LOWELL — In an even Division 7 state semifinal between teams with similar styles, West Boylston pulled away with three unanswered scores in the second half to top Amesbury, 33-20, Friday night at Cawley Stadium.
The top-seeded Lions (10-1) will meet St. Bernard’s in the D7 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium (TBA).
“It feels good to be there. Now we just got to win it,” said West Boylston coach Mike Ross. “[Amesbury is] a tough, tough team, and we’re just lucky enough to get the win. I couldn’t be happier.”
Both teams leaned on their double-wing offenses to try and grind out long scoring drives. The Lions struck first with Jamie McNamara (17 carries, 167 yards, 2 TD) scoring from 2 yards out, and Amesbury (8-2) responded quickly when Mike Sanchez (13 carries, 157 yards, TD) burst up the middle for an 82-yard score.
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The sides were tied, 12-12, at halftime, with each defense stopping a pair of two-point conversions.
In the second half, No. 4 Amesbury blinked first with a turnover on downs, and West Boylston capitalized.
Junior Connor Muldoon broke a 12-yard touchdown on a toss play, added a 23-yard touchdown on an inside reverse, and tallied his third touchdown of the second half from 35 yards out. Then Muldoon (7 carries, 93 yards) put a bow on his performance with an interception late in the fourth quarter.
“We had to play clean, mistake-free football,” said Amesbury coach Colin McQueen. “We knew it was going to be a war of attrition, and it was. I’ve got a whole lot of respect for what they do over there and I think that’s mutual.”
Amesbury now looks ahead to a Thanksgiving showdown with Newburyport (6-4) for a chance to finish 6-1 atop the Cape Ann League.
“It wasn’t our night tonight, but I’m still incredibly proud of this group, and excited for what is ahead of us,” added McQueen.
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