Copyright The Boston Globe
“The defense has been playing great lately” said Archbishop Williams coach Mark Landolfi. “They don’t quit. They watch film nonstop and they’ve been working hard in practice.” With two minutes, 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter, freshman quarterback Hudson Garrity fumbled at the Swampscott 2-yard line. The Bishops defense needed one last stand. On fourth and 1, Santiago stopped running back Will Bush at the line of scrimmage to preserve the win. Swampscott (6-3) struck first early in the second quarter on a 55-yard screen pass from quarterback John Von Barta to Bush. “The screens killed us, but other than that, we held them pretty good” said Landolfi. The Bishops (9-0) answered on their next possession. Garrity (9-of-16 passing, 155 yards) connected with sophomore Jadon Beatty for a 64-yard touchdown. Garrity connected with Nelson on the ensuing two-point attempt to put ABW in front, 8-7. Eight seconds into the final quarter, Garrity added insurance with an 8-yard run, powering through multiple defenders for a 14-7 lead. Archbishop Williams travels to No. 3 Hanover for a quarterfinal, which is an interesting twist. Landolfi and his brother, Chris, an ABW assistant, had reverse roles, with Chris the head coach at Hanover, before returning to their alma mater with the Bishops before last season. “[The Hanover] coaches are friends of ours” said Mark Landolfi. “It was hard to leave Hanover but coming back to Archie’s has been great.” “To be able to do this, it means a lot. Unfortunately, we have to go back to Hanover. They’re good. They’re friends. My daughter is a cheerleader on the team. It’s not easy. I wish it was somebody else, but we’ll go down to Hanover and do our best.”
