History, Persistence As Wakefield Beats Milton In DIII Super Bowl

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The Wakefield Memorial High School football team arrived at Gillette Stadium on Saturday for this year’s Division III Super Bowl undefeated through the 2022 season to date.

Facing top ranked Milton the team pressed for one more win in a season that coach John Rafferty said had already seen players thrive in an underdog role.

“They’ve been fighting the odds against them since they started back in late August,” he said after the game. “…Nobody thought they would be worth anything (but) they just kept on marching.”

Wakefield players looked to prove any doubters wrong this weekend, ultimatly defeating Milton in Foxborough to win their program's first state championship since 1999.

“They are resilient,” Rafferty said. “They don’t give up.”

Wakefield opened the scoring against Milton in the second quarter with a rushing touchdown by quarterback Javin Willis.

Milton answered later in the quarter on a run by Jack Finnegan. Wakefield struck back before the end of the half, retaking the lead on a touchdown by running back Nathan Delgado.

Teams then traded touchdowns to start the third quarter before Wakefield scored again on another rush by Willis. The Warriors added a two-point conversion to take a 27-13 lead.

Milton scored early in the fourth quarter. But Wakefield answered with just over four minutes left on the clock. Wakefield ultimately held on for the 34-28 win.

Willis finished the game with 186 passing yards on eight completions in addition to his two rushing touchdowns. He said a diversified offensive attack on the ground and through the air helped Wakefield get past Milton’s defense at crucial points.

“We just kept driving the ball,” he said. “It was great.”

Milton, which won in its quarterfinal game by just four points, navigated an even slimmer two-point margin of victory in the state semifinal over Hanover.

Familiar with close games, Rafferty said, Milton left Wakefield with “no margin for error” in this matchup.

“Did we play perfectly?” he said. “No. But we kept on hanging. We kept on fighting.”

Like Wakefield, Milton also played to a perfect record in the 2022 regular season, posting a 7-0 win-loss tally to earn the number one spot in state rankings. Milton got by Minnechaug, Marblehead and Hanover in the postseason to punch its ticket to Foxborough.

Wakefield moved through the 2022 regular season with its unbeaten record, earning sixth place in weighted MIAA power rankings. The Warriors then entered this year’s playoff bracket, beating Masconomet, Plymouth South and North Attleborough to secure a spot in the Division III Super Bowl.

Nathan Delgado posted 54 yards and two touchdowns on 18 rushing carries Saturday. His brother, Christian, added 119 yards on 12 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Christian also had 52 receiving yards on three catches.

Standing with his brother after the game, Nathan said this season and the win that ended it will stick with him.

“They’re going to be my brothers for life,” he said of his teammates. “We’ll remember this for life.”

“We just kept working, kept practicing, kept executing,” he continued. “We came together and made history.”

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