Swampscott High Football Team Keeps Title In Town

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Two title shots two years apart brought out a similarly spectacular defensive showing from the Swampscott High football team on the Gillette Stadium turf.

Swampscott dominated Amherst-Pelham, 21-0, for the program's third title at Gillette in 2019, but because of the coronavirus pandemic had to wait two years to defend its crown. The second-seeded Big Blue made the most of that chance Wednesday night with a 14-7 triumph against top-seeded North Reading for the fourth title in school history.

"Back to back, Baby!!" Swampscott coach Bob Serino declared as his players charged the field following a tense final few minutes.

Swampscott (12-1) used a stifling defense and three turnovers to carry a 14-0 lead into the final minutes when North Reading (11-2) put together its only scoring drive. A 99-yard interception return for a touchdown from Swampscott's Xaviah Bascon was brought back because of a defensive holding penalty and North Reading quarterback Alex Carucci scored from a yard out on the next play with 1:42 left on the clock.

The Big Blue recovered the onside kick, and appeared on their way to running out the clock as Bascon ripped off a 35-yard-run and Swampscott pushed inside the North Reading 5, but a fumble gave the Hornets the ball back at the 1 with a prayer of going 99 yards in 67 seconds for their first program title since 1979.

Carucci was able to find Ryan McCullough for a series of sideline passes to gain some daylight from the end zone, but Swampscott's defense once again stiffened and North Reading turned the ball over on downs in the final seconds.

Swampscott's Jake Papazoglou was a disruptive force with pressure in the backfield up the middle all night, while also recovering a fumble, and Jason Codispoti had two interceptions as part of the Big Blue defensive clinic.

Cam O'Brien scored on a 9-yard quarterback rush in the second quarter and Bascon found Cole Hamernick with a 30-yard TD on an option pass for what turned out to be the game-winning points in the third quarter.

Craig Rubino had an interception in the first quarter for North Reading and Sam Morelli recovered a fumble in the second quarter to keep the game scoreless before a 33-yard Bascon run and 15-yard Bascon reception set up O'Brien's TD run with 4:01 left in the half.

When Bascon led the Big Blue down the field for a 14-0 lead on the first drive of the second half it looked like it might be an easy end to the night for the Big Blue.

But, despite a bit of a scare that extended that night a little late, it was an evening to celebrate returning back to Swampscott champions for the second time in two years.

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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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