BURLINGTON — All week leading up to Friday’s Division 7 semifinal, St. Bernard’s football coach Tom Bingham had heard about Cohasset’s dynamic duo of Liam Appleton and Will Baker.
After beating Cohasset, 32-19, in Burlington, Bingham would like to introduce you to his own dynamic duo. Damien Jones ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns and Antonio Mancini added 148 yards and one score as the Bernardians advanced to the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium without throwing a single pass.
And that Super Bowl will be an all Central Mass affair after West Boylston beat Amesbury, 33-20, in the other Div. 7 semifinal.
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“We wanted to show everyone we had a dynamic duo,” said Bingham.
St. Bernard’s scored all its points in a dominant first half. Jones made it 8-0 on a 24-yard run plus the conversion. Cohasset cut it to 8-6 when Baker (6-of-14 for 89 yards passing) ran it in from a yard out.
But Jones went right back to work on the next possession, this time scoring on a 26-yard run. Mancini added the conversion and St. Bernard’s was up 16-6 after one.
In the second quarter, Mancini scored on a 4-yard run, added the conversion, to make it 24-6. Baker scored his second rushing touchdown on a 31-yard runto cut the margin to 24-12. But Jones came right back, scoring on a 13-yard run as time expired in the half to make it 32-12.
That score held up through a scoreless third. Cohasset’s last score was Baker hitting Charlie Donovan on a 29-yard pass play.St. Bernard’s closed it out with a 13-play drive that consumed nine minutes on the clock.
While Baker ran for 101 yards and Appleton was held to 20 rushing yards and a pair of receptions for 29 yards, the most important carry of the game belonged to Bernardian quarterback Sal Bilotta. His lone carry was a kneel down as time expired.
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