Duxbury Football Advances to Quarterfinals With 35-0 Shutout

Duxbury advanced to the Division 4 quarterfinals on Thursday after a 35-0 victory over Nashoba.

The Dragons entered the game as the fourth seed and improved to 7-1 with the shutout of the 13th-ranked Nashoba team. Duxbury built a 21-0 lead by halftime and did not relinquish control in the second half. Senior defensive lineman Colin Murray noted the high stakes of the matchup. "It’s win or go home, so we gave it everything we had," Murray said. "We prepared like it’s the state championship."

Sophomore quarterback Liam Murray led the offense with two passing touchdowns and one rushing score. He completed a six-yard pass to Cole Michelson and a 64-yard strike to Lachlan O’Reilly-Lacks. Murray also found the end zone on a nine-yard carry. Everett Pang added two rushing touchdowns of three yards each to extend the early advantage. Joey Day converted all extra points for the Dragons. The defense, anchored by Alec Wood and Michelson alongside Murray, limited the opposing offense throughout the contest.

Coach Matt Landolfi credited his unit for limiting the opponent’s progress. "You could see they had a tough time moving the ball all game," Landolfi said. "We really took away what they wanted to do, so I’m proud of the defense."

Duxbury will face the winner of the Friday matchup between No. 5 Walpole and No. 12 Westfield. Nashoba, now 7-2, will play a non-playoff game against a team to be determined.

Other first-round results included Scituate’s 21-0 win over Ashland and St. John’s of Shrewsbury’s 58-18 victory over Brockton. In Division 2, Bridgewater-Raynham defeated Waltham 48-7. Mansfield beat Malden Catholic 28-14 in Division 3, while North Attleborough shut out Plymouth South 42-0. Foxborough defeated Apponequet 42-7 in Division 5.

In a close Division 5 contest, Norton defeated Medfield 22-20 on a 41-yard field goal by Andrew Bernstein with 38 seconds remaining. Bernstein, a senior receiver, had previously dropped a potential go-ahead touchdown catch. Coach Jim Artz said the team prepared for situational football before the game. "We didn’t panic," Artz said. "We work on situational football before every game and we worked the clock really well at the end."

Abington won its Division 6 first-round game against Wilmington 46-28. Jack Reilly threw four touchdown passes for the No. 3 Green Wave. Hudson defeated Bishop Fenwick 35-14, and Winthrop upset No. 5 Stoneham 22-6. In Division 7, Rockland beat South Hadley 41-0 and St. Bernard’s defeated Easthampton 49-20. KIPP won 34-13 over West Boylston in Division 8.

Non-playoff games saw Acton-Boxborough edge Beverly 38-35, with Thomas Quirk passing for 304 yards and five touchdowns. Bishop Stang beat Greater New Bedford 42-8, and Brighton defeated Minuteman 36-0. Falmouth won 44-20 over Seekonk, and Framingham beat Holliston 36-30. Methuen defeated Lowell 50-22, and Nauset beat Dover-Sherborn 26-20. Revere won 52-8 against Malden.