FOXBORO — It took 12 months but Jon Marshall and his Randolph football team finally finished the job in the Division 8 Super Bowl.
Facing the same West Boylston team that beat them at Gillette Stadium a year ago, the Blue Devils dominated from opening kick to final whistle of a 21-0 whitewashing of the Lions.
“This whole process started a year ago when we walked off this field, you know, not getting the result we wanted. And it wasn’t about revenge. We talked about a different R word, which is redemption,” Robinson said.
The Blue Devils (11-0) rode the back of their offensive guns on Saturday. Mehki White rushed for 100 yards and a score on 23 touches despite leaving the game twice with ankle injuries. Running mate Alin Norisca added 82 yards, two touchdowns and was 3-for-3 on extra points.
“We had to work and have a great week of practice, and we did. Our kids were awesome,” Robinson said.
The tone for the day was set off the opening kick as Randolph needed only 90 seconds and five plays to cover 58 yards, capped by a seven-yard White run.
The Randolph defense also came with bad intentions. A forced West Boylston (9-4) punt began a horrid offensive day for the Lions as four of their seven possessions in the game ended in either a fumble, interception or turnover on downs.
“It was a phenomenal defensive effort. We put a lot of work in the film study. We put a lot of work in practice to understand the tendencies and that. You know, we feel like every battle is won before you fought. So, like, we just had a focus,” Robinson said.
It was still 7-0 midway through the second when Randolph got the ball at the West Boylston 46 and played keep away for the next six minutes. White carried on seven of 12 plays before Norisca dove in from the one with :50 left in the half to make it 14-0.
Fittingly, White picked off a Cason Orcjani pass to end the half. Things didn’t get any better for the Lions to begin the third as they drove to the Randolph 24 before fumbling.
They wouldn’t see the ball again until there was 8:13 left in the game as the Blue Devils put together a 17-play march. White and Norisca did most of the damage, along with a perfectly-timed pass from Abraham Cornet to Armando Oliveira that moved the ball to the one, setting up Norisca’s game-clinching score.
Two defensive stops later, Randolph had its title.
“It rained and cold weather, all this week, and we had a great week of practice, and I think that’s what, you know, the result showed up on the field was the process,” Robinson said.
