When BC High does what it does best — run the ball and play stout defense — it is a difficult team to beat.
Last night in a Division 1 South quarterfinal against No. 6 Braintree, the third-seeded Eagles did both exceptionally well.
BC High rushed for over 370 yards while its defense blanked the Wamps in the second half, and the Eagles advanced to play the winner of today’s Newton North-Brockton game with a commanding 34-14 victory.
“In the playoffs, every game is going to be tough,” said BC High coach Jon Bartlett whose team was coming off back-to-back losses to St. John’s Prep and Xaverian. “We challenged the guys this week to get back to what we do best, and I thought we did that tonight.”
Leading the offensive charge was running back Danny Abraham. The Eagles junior rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns (46 yards, 1 yard, 52 yards) on just 20 carries, and it was his 46-yard scoring dash on the third play of the game that set the early tone, giving BC High (5-2) a quick 6-0 advantage.
Braintree (4-4) would take a 7-6 first-quarter lead on a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Mitch Nevins on the Wamps’ opening possession, but a 24-yard run from Abraham on the Eagles next drive set up a 30-yard touchdown run from quarterback Connor Cady that gave BC High a 13-7 lead after 11 minutes.
Another solid drive by Braintree to start the second quarter was capped off with an 8-yard touchdown run by Zack Harris for a 14-13 lead. Abraham and Cady, however, led the Eagles on a 73-yard drive, which senior TJ Rothmann topped off with a 1-yard dive that gave the Eagles a 20-14 halftime lead.
And in the third quarter, BC High’s defense showed up. The Eagles held Braintree to three consecutive three-and-outs. And with 3:19 left in the quarter, Abraham finished off a 29-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown to push the lead to 27-14 entering the fourth quarter.
“We made some adjustments at halftime and I thought we played much better defensively in the second half,” Bartlett said.
BC High would finally salt away the victory early in the final frame when Abraham, who had seven carries for 99 yards in the fourth quarter, scored his third touchdown on a 52-yard run, pulling the Eagles away at 34-14.
“We came into this game wanting to reestablish our (running) game,” said Abraham. “I thought tonight we did that and the defense played great.”
Braintree senior Drew Caruso led the Wamps with 109 yards rushing.
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