Party like it’s 1999

THE WARRIORS accomplished their ultimate goal at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night, winning the Div. 3 Super Bowl with a 34-28 victory over No. 1 seeded and previously undefeated Milton. Wakefield finished their season perfect at 13-0. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)

Warriors cap perfect season with 34-28 Super Bowl win

 

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

FOXBORO — “Against all odds,” said head coach John Rafferty as he, his coaches and history-making players were sheparded out of a side exit of Gillette Stadium by MIAA officials on Saturday night, breaking up an epic, postgame celebration between team, family, friends, Warriors past, present and future and yes, one massive Div. 3 Super Bowl trophy. “There isn’t anybody who thought for a second in September that we would end up here. Nobody, nobody, nobody. And here we are.”

It was fitting in a way. Seeded 6^th in the tournament after an 8-0 regular season, the Warriors were meant to feel like sheep in a maze designed by MIAA wolves. Instead, they beat the top-three seeded teams, ending on the biggest of stages against No. 1 and previously undefeated Milton, 34-28, winning Wakefield’s second Super Bowl title ever, joining the 1999 team and finishing the season 13-0.

Three senior captains accounted for 5 rushing TD’s as QB Javin Willis (194 passing yards, 79 rushing yards, 2 TD’s) RB Nathan Delgado (63 rushing yards, 2 TD’s) and brand new RB Christian Delgado (119 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards, 1 TD) carried Wakefield to history.

“It’s amazing. I don’t know how to describe it, I’m speechless,” said Willis.

The Warriors, who never trailed in this one, led 13-7 at the half and held off a furious Wildcat comeback bid in the final two quarters, responding to every Milton score with a touchdown drive of their own.

The most tense possession came after Milton’s Jack Finnegan ran in his 2^nd of 3 TD runs to make it 27-20 with 10:15 left in the 4^th. To the neutral fan, it probably felt like Wakefield had finally lost their momentum. Maybe the 13 core Warriors who play on both sides of the ball were getting tired? Maybe their dream was over.

“Not for a second,” said Nathan Delgado when asked if there were any doubts of a win at this juncture. “No,” agreed his brother Christian. “We knew we had it. We didn’t fold, just played every down with everything we had and we made it happen.”

The Wakefield response was a 64-yard, 11-play drive lasting over six minutes to effectively ice the game. Christian, who hadn’t been a primary ball carrier all season, rushed for 29 yards on the drive. Willis had a 23-yard scamper and Nate punched in a touchdown from 2 yards out to make it 34-20 with 4:10 left.

It was their third straight TD drive of the second half, one of eight drives for the Warrior offense. They scored on five of them, and iced the game by moving the chains on their final one after Finnegan made it 34-28.

As for the underrated Wakefield defense, they made plenty of clutch plays, especially in the first half. With Milton bringing it to the Warrior 33 on their first drive, Joe LaMonica set the edge on 3^rd down and Steven Woish made a diving tackle on star QB Owen McHugh. An incomplete after great coverage in the secondary from everyone including Willis who played defense all game for the first time this year, led to a turnover-on-downs.

Wakefield’s second drive bled into the 2^nd quarter where they faced a 4^th-and-1 at the Milton 26. Willis kept it for a touchdown, scampering past multiple defenders before slamming on the brakes at the goal line to juke his final challenger for a 7-0 Warrior lead.

Finnegan’s first TD tied it at 7-7 and Wakefield later got it back with 2:26 remaining. Wakefield went to air on this drive as Willis fond Woish for 42 yards down the right sideline and two plays later connected with Christian Delgado for 33 yards, bringing it down to the 2. Nathan took it from there, giving Wakefield a 13-7 lead after a missed PAT.

With under a minute to play, senior captain Ian Dixon (2 catches, 79 yards) threw down McHugh for a 12-yard sack on first down, getting the Warrior bench pumped up as they settled in with a 13-7 lead at the break.

Milton moved it well on their first drive of the 3^rd but a hold would force a punt.

The Warriors capitalized, a 13-yard completion to Dixon opening up the field for their Wing-T “Stoneham-style” formation. Milton no doubt saw it on film. But as Wakefield has done all postseason, they made sure to throw in a few wrinkles. The wrinkle on Saturday night at Patriot Place was named Christian Delgado, who took a power to his left and took off for a 60-yard TD run. He followed expert blocking on the play. Nathan, Dixon and Bobby DeFeo (3 carries, 12 yards) sealed the edge, LaMonica (C) pulled to lead the way, Woish locked up a corner on the sideline, Kaiden Johnson (LT) made a block on Finnegan at the second level, David Amyouny (LG) won his matchup and Cade Esposito (RT) and Mark Letchford (RG) took care of business on the weak side. Delgado made one cut towards the sideline to get by a diving safety and put the on the jets from there, swaggering into the end zone for Wakefield’s longest rushing TD of the postseason.

McHugh regained momentum for a roaring Milton fanbase – who once again had a much easier commute than Wakefield fans – with a 13-yard keeper to make it 19-13.

Wakefield’s response was swift.

On their first play of the next drive, an audible from the Warrior sideline alerted Willis to a soft spot in the secondary. The senior then calmly zipped one to Dixon up the seam, the big tight end making a tough, contested catch before taking off across Pat the Patriot at midfield and down to the 14-yard line for 66 yards.

“It’s just amazing,” said Dixon in the celebration afterwards. “We’ve been working for it all year. Nobody believed in us – the 6 seed. We’re here and we won. No words right now.”

Going back to their bunch run formation, Willis kept it on 3^rd-and-5 for a 9-yard TD run, his second of the game and a 27-13 lead.

After the next sequence of counter punches, Wakefield’s knockout blow came on a 17-yard connection from Willis to Woish on 1^st down of their final drive. With nobody defending Woish flanked out left, assistant coach and former Warrior QB Brian Millea called to Willis and pointed right in front of him to the junior WR. Willis hit him in stride and Woish alertly fell to the turf in-bounds to keep the clock running. Later on 4^th-and-inches, Willis kept it again on a fake pitch to move the chains one final time.

As the celebration commenced, a season full of storylines poured out.

The Delgado’s and Willis got a hug from Catholic Memorial head coach John Dibiaso, familiar with their father’s who competed for the coach at Everett High in the 90’s. Jonathan Delgado passed away in 2017. His presence was felt all season, especially at Gillette.

“It’s awesome to make everyone proud: the whole town, my family, my dad – it’s all for him; just glad to make them all proud,” said Nathan.

“It means everything,” said Christian, taking one final moment to soak it all in. “It’s just a dream come true.”

The storyline to those witnessing these Cinderella Warriors for first time was how did they do it all season? How did they go 13-0 with road wins over No. 3 Plymouth South, No. 2 North Attleboro and No. 1 Milton, all with the same 13 or 14 core players on both sides of the ball?

While it’s true that Willis, the Delgado’s, Dixon, Johnson, Amyouny, DeFeo, Max Cusack, Woish, Letchford, LaMonica, Declan O’Callahan, Esposito and Matthew Beaver made up the vast majority of a small rotation, the Warriors reiterate that it took all 46 players to reach this peak.

“How hard we worked, how badly we wanted it,” said Nathan Delgado when asked what he’d remember from this historic season. “All the cold, rainy practices, all the work, we just executed, came out here and got it done.”

“Gonna remember the whole year, the entire team and the bond that we created,” said Willis. “We’ll remember this for the rest of our lives.”

“I don’t have the words for it,” said Rafferty, the senior leader of another undefeated Wakefield team in 1970 who won his first Super Bowl as a coach after 35 years. Rafferty was named the New England Patriots Coach of the Year this morning. “I’m extremely proud. This was a group effort and that’s what it’s all about.”