WORCESTER, Mass. - Northbridge's defense withstood a last-minute Millbury drive finishing off a 19-14 win with a Ben Direnzo sack as time expired. Quarterback Joel LaChapelle connected with Direnzo on two touchdown passes, the second coming late in the third quarter to give the Rams the lead for good. Northbridge also received big contributions from Adam Flauto and Nate Falconer on the defensive side of the ball. Sergio Hernandez led the way for Millbury on the ground and Abdul Bangura intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter. The Rams avenged a regular season loss to the Woolies to advance to the Division 7 semifinal against rival Uxbridge next week.
Unbeaten Uxbridge rolled to a 42-0 win over previously unbeaten Gardner to extend its winning streak to 24 games. Cam LaChapelle, Rogan Devlin and Thatcher Sweeney accounted for the Spartans first three scores and Shane Gilmore sparked the defense early. The defending Division 7 state champion will now Northbridge twice in the span of a week as the two teams are Thanksgiving Day rivals.
Grafton set the tone on the opening drive en route to a 35-0 Division 4 win over Marblehead. The Gators controlled the line of scrimmage and Finn Gilmore ran tough, capping Grafton's first two possessions with touchdowns. Sean Griffin connected with Jake Robertson to keep Grafton's second drive alive and keep the momentum with the home team. The Gators defense posted its fifth shutout of the season led in part by John Schofield who helped lock down Marblehead's running game.
Highlights from these games, plus Clinton and Hudson's wins in the video above.