Times are changing in Swansea. The Joseph Case football team is playing as well as it has in more than three decades. The duo leading the way? Senior quarterback Aedan Borges and first-year coach Mike Cloutier.
Borges embodies the values of the selfless Cardinals. The senior shifted to quarterback this season after previously starring at running back. But it wasn’t until Week 2 that he took command of the offense.
In April, Borges underwent an internal brace procedure to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow — putting his ability to play quarterback in jeopardy.
“At first [the doctors] told me I would miss the first three or four weeks of the season” said Borges. “I didn’t take that for an answer. I worked hard and really grinded in physical therapy.”
Borges did not take any snaps over the summer, or in the preseason, and was at running back for the opener, a 12-7 loss to rival Diman. Over the past eight weeks, with Borges at QB, the Cardinals are 7-1 while averaging 37.1 points per game.
With Borges getting more comfortable each week, the Cardinals offense picked up steam and entered a Week 6 showdown against Fairhaven, the reigning Division 6 champion, riding a four-game win streak with point totals of 21, 31, 64 and 26. The Cardinals lost, 45-37, but came away believing they could compete with any team in the postseason.
“We went on a stretch after Diman that we started to take off on offense and defense” said Cloutier. “You could see the switch flip. The game was flowing really well for us. We knew we were good, but we didn’t know how good until the first Fairhaven game. Fairhaven is the pinnacle of D6.”
Joseph Case desperately wanted a second chance at Fairhaven and the Cardinals got their wish.
Thursday night, the 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound Borges put the 11th-seeded Cardinals on his back, rushing for touchdowns of 1, 2, 6, 22, and 69 yards in a 24-carry, 182-yard performance. He added four extra points, a 2-point conversion and a game-changing 45-yard scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter.
“This year everyone has bought in,” said Borges. “In previous years, players were more into doing their own thing. Everyone has put their ego to the side.”
Case closed out a satisfying 42-37 victory, its first postseason win since 1992.
Next up: a quarterfinal matchup at Abington.
For the season, Borges has rushed for 1,500-plus yards with 19 touchdowns, throwing for another 1,100 yards with 10 TDs.
“It’s the players, not the plays” said Cloutier. “[Borges] is one of the best players I’ve ever seen and been around. There’s something different about him that can’t be taught. He’s so even-keeled, you can’t rattle him. There are so many traits that make him special.”
Cloutier, who previously coached at Dedham and Falmouth, installed a spread offense last offseason, hoping to get Borges and the other skilled Cardinals in space.
To make it work, he needed buy-in, the players to be selfless.
“Coach said we needed me to be the quarterback” said Borges. “I was too scared to make mistakes as a freshman, but this year I wanted to do it for the team.”
Borges, also a standout baseball player, learned to not take anything for granted. Now, Joseph Case is hoping the entire team takes on the mind-set of its leader as it prepares to pull off an improbable run to the Division 6 state semifinals.
Extra points
▪ When Winthrop met Stoneham in the Division 6 first round last year, the Vikings could not stop Stoneham’s double-wing attack throughout a 30-20 loss. Winthrop coach Jon Cadigan said seniors Riley Moccio, Desmond Cassidy, Domenic Spinale, and Michael D’Ambrosio were among the defenders who used that experience as fuel to lead the No. 12 Vikings (5-4) in Thursday’s 22-8 upset of the No. 5 Spartans (5-4).
“I can’t stress enough how personal they took that loss,” Cadigan said. “It’s like they weren’t the same kids this year. It’s rare you get a second chance and I’m so happy they were able to show the type of players that they are.”
Safeties Cassidy and D’Ambrosio combined for 30 tackles. Moccio set the edge with 14 tackles and Spinale rushed for a pair of 2-point conversions on top of a stellar game at linebacker. Also building off last year’s experience, junior Dominic Farrell (three carries, 185 yards) burst for touchdowns of 83 and 94 yards, and senior quarterback Charlie Ferrara played well at the controls of a wing-T attack.
▪ KIPP Academy (7-2) took down No. 9 West Boylston (4-5) Thursday at Manning Field in a key win over a program that made four straight Super Bowls, winning three. Defensive end Armani Rodriguez played a huge role in slowing down the opposition, and Aavian Pena (209 rushing yards) and Danny Ortiz (115 rushing yards) scored two touchdowns apiece to pace the offense.
▪ Danvers survived a close call to keep an undefeated season alive Friday. Zach Fultz rushed for 137 yards, three touchdowns, and a pair of 2-point conversions, and Nate Wise hit Jack Houston for an 18-yard touchdown on one of his two pass attempts as the No. 3 Falcons (8-0) held off No. 14 Bedford (5-4) in a deluge.
Games to watch, state quarterfinals
Division 1: No. 6 Xaverian at No. 3 Central Catholic (Friday, 6 p.m.) — A rematch of the 52-51 thriller that Central Catholic pulled out in Westwood earlier this season will come with much higher stakes at Lawrence Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Division 2: No. 7 Westford at No. 2 Bridgewater-Raynham (Friday, 6 p.m.) — Just how good are the Ghosts? Westford rode a three-headed backfield to a Dual County League title and handled No. 10 Quincy in the first round. Now they look to upset a stout program that has been very strong defensively.
Division 3: No. 6 North Attleborough at No. 3 Marshfield (Friday, 6 p.m.) — While Marshfield runs offense with the utmost tempo, this iteration of Chris Arouca’s team is more run-heavy than in past years, creating an intriguing matchup against the ground-and-pound Red Rocketeers.
Division 4: No. 5 Walpole at No. 4 Duxbury, (Friday, 7 p.m.) — Walpole has been excellent defensively this season and Duxbury has scored 200 points over five dominant wins since a bye in Week 4.
Division 6: No. 11 Joseph Case at No. 3 Abington (Friday, 7 p.m.) — Can the Cardinals continue their Cinderella run by taking down another perennial contender after scoring a big win at Fairhaven? The Green Wave can air it out or go to the ground.
Correspondent Nate Weitzer contributed to this story.