41-7 Revere blowout returns Melrose to Gillette Stadium
Published November 22, 2019
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—Secure the buses to Foxboro, Mayor Brodeur. The Melrose Red Raider football is returning to the Super Bowl.
The Div. 4 North champs punched their ticket to the greatest show of all—a Super Bowl at Gilette Stadium—after a 41-7 walloping over Revere that earned Melrose their second sectional title in three years and fourth sectional title in six. The Red Raiders (10-0) will compete in the Div. 4 Super Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 7 when they face the winner of Plymouth South and Tantasqua at a time TBD at Gillette Stadium.
It’s been a Cinderella season for Melrose, flawless at 10-0, who boasts a staggering point deferential that has seen them outscore opponents 410-98 in ten games with an average of 41 points for and 9 against. It’s unclear if it’s a school record, but it’s certainly an indication of their caliber of talent and depth of roster.
THE MELROSE Red Raider football team celebrates their Div. 4 North trophy last Friday after beating Revere, 41-7, to punch their ticket to the Div. 4 Super Bowl to be held on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Gillette Stadium. (Steve Karampalas photo)
The 9-1 Revere Patriots came into the Div. 4 North title game undefeated and with a lot of swagger, plus a lights-out running back Joe Llanos and swell of local fans who made the ten-minute jaunt into Melrose to join the capacity crowd that rivaled Thanksgiving attendance. Seasonable weather also gave the Red Raiders all the audience support they could ask for.
Chris Cusolito was a beast for Melrose with 4 touchdowns and 200 yards—simply unstoppable. Melrose quarterback Brendan Fennell is getting better each game and Friday was no exception. He threw for 160 yards (7-8, 2 TDs), including an opening drive touchdown run that gave Melrose an early 7-0 lead.
“We just played like we always do and we had a great week of practice,” said senior captain Cusolito after the game. “We wanted to play as hard as we can against a good team.”
Coach Morris couldn’t have been more happy with the Red Raiders’ defensive gem. “We did a great job with the running game, and I think a lot of teams probably couldn’t stop them,” he said. “We at least slowed it down to the point where we could get the ball and do some damage.”
Revere, led by running back Llanos, challenged Melrose but Red Raider defense did a tremendous job limiting them, including Llanos, who had over 20 touchdowns this season, to about 80 yards with no touchdowns. “Obviously, he is a great player and I’m proud of our guys containing him,” said Morris.
THE DIV. 4 North Champion Melrose Red Raider football team celebrated with their sectional trophy after beating Revere, 41-7, to earn a trip to the Super Bowl. (Steve Karampalas photo)
Melrose’s Fennell led the Red Raiders during opening possession on a 57-yard drive that culminated in his six-yard touchdown run and a good kick by Zach Federico made it 7-0. Revere looked poised to score on their next possession after running the ball all the way to the 7 but a game-changing interception by Melrose’s Charles Haggerty in the end zone denied the Patriots a score and seemed to shift the momentum to all Melrose.
“Any time you can pick one in the end zone, it changes the game,” said Morris. “He’s [Haggerty] done a great job for us as a junior. I think that’s his eighth interception of the year.”
Cusolito had the crowd on their feet on his next act: a tackle-breaking 36-yard run that culminated on a 10-yard TD to help Melrose take a 14-0 lead. Right before the half, Melrose capitalized on a fourth and 6 scenario when quarterback Fennell broke through a bevy of Revere linemen and found Cusolito open for a 13-yard that gave Melrose a 21-0 lead at halftime. With a fairly cushiony lead going into the break, some Revere fans headed for the exit while Melrose fans had dreams of Super Bowl dancing in their heads.
Overall, Melrose’s running game (headed by Cusolito) was not going to be denied. Says Morris, “Chris has been doing this all year and we’re lucky to be able to spread the ball out to our other guys too: Billy Pesce and Matt Hickey. All three have done a great job with the run game.”
The Cusolito Show continued strongly in the third quarter when #3 took a handoff to the outside was gone: a massive, 70-yard rushing touchdown that gave Melrose a 28-0 lead that officially took the air out of the tires for the Patriots. Revere could find the end zone just once, when quarterback Calvin Boudreau threw a touchdown pass to Billy Byrne-Ginepra in the third quarter but otherwise ran into a wall from sacs by Mical Duntin, Micye Duntin, Jared Karelas and Billy Pesce. With 10:05 left Brendan Fennell tossed an impressive bomb on third and seven into the capable arms of receiver Sean Herbert. From there, Cusolito finished his magic act: a ten-yard touchdown run that made it 34-7. Not done, Melrose would score one more time when Matt Hickey paved the way for a touchdown after a 30-yard rush. Billy Pesce found the end zone for a final score of 41-7.
After the game, Morris saluted his squad. “Our group is a fun team to coach. We’re a senior-heavy group so there is a lot of leadership on this team. They are a very tight-knit group of brothers.”
No doubt, their captains, Chris Cusolito, Sean Herbert, Billy Pesce and Jared Karelas, who won the Super Bowl in 2017, wouldn’t mind adding another Super Bowl ring to the repertoire.
We’re on to Foxboro.
