WESTON – For three quarters, the Norwell offense struggled to get going. Then the fourth quarter started, and Jack Luccarelli had his moment.
The junior quarterback rushed for three touchdowns in the final quarter and led the Clippers to a 21-7 comeback victory over Hudson to send Norwell to the Div. 6 state championship game. This is the first time in program history the Clippers have reached the title game.
“It’s exciting,” Luccarelli said. “To make history, to be the group to do it feels pretty special. It’s going to be special playing there and to hopefully win there.”
On Hudson’s first drive, it took the ball the length of the field over eight minutes, with quarterback Logan Dome finishing the job with a 20-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.
That score would hold through the second and third quarters, with Luccarelli and Dome each tossing two interceptions during this period.
“The defense was excellent,” Norwell head coach Jason Pithie said. “We have scored a lot of points all year, so we haven’t really been in a position where we needed our defense to answer. Today, they answered.”
The Clippers tied the game early in the fourth quarter via an eight-yard run from Luccarelli. The Hawks would punt on the ensuing drive, and the Clippers entered goal-to-go territory via a rare passing connection between Luccarelli and Mathew Pantilla that went for 50 yards.
“Momentum was going our way at that point,” Pantilla said. “We felt like it was the right time to throw it and Jack trusts me, I trust in Jack, and we ended up with that big gain.”
One play later, Luccarelli rushed in the three-yard score.
“My mentality is that you have to stop me,” Luccarelli said. “I’m going to try to get the extra yards; that’s always my goal. I know my guys are going to ride behind me and push me. It was the final four; there was a little extra on each run.”
Trailing for the first time, Hudson marched down into Clipper territory. However, a sack from Colin Gerhart on first down derailed the drive and forced a fourth-and-13 for the Hawks.
“Those guys set the tone up front,” Pithie said. “When the defensive line can get pressure and penetrate, it makes everyone’s lives easier.”
On the play, Dome’s pass was intercepted by Pantilla, and Norwell had possession with under two minutes to go.
“We were just clicking,” Pantilla said of the Clippers’ secondary. “We play with a lot of energy, or what our coaches call ‘juice.’ We scream, we play like a bunch of animals and just have a lot of fun.”
On the first offensive play from the 50-yard line, Luccarelli sprang loose for a touchdown to increase the lead to 14. The Clippers’ fourth interception, this one from Jameson Troy, sealed the victory.
Norwell avenged last year’s semifinal loss to Hudson and now has an opportunity to avenge 2023’s quarterfinal loss to Fairhaven in the championship game.
“We wanted to get payback,” Luccarelli said. “To do it now feels so sweet. We now play Fairhaven, who beat us last year, so to potentially get double revenge would be even better.”
