Saturday’s Super Bowl at Gillette pits Melrose v. Nashoba
Published in the December 1, 2017 edition
IT IS all or nothing for the Melrose Red Raider football team who are looking to capture their first ever Super Bowl win tomorrow at Gillette Stadium. Pictured with head coach Tim Morris is senior captain Colin Kiernan and senior captain Adam Caffey. (Donna Larsson photo)
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—After ninety days of competitive football, a league and Sectional title earned and a lot of bumps and bruises, it all comes down to Saturday for the undefeated Melrose Red Raider football team, who return to Gillette Stadium once more to take care of some unfinished business: winning its first Super Bowl.
Melrose (12-0) takes on Nashoba Regional (10-1) in the Div. 4 State Finals at 11:00 a.m. at Gillette Stadium in a winner-take-all game that is years in the making for Melrose football fans, eager to see history made. It represents Melrose’s third Super Bowl trip to Gillette Stadium in four years. Everyone who wears Melrose red is hoping this will be the year as previous efforts (in 1982, 2014, 2015) fell short against Natick and Dartmouth, respectively. Nashoba remains a bit of a mystery as a Central team that is fairly off the radar but they’ve earned Super Bowl titles as recently as 2015. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
On Tuesday, the two teams got a look at each other at the MIAA Championship Breakfast/Media Day held at Gillette Stadium. Captains of the Melrose football, cheering and band were available, along with coach Tim Morris, who walked the Patriots’ turf as part of the media event. Earlier, Melrose and Nashoba faced off for a coin toss to determine home advantage. Winner: Melrose. A good start to a Championship week.
The Red Raiders are just days off of a 35-12 Thanksgiving win over Wakefield (see accompanying story) and a grueling Semifinal win over Hopkinton less than a week earlier. But their starters are healthy and ready to go, according to coach Morris. “It’s been a busy week,” he said. “We’ve had a quick turnaround from the Thanksgiving game. We have had time to watch film, get in the gym and lift, then we were back on the field for conditioning and practice.”
For two senior captains on the team, a return to Gillette Stadium has been a goal since their sophomore years. Both Adam Caffey and Colin Kiernan were part of the last team at Gillette, who fell in a heartbreaker against Dartmouth. It’s not something they have shaken, and this senior class wants to atone for it.
“There is definitely unfinished business,” says senior captain Adam Caffey. “We took that loss during sophomore year and made it motivation. We knew we had to come back here.”
Kiernan agrees. “Seeing the looks on the seniors’ faces at the end of that game is not something we want to go through.”
But for Melrose, what a difference a year makes. “Last year we were a younger team,” says Kiernan. “And after the season ended, we just started working out in the gym as much as we could in the offseason to get better.”
It paid off. Melrose has been simply unstoppable, forging through difficult paths and upsetting a lot of undefeated teams. Playoffs too, were no day at the beach. Kiernan points to the surprising strength of Dracut in the opening round, while Caffey refers to Melrose’s overtime win against Stoneham as a true test for the team. And while playing at Gillette makes it a marquée event, these Red Raiders won’t be intimated by the setting. Says Caffey, “It’s absolutely a huge game, but on the other hand, it’s just another game. We’re going to prepare like we always do.”
Coach Jamie Tucker of Nashoba was on hand to greet media and he spoke about the experiences that Nashoba and Melrose have had at Gillette. “We’ve been here a couple times and Melrose has too,” he said. “They’re obviously a good program and coach Morris does a nice job. I think both teams will be ready to play.”
Of course, the mystery factor between the two teams is a variable both teams must factor. Says Tucker, “We didn’t get a chance to see [Melrose] in the regular season and they didn’t see us, but we’ve had opportunities on film and when Melrose played Hopkinton. It makes it a unique experience for both teams.”
For Morris, it’s important for Melrose to keep their eyes forward, finish the job and save the best for last. “Nashoba is a strong team with experience,” he said. “But we’re telling our guys that’s it’s just another game. We’re here to take care of business. Of course the venue is awesome, but it’s just 100 yards like any other field.”
He summed it up succinctly. “We still want to play our best game of the year.”
