On the bubble for 16-team Div. 3 state tournament

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

WILMINGTON — In the end, Wakefield needed just one more yard.

Trailing 30-22 at Wilmington High in double overtime on Friday night, Warrior QB Javin Willis (55 rushing yards, 1 TD; 80 passing yards, 2 TD’s) tried a sneak on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line but couldn’t break through a tough Wildcat front, bringing an end to a wild game – Wakefield’s second consecutive overtime loss.

“It was a 50/50 ball game,” said Wakefield head coach John Rafferty. “Often times, these closely contested games come down to one or two plays.”

All the Warriors can hope for as they await today’s playoff seedings from the MIAA is that coming up one yard short isn’t a metaphor for their state tournament dreams.

Entering the game as the No. 16 team in Div. 3 according to the latest power ratings, Wakefield will now see how a loss to a Div. 4 playoff-bound team affects their chances. According to the latest projections, the Warriors still have a chance to land the 16th seed – the last team in the bracket and potential matchup with No. 1 Marblehead in the first round.

Wakefield might even find themselves in the thick of controversy within the MIAA’s new system, where a team’s record is not the only factor. The final spot in the Div. 3 bracket will likely go to either the 4-3 Warriors, 6-2 Norwood or 6-2 Revere. Other factors in the MIAA’s new algorithm include strength of schedule and margin of victory, something that just might keep Wakefield in as they have outscored opponents 176-13 in their four wins.

The final seedings will be announced after press time today. Follow our Twitter account @Wakeitemsports for updates.

The final score in regulation was 14-14. Wakefield took a 7-6 lead into halftime after Willis connected with Christian Delgado for a 10-yard score as the buzzer sounded. That play was created by running back Leo Yardumian (22 carries, 155 yards) who broke a 48-yard run to set up Wakefield on the Wildcat 10 with five seconds remaining.

Willis extended the lead with three minutes left in the 3rd quarter when he hit junior classmate Ian Dixon on a similar roll out on 4th-and-7 for a 24-yard TD. Up seven, Wakefield sent out Mark Letchford who hit his second PAT of the night to make it 14-6.

The Wildcats responded well with a six-minute, 68-yard drive culminating in their own 4th down passing touchdown as Pedro Germano connected with his brother John Germano for an 11-yard score with eight minutes left. Gavin Erickson, whose 54-yard TD run in the 2nd broke a 0-0 stalemate, punched it in on the two-point conversion, foreshadowing the overtime battle to come.

The Warriors turned it over on downs but the defense got it back, forcing Wilmington into a turnover on downs with 1:15 left after the Wildcats brought it from their own 32 down to the Wakefield 12. Dixon made a couple of nice sticks on 2nd and 3rd down before an incompletion on 4th-and-2 gave it back to the visitors.

Willis found Nathan Delgado up the seam for a 33-yard connection but time eventually ran out.

The Warriors kept the rock in Willis’ hands in the first overtime – where both offenses get a chance to score on 1st-and-goal from the 10 yard line. He kept it for seven yards on first down, one yard on second down and reached across the plane from two yards out to make it 20-14. Fittingly, Willis sneaked in the two pointer to make it 22-14.

“He played well, especially in timely situations with the touchdown passes to Delgado and Dixon,” said Rafferty of Willis. “He was very solid. He’s played well all year.”

Wilmington’s response came from their own QB, Pedro Germano (10-for-16, 89 yards, 2 TD’s) who found Tommy Mallinson on second down for a 14-yard score after the Warriors had pushed Wilmington back four yards on first down. Germano then connected with John Germano again on the two pointer to even it up.

Wilmington went first in the second overtime. A 7-yard Germano pass brought it from the 10 on 3rd down to the 3. The QB then kept it for a 3-yard score on 4th down and Erickson followed with another two-point run as the Wildcats went up 30-22 before making their final goal line stand.

“The kids tried their best,” said Rafferty. “It was just a tough game.”

In the Boston Globe’s unofficial final power rankings, Wakefield was listed as the No. 16 seed last night. This morning, after the rankings were edited, the Warriors were listed as the No. 17 team with Norwood in at 16 after they beat 1-7 Westwood 41-34 on Friday night.

Norwood has defeated one projected playoff team, toppling 3-5 Stoughton (12th, D3) 21-14. They also beat 2-4 Falmouth (24th, D4), 0-8 Medfield (36th, D4), 3-5 Hopkinton (30th, D2) and 3-5 Holliston (23rd, D4). Their losses came to 2-6 Silver Lake (20th, D3) and 8-0 Ashland (8th, D4).

None of Wakefield’s four wins came against projected playoff teams: 1-7 Greater Lawrence (31st, D5), 4-4 Belmont (25th, D2), 0-8 Burlington (30th, D3) and 1-7 Winchester (31st, D2).

However, all three of their losses came to surefire playoff teams: 8-0 Stoneham (1st, D6), 5-3 Watertown (10th, D5) and 5-3 Wilmington (11th, D4).

The new power rankings might be far from perfect, but the reality is that teams like Wakefield and Norwood are about as even as it gets.

Should Wakefield earn the nod for No. 16, they would travel to Marblehead, the overwhelming favorite for the top seed in Div. 3, for a first round game on either Friday or Saturday.