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Good gravy

Magicians end season on high note with Turkey Day thrashing of Swampscott

BY SCOT COOPER

Both the Marblehead and the Swampscott football teams came to their traditional Thanksgiving Day clash with chips on their shoulders, having seen their dreams of repeating as Super Bowl champions dashed earlier this month.

But only the Magicians were able to take out their frustrations once play started, as they walloped Swampscott, 48-7, Thursday morning at Piper Field.

The Magicians got three touchdowns from junior Chris Dewitt, one on a pass from quarterback Miles O’Neill, one on a 37-yard interception return and the final one another defensive gem late in the fourth quarter, when Dewitt pounced on a Big Blue fumble in the end zone to put an exclamation point on an easy win.

“To close the season with a win like that is great for the team, great for the seniors,” Dewitt said. “We all worked really hard to get to this point. The defense got at it today; the offense got at it today; everybody was doing their part. It was great, a great win. It is always good to beat Swampscott.”

O’Neill opened the scoring in the first on a 4-yard run, and he hit Shane Keough and Zander Danforth for two more scores.

It was a very good day on both sides of the ball, said Magicians coach Jim Rudloff.

“I think the kids were ready to play today,” Rudloff said. “We came out with good energy. Sometimes, we come out overly so, overly aggressive, but we did very well today. We got things going right away.”

The Big Blue, who lost starting quarterback Zack Ryan on the Dewitt pick-six, got an 8-yard touchdown pass from freshman Jack Spear to Elijah Burns in the third quarter, but it was too little, too late, as the Magicians were still up big, 41-7.

Rudloff said that beating Swampscott any time is nice, but this one certainly helped after his team’s playoff loss to Milton.

“The way this game went certainly takes a little of the sting out of the Milton game,” Rudloff said. “We went out with a win. It doesn’t erase the Milton game, but it helps. It’s a good way for this season to end, especially for the seniors, who have been part of something pretty special here.”

Senior running back Eddie Johns was glad his team responded after a very frustrating playoff loss to Milton.

“It was awesome to go out and kill those guys, always good,” Johns said. “We had two weeks to prepare, and we made the most of it, watching a ton of film to get ready, and it paid off.”

Rudloff said that three of his big guns, Danforth with a broken collarbone, Connor Cronin with a torn meniscus and Shane Keough with a torn ACL, competed hard on every play in every game despite their injuries, and are due for some medical attention in the near future.

PHOTOs BY EYAL OREN / WEDNESDAYSINMHD.COM

Zander Danforth turns towards paydirt as the sidelines and stands erupt. Danforth and his Marblehead teammates cruised to an easy victory in their annual Thanksgiving Day game against Swampscott.

Running back Eddie Johns was among the seniors who ended their Marblehead High playing careers with a win. Zander Danforth, Jake Scogland and the rest of the Magicians had plenty to celebrate on Thanksgiving morning.

Saturday, Dec. 3 Time

2 p.m. 8 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 4

TBD

4:40 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 5

5 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 7

TBD

Thursday, Dec. 8

2:30 p.m. 4 p.m. 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10

8 a.m.

3:20 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 4 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 11

2:30 p.m.

Sport

Varsity wrestling (scrimmage) Girls ice hockey (jamboree) Girls ice hockey (jamboree) Boys ice hockey (scrimmage)

Girls ice hockey (jamboree) Boys ice hockey

Girls basketball (scrimmage)

Girls basketball (scrimmage)

Boys ice hockey (scrimmage) Girls ice hockey Girls and boys swimming/diving

Wrestling (quad) Girls basketball (jamboree) Girls ice hockey Boys ice hockey (scrimmage)

Girls and boys indoor track

Opponent

vs. Montachusett Regional Voke Tech vs. Newburyport vs. Austin Prep vs. Concord-Carlisle

vs. TBD vs. St. Mary’s-Lynn

vs. Mystic Valley

vs. Malden Catholic

vs. Woburn vs. Medford vs. Peabody

vs. multiple schools vs. Melrose vs. Masconomet vs. Bedford

vs. Swampscott

Location

At Montachusett At Pingree At Pingree At Edge Ice Arena, Bedford

At Pingree At Essex Sports Center, Middleton

At MHS

At Malden Catholic

At O’Brien Ice Rink, Woburn At LaConte Rink, Medford At Lynch-van Otterloo YMCA

At Wayland High At Lynn Classical At O’Keefe Center, Salem State At St. Anselm College

At New Balance Track, Boston

By the numbers, Rudloff sets new standard for excellence

Marblehead football coach leads Magicians to 128 wins in just 14 seasons

BY JOE MCCONNELL

The Jim Rudloff Era started in 2009, and it marked the rebirth of the Marblehead High School football program.

That year, the Magicians came into the EMass Division 3 Super Bowl game at Gillette Stadium against Bishop Feehan with a 10-2 record. They were the Northeastern Conference Small Division champions, before going on to beat Rockland, 21-12, at Lynn’s Manning Field on Dec. 1 to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in the history of the program.

They then lost to the Shamrocks by the narrowest of margins four days later on Dec. 5, 12-6.

Despite the loss at Gillette, the Rudloff philosophy was now in full swing. Everybody wanted to wear the Marblehead red-andblack uniform. The Marblehead Youth Football League suddenly became the farm system for more success at Piper Field.

Here are some fun facts from that inaugural 2009 season: Marblehead averaged 30.1 points per game, while giving up just 14.1.

Marblehead’s biggest lineman was Ben Koopman (6-2, 268-pounds).

Quarterback Hayes Richardson was a dual threat. He was credited with 17 touchdown passes, while running for the same number.

Offensive lineman and linebacker Matthew Evans and running back and linebacker Evan Comeau were Rudloff’s first Marblehead captains, and 15 seniors made up the varsity roster.

In 2010, the Magicians took a step back with a 5-6 record, but they returned to their winning form in 2011 under the direction of Rudloff as a Division 2 team with an 8-3 record. They lost to Wakefield in the EMass semifinals, 7-6.

The Marblehead boys also ended up 8-3 in 2012. They returned to Division 3 in 2013, and were 9-2 overall, but Tewksbury spoiled their dreams that year in the playoffs.

In 2014, they were 10-1. They began the playoffs by pummeling Somerville, 42-26, but then came Tewksbury again, and for the second year in a row they couldn’t get by the Redmen.

In 2015, Marblehead was 10-2. They were the top seed in Division 3, but NEC rival Danvers surprised them in the Northeast title game, 13-6.

During the Super Bowl year in 2016, the Magicians amassed a 10-1 record, only to lose to Falmouth in the Division 2A game at Gillette, 34-13.

As a Division 4 team in 2017, they were 10-1 overall, 2-1 in the playoffs. The Magicians defeated Wakefield (28-14) and Wilmington (24-17) before losing

PHOTO BY EYAL OREN/WEDNESDAYSINMHD.COM

Football coach Jim Rudloff led his team to a win on Thanksgiving Day over Swampscott, his 128th victory in 14 years at the helm of the Marblehead High program.

to host Melrose (28-20) in the North sectional finals.

Marblehead was 9-2 in 2018, but dropped to 6-4 in 2019, which included a win over Swampscott on Thanksgiving, which began the historic 23-game winning streak.

During the 2020 COVID year with the season taking place in the spring, the Magicians went 7-0. Masco was the fourth game on the schedule, and they were able to upend the rival Chieftains, 35-19. The triumph was Rudloff’s 100th of his Marblehead coaching career, in just 128 games.

The Magicians won three more games that season, and 15 more in 2021, including beating North Attleboro in the Division 3 Super Bowl game to complete another undefeated season with an 11-0 record.

Rudloff’s 2022 squad won its Marblehead is now among that elite group, largely due to one man, who can be counted on to faithfully lead his team to double-digit wins every fall with no end in sight.

first three games before losing to non-league Peabody, 40-7, to snap the winning streak at 23.

They then won their next five games, plus the playoff opener against WhitmanHanson, before host Milton staged a second half comeback in the Division 3 quarterfinals, 24-20, to knock the defending Super Bowl champions out of the playoffs. But they quickly put that heartbreaker behind them to rout Swampscott on Thanksgiving, 48-7.

For the record, that’s 128 wins in just 144 games for Rudloff in 14 seasons along the sidelines. It’s an achievement that has put Marblehead football on the alltime map of great teams in the state.

Over the years, when football fans hear names like Everett, Brockton and St. John’s Prep, they synonymously link them to the sport of football. Now, in this millennium, Marblehead is among that elite group, largely due to one man, who can be counted on to faithfully lead his team to double-digit wins every fall with no end in sight.

Rudloff has built a football culture in Marblehead, and athletes at the earliest age are attracted to it, because they all want to play for him someday.

YoUr ‘LUCKY’ DAY Basketball ‘Friends’ to host Tip-Off Night

Attractions include Celtics mascot, 2008 trophy

The Friends of Marblehead Basketball will host a Tip-Off Night in the gym at Marblehead High School from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

Girls and boys in grades four and up are invited to register. The $20 admission includes an event T-shirt.

The event will feature a high-flying dunking performance from Boston Celtics mascot Lucky the Leprechaun, who will also bring with him the team’s 2008 NBA Championship trophy, with which photos may be taken.

Attendees can also meet and play with the boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams, challenge their teachers to a shooting contest or win the coveted title of “Best Foul-Shooter of Marblehead.”

Dr. Timothy DiFrancesco, owner and operator of TD Athletes Edge, former trainer of the Los Angeles Lakers, will also host an interactive session on conditioning and nutrition.

Raffle prizes will include game tickets and NBA jerseys.

Co-sponsors of the event are the Marblehead Girls Travel Basketball League, Marblehead Youth Basketball Association and Marblehead Recreation and Parks Department.

For more information, email Friendsofmhdbasketball@gmail.com.