham 0, 2:52 left in 1Q. 10-yard TD run from Alex Barlow, then a 2-point pass from Chris Walsh to Trevor Jones. Big gain from Zach Falls helped set it up @GlobeSchools pic.twitter.com/OQJYHDaxiT
— Trevor Hass (@TrevorHass) October 21, 2022

Walsh reeled in a 37-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and added a 34-yard score in the fourth. Junior Alex Barlow (95 rushing yards, 61 receiving yards) added TD scampers from 10 and 2 yards out, senior captain Colin Quinlan hauled in a 16-yard TD late, and Finn Carley and Parker Villarin were everywhere defensively.

Quarterback Matt Festa is on such a streak that a 208-yard, three-touchdown game seemed like a somewhat subdued performance. The Dragons didn’t unleash quite as many explosives as they usually do, but Barlow and Festa worked in harmony to move the chains.

“We kind of just went back to basics,” Duxbury coach Matt Landolfi said. “We went to our basic offense, ran our basic stuff, and ran our base plays. Maybe we should think about doing that more often.”

Gunnar Corey scored a 5-yard TD for Hingham, and Henry Bradshaw drilled a 34-yard field goal, but that was all the Harbormen could muster.

“It’s a great feeling,” Barlow said. “Hingham’s one of our greatest rivals. We always play hard against them. They play their best games against us. It just feels good to win.”

Duxbury’s Chris Walsh, (5) celebrates his 37-yard touchdown catch from Matt Festa with his school's fans in the end zone during the first quarter of Friday night's 35-9 win over Hingham.Barry Chin/Globe Staff

Friday’s high school football coverage:

Trevor Hass can be reached at trevor.hass@globe.com.