MILFORD – Dominic Funke’s knuckles streaked blood along the top of his right hand. But as the Xaverian football senior defensive end went to shake with it, a big smile beamed across his face.
This is one of the lasting images after the third-seeded Hawks’ (9-2) 36-22 comeback win over No. 2 Springfield Central in the Division I state semifinal at Milford Saturday afternoon, as they battled past an arduous first half to advance to their third straight Super Bowl.
Funke was one of several defensive standouts to help the two-time reigning state champions limit the Golden Eagles (9-2) to 207 yards from scrimmage, giving the offense time to finally find the rhythm it needed for a 29-point second half.
Senior quarterback Will Wood (13-for-23, 208 yards, four touchdowns, 59 rushing yards) tossed three touchdowns in that stretch, including the game-winning touchdown to Christian McIntyre (eight catches, 100 yards, two TDs) with 8:12 remaining.
The date of their return to Gillette Stadium is still to be determined. But the Hawks will face Catholic Conference rival No. 1 St. John’s Prep for the title.
“This word is sometimes overused, but I thought (the comeback) showed great resiliency in our young men,” said Xaverian head coach Al Fornaro. “In the end, it’s a team effort at that point. Just be resilient. Say, ‘Hey, let’s go play some football and have fun.’”
“I’m still a little shocked; it’s a surreal feeling,” Funke added. “But I’m just so proud of my guys. We’ve been busting our (butts) since the summer, since the spring. Working hard, this was our goal at the beginning of the season.”
Offense was hard to come by for both groups early on. Springfield Central quarterback Jareth Staine (12-for-20, 121 yards, 29 rushing yards, two total TDs) took advantage of an Xaverian fumble deep in its territory, though, with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kodi Massey (seven catches, 83 yards) for the first quarter’s only score.
And the Golden Eagles went into the break up 14-7 despite just 120 yards from scrimmage. But after a 0-for-7 showing on third-down conversion attempts in the first half, with only 105 yards of offense, Xaverian turned it around quickly.
Wood’s 10-yard run with eight minutes left in the third quarter was Xaverian’s first third-down conversion of the game, and he hit Rocco Sestito (137 total yards) on a flare the sophomore turned into a 65-yard touchdown for a 14-14 tie.
The Hawks got a stop and finished a penalty-ridden ensuing possession with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dave Chiavegato (two catches, 11 yards) for a 21-14 lead entering the fourth.
“We’ve dealt with adversity before,” said McIntyre. “We’ve dealt with it well. Like we always do, we came back and did what we needed to do … I couldn’t be more proud of my guys.”
Momentum seemed all in Xaverian’s favor when Jonathan Etienne picked Staine off deep in Hawks territory, only for Springfield Central to force a three-and-out. Jayden Wheeler blocked the punt, and the Golden Eagles regained the lead early in the fourth quarter, 22-21, with a nine-yard Staine keeper and an Isaiah Rogers (49 rushing yards, touchdown) two-point run.
But an 11-yard pass to Sestito on fourth down extended Xaverian’s ensuing drive, and Wood found McIntyre for a 24-yard touchdown for the eventual game-winner.
“When push came to shove, they were able to do it,” Fornaro said. “If he’s not one of the best wide receivers in the state, I haven’t ever seen football in my 48 years of coaching. And he made big plays when he had to.”
Much of Xaverian’s comeback can be credited to the defense, which prevented Springfield Central from ripping off long drives. It committed two interceptions and a turnover-on-downs with just 87 yards of offense in the second half.
“I don’t think that we moved the ball enough offensively. We put our defense in tough situations,” said Golden Eagles head coach Bill Watson. “We had a couple of bad plays, turnovers. We just left our defense on the field for too long. (Xaverian) played a good football game … I thought they beat us in the trenches … When we did win in the trenches, we finished. We just have to go back and get better.”
While the secondary played well too, the front seven was at the heart of that defensive showing. Springfield Central’s first play down 28-22 was a Funke sack that forced a fumble to roll out of bounds 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage to derail a late response.
Both of Staine’s interceptions were rushed, and the running game struggled to break loose.
“They’re a very talented team, but I think we were able to adjust to what they were doing,” Funke said. “We just (had to) stay up (after the first half). Stay positive, act like it was a 0-0 game. If we can keep making stops, that gives the offense more opportunities. I think that’s what we had to do, and it worked out for us.”
Perhaps the second half isn’t possible without the response Xaverian showed in the first half, too, after Rogers gave Springfield Central a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter with a six-yard touchdown run.
Xaverian converted two fourth-down conversions before Wood linked with McIntyre for an 8-yard score and a 14-7 deficit.
“It was a big shift,” McIntyre said. “It was definitely a confidence booster. I think some guys were down when we were down 14-0, so scoring that touchdown definitely set up the rest of the game to be a success.”
Nico Tordiglione wrapped up the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown run.
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