FOXBOROUGH — Dylan January sprung a trap on the Division 5 Super Bowl’s first play.
Swampscott’s senior running back gashed Amherst Regional’s vaunted defense for 45 yards to the Hurricanes’ 6. The Big Blue ran a trap play, and the Hurricanes filled the gap it created with a backside linebacker. January read the linebacker vacating the space and cut back.
“We over pursued,” Amherst coach Chris Ehorn Jr. said. “I should have had our guys ready to do that a little better and rep that a little more because that’s a big play that they run.”
After Amherst stopped Swampscott’s next two plays, a holding penalty marched the Big Blue back to the 22. Swampscott quarterback Graham Inzana threw a tunnel screen to Andrew Augustin, who weaved through Amherst’s defense to score the opening touchdown 1 minute, 35 seconds in.
It was the first of three times the Big Blue capitalized on a short field after a big play, and Swampscott and beat Amherst, 21-0, at Gillette Stadium, Saturday. The Big Blue won their first Super Bowl since 2007 and ended the Hurricanes’ undefeated season.
“I’m still very proud of what we accomplished this year. I’m proud to be a part of this,” Amherst senior quarterback J.B. Mills said. “This isn’t the way we wanted this to end, but it was a great season.”
Amherst (11-1) struggled to jump-start its offense. The Hurricanes only gained 53 total yards. They were 1-for-12 on third-down conversions and were 1-for-5 on fourth down.
“They blitzed perfectly,” Amherst senior Shane Robles said. “I don’t think we were prepared for that blitz.”
Struggling on offense brought Robles out to punt often. He downed his first kick inside Swampscott’s 20, but the Big Blue rush and the wind complicated his subsequent attempts. Late in the first half, Amherst lined up to punt from its own 6. Robles’ kick only traveled 3 yards to set up the Big Blue 9 yards from the goal line.
“We were in the end zone so I was trying to get them off quick,” Robles said. “I didn’t get the spiral that I wanted, so the wind took it back. It wasn’t good.”
Following an Amherst encroachment, Inzana powered in for a 4-yard score to go up 14-0 with 4:02 to halftime.
The Hurricanes stalled on their next drive and lined up in a punt formation on fourth-and-11. Instead of kicking it, they snapped the ball to Josh Vecchio, who ran for the first down marker. He came up a yard short on the Amherst 40.
“Our running backs are tough guys. They were able to match that physicality,” Ehorn said. “That’s a very physical team – before and after the whistle.”
Amherst forced a punt after turning the ball over on downs when senior lineman Jack Nagy deflected a fourth-down pass with 1:17 to halftime. Mills (6 of 22, 102 yards) connected on a 10-yard pass to CJ Woodfine-Holmes to bring up fourth-and-1. Vecchio picked it up, and the Hurricanes called their last timeout of the half with 41 seconds left.
Zayd Sadiq burned Swampscott’s defense on a go route, and Mills lofted him a clean pass. But Swampscott’s defender grabbed him and drew a pass interference penalty to prevent the completion. It gained the Hurricanes 15 yards and put them into Swampscott territory for the first time. Four incomplete passes later – one by Woodfine-Holmes, the backup quarterback – Amherst gave the ball back to Swampscott to kneel out the first half.
“Sometimes with short fields it’s tough. Offense didn’t have the best day,” Nagy said. “Defense, we did all we could. I’m proud of the way we played.”
The teams traded turnovers on downs to begin the third quarter, then Swampscott committed back-to-back personal foul penalties to put the Hurricanes into Big Blue territory at the 40. Mills threw an interception on the next play, lofting a pass high into the end zone with no receiver to battle for it.
“That’s gonna haunt me the rest of my life, probably. CJ ran on late. It was kind of a miscommunication between me and him,” Mills said. “I can’t just throw it up for grabs like that. I thought I might have gotten it out of the back of the end zone, I was hoping that.”
Amherst’s defense held through the third quarter. The Hurricanes only gave up 185 total yards and held Swampscott to 1 of 9 on third down.
Wonky pass by Mills intercepted by Swampscott. Very tough day for the senior quarterback. pic.twitter.com/lZ9POg0UAN
— Justin Maccagnan (@jmacmaccagnan14) December 7, 2019
“Our defense is incredible,” Mills said. “For the most part they were the same guys they’ve been all year.
The Hurricanes offense just couldn’t generate any momentum with a big play. But they kept trying for them. Amherst faced a fourth-and-8 as the third quarter clock expired. Ehorn stuck to his high-risk, high-reward ethos and went for it. Mills threw a pass running to his right to Woodfine-Holmes in triple coverage. His receiver got his hands on the ball but couldn’t complete the catch.
Swampscott’s Zack Palmer took a touch pass 38 yards on the next play, setting up a 1-yard run by January to go up 21-0 with 9:38 left.
Despite a fourth-quarter fumble that set up Swampscott in Amherst territory, the Hurricanes’ defense didn’t allow any more points.
“I didn’t have any doubts all the way until the fourth quarter,” Vecchio said. “We have a magical team, something special could happen. It just didn’t this game.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.