MARBLEHEAD — Due to the respect he had for all of Marblehead's weapons, Swampscott High football coach Steve Dembowski couldn't build his entire defensive game plan to stop Magicians' receiver Alex Haigis yesterday.
Haigis was on the Big Blue's radar screen, but he still burned them big time, making eight catches for 165 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a drama-filled 32-27 victory that gave Marblehead (9-2) its first Northeastern Conference title in 36 years. The win advanced the Magicians to Tuesday's playoff game against Rockland (site and time to be announced).
Haigis, a senior, hauled in a 27-yard scoring pass from quarterback Hayes Richardson in the first quarter to give the Magicians a 6-0 lead. But far more important was the 13-yard game-winning catch with 56.9 seconds remaining.
Richardson, who had some sort of unspoken communication with Haigis in this epic Thanksgiving Day game, did a sensational job of spreading the ball around. However, Haigis' performance is the one that Marblehead fans will be talking about for decades.
"I suppose I'll have to check (the game film), but Haigis may have been the MVP of the game," said Marblehead coach Jim Rudloff.
Haigis, who had 15 receptions in the regular season, said he was able to deceive Swampscott's defense for the game-winning touchdown.
"They were (defending) me for the slant plays, but this time I did a fake slant and go," he said.
Other than that, Haigis didn't want to dwell on his own performance.
"I really wanted to win for the whole team," he said. "I've been playing with these guys since third grade and I love playing with these kids. Nothing else matters except the Super Bowl, but we had to do this first."
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Dembowski lamented the three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) that possibly cost his team the game.
"We didn't think they could beat us with the passing game," said Dembowski, alluding to Richardson, who was on fire in going 14 for 25 for 244 yards and three touchdowns. "But those turnovers we had gave Marblehead field position and they capitalized. We made more mistakes than they did."
Still, he was proud of his team, which overcame a 26-7 deficit to take a 27-26 lead in the fourth quarter before Marblehead closed it out.
"We had 13 seniors and we are what we are," said Dembowski. "I didn't think this group would be this good. We came within minutes of a three-peat (for the NEC Small championship)."
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Rudloff had such admiration for Swampscott quarterback Matt Barbuzzi (16 for 23 for 218 yards) that he didn't dare overdo the blitz. Still, increased pressure by the defense in the final minute paid off handsomely.
"It's exciting as a coach to talk about the blitz and how you're going to get to the quarterback, but the reality is that you're not going to get to (Barbuzzi) too often," said Rudloff. "He's too quick and he's too good. We didn't expect the sacks, but we got some great individual defensive plays there at the end."
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Rudloff on Richardson's performance: "He proved today why he's the (NEC Small Co-) MVP, as did Barbuzzi. Hayes was terrific executing the runs and the passes, checking off and running the two-minute offense. He's the catalyst for this team. I can't say enough about Richardson; we're lucky to have him."
Then there was Comeau's comment on his quarterback: "He's the best in the business."
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The debate will rage about whether this was the best Marblehead-Swampscott game of all time. But given the magnitude of the contest, there seems to be no question that it will have to rank very high on the list.
"Last year's game (a 21-13 Swampscott win that sent the Big Blue to the playoffs) was the best until this happened," said Rudloff. "From Marblehead's perspective, this one-ups last year's game."
