Marblehead Football Team Takes Shot At Super Bowl History

MARBLEHEAD, MA —As Marblehead High football coach Jim Rudloff looked out at the Gillette Stadium turf last week there was a little part of him that was looking ahead just a bit.

The coach insisted that the focus was squarely on Thanksgiving rival Swampscott two days later, but he noted that while the returning members of the Magicians had beaten the Big Blue before, no one in the program had ever done what the Magicians hope to do when they take on North Attleboro for a Division 3 state championship at Gillette Thursday afternoon.

"It's funny because everyone grows up thinking about their Thanksgiving game against Swampscott — everyone in Marblehead, that is, who is a football player," Rudloff told Patch during the Super Bowl captains' breakfast at Gillette. "This year, for that to be the secondary game — to be the least-important game (for us).

"We've never won a Super Bowl. So, for us, that's really the most important thing."

The Magicians (12-0) will get a chance to have their turkey and eat it too starting at 3 p.m. on Thursday when they take on North Attleboro (8-3) for the first Division 3 statewide championship in the MIAA's new playoff system.

"This year we would like to win it," Rudloff said. "We don't want to just go. We're not just happy to go."

Marblehead, which last made the Super Bowl in 2017, won a 31-28 thriller against the Blue Blue on Thursday on the leg of Eli Feingold. His 37-yard field goal in the final seconds sealed the triumph after Swampscott had fought back from down 28-20 on a touchdown and two-point conversion just 42 seconds earlier.

Josh Robertson threw two touchdown passes — one each to Connor Cronin and Craig Michalowski — while George Percy had two TD runs.

North Attleboro also had a battle on its hands on Thanksgiving with a 14-6 victory against Attleboro in the 100th edition of that rivalry. Senior Tyler DeMotto had two rushing TDs, while Gavin Wells had the game-clinching interception in the final minutes.

The Magicians entered the Division 3 draw as the top seed and only undefeated team. Marblehead also went unbeaten in the delayed "wedge" season late last winter into spring — giving the returners from last year a chance to go an unprecedented 20-0 in one calendar year with a victory Thursday.

"We ended up being fortunate to have the COVID season, winning seven games, which really helped this year," Rudloff said. "I don't know where we'd be without being able to do that mini-season."

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association reminds fans that tickets for 2021 are on sale via Ticketmaster. No tickets will be sold at the Gillette Stadium Ticket Office. All tickets will be digital and will be accessible via mobile device only.

Fans can access and manage mobile tickets via the Gillette Stadium App which is available on the App Store (for iPhone users) and Google Play Store (for Android users).

The MIAA recommends that fans add mobile tickets to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay to beat busy network connections at the game or event. Additional information on mobile ticketing can be found here.

Tickets are $17 for adults and $14 for students/senior citizens. Children 5 years old and younger will receive free admission. The ticket price includes parking, admission to the games and a game day discount of $3 off adult admission at The Patriots Hall of Fame.

Thursday's tickets are good for all three Thursday games. Re-entry is not permitted.

All concessions at Gillette Stadium are now cashless. There will be machines available that convert cash to Visa gift cards for use at concession stands.

Gillette will also have its"Clear Bag Policy" in place for the Super Bowl.

Masks are not required for vaccinated fans inside Gillette Stadium. However, all unvaccinated fans should wear masks and those attending do so with the understanding they have not tested positive for the coronavirus in the past 14 days, been exposed to a positive case within 14 days and have not experienced virus symptoms for at least 48 hours.

The home team fans —Marblehead — will be on the east sideline and its fans will be seated in sections 104-108. The visiting team fans — North Attleboro —will be on the west sideline and its fans will be seated in sections 110-114.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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