MEDFIELD — No team this season had come remotely close to slowing down Medfield’s high-octane offense.
But with its season on the line, North Reading stopped the Warriors in their tracks.
The fifth-seeded Hornets shut out No. 4 Medfield in the second half to help erase a 13-point halftime deficit and come away with a thrilling 21-20 Division 5 quarterfinal win Friday night at Calvin George Fisher Field.
“The kids played great fundamental, team defense,” said North Reading head coach Ed Blum as the Hornets advance to the state semifinal to face No. 1 Shawsheen. “And they just dug deep and made a lot of plays. It was incredible.”
North Reading (9-1) held Medfield (9-1), which built a 20-7 lead at the break thanks to three rushing touchdowns from three different players, to just one first down over the Warriors first three drives of the second half.
The Hornets even contained Brady McCormack, who eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing on the season in the game, and never let the star senior running back break one of his patented long runs.
The defensive performance allowed the Hornets to cut into Medfield’s lead as Otto Indelicato made it 20-14 with 5:14 left in the third quarter when he took a snap as the wildcat quarterback and plunged into the end zone from a yard out for his second rushing touchdown of that fashion of the night.
The dynamic duo of quarterback Jason Berry and Gavin Brady — Berry’s top wideout — got going in the second half for North Reading, too.
The Hornets sliced Medfield’s defense with bubble screens and then on the first play of the fourth quarter, Berry (19-for-25, 224 yards) faked a toss before pitching it to Brady (7 catches, 100 yards), who scampered 13 yards for a score. Xander Villarroel’s extra point gave the Hornets the lead.
“It was a great design play,” Brady said. “Great blocking by the linemen, just great offensive execution to get the job done.”
North Reading’s defense came up with one more massive stand to end the game. Medfield drove down the the Hornets’ 18 in the final seconds, but North Reading stiffened and forced back-to-back incompletion to seal the victory.
“When you get in moments of this adversity, it’s doing it for each other and digging a little deeper,” Blum said. “Them pulling for each other, it elevates (them). They just had a little bit more and again, each play they just kept doing it. It was awesome.”
