Thrilling comeback win propels ‘Dogs to Final 4

The Bulldogs celebrate after reaching the state Final Four. (Mike Tureski photo)

The resilient CHS Football Team is one of four teams left standing in the MIAA Division 4 tournament following the Bulldogs’ thrilling, come-from-behind victory at home over sixth-seeded Marblehead Friday night.

Canton, seeded No. 3 in the bracket and now 8-2 on the season, moves on to play No. 2 Tewksbury in the state semifinal tomorrow night at Manning Field in Lynn, with the winner earning a trip to the D4 Super Bowl at Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium.

Having already proven they can take a punch and keep on winning, the Bulldogs went into last week’s quarterfinal matchup without one of their most important players, senior quarterback JT Norton, who suffered a broken ankle in their previous playoff win over Wakefield.

Stepping up in Norton’s place was fellow senior Brian McGilvary, who not only proved up to the task, but proceeded to engineer a comeback from 14-0 down in the opening quarter, passing for 160 yards in the game, including the tying touchdown to Antoine Jamison in the second quarter and the go-ahead score to Jake Marcell in the third.

Marcell, a team captain and one of the Bulldogs’ best two-way players, had a few other critical catches in the game and also had several big plays on defense, including an interception. It was a similar story for fellow senior standout Nick Crowe, who rushed for nearly 110 yards and found the end zone twice, including on a five-yard scamper in the fourth quarter that gave hosts a much-needed cushion.

Despite going up by 13 points after Crowe’s second touchdown, Marblehead refused to go down quietly and proceeded to close the gap with a two-point safety and later added six more points on an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-score game at 27-22.

Fittingly, the Bulldogs would turn to Crowe to help close things out, and the senior came through as expected, grounding out two key first downs in the waning moments to seal the victory for Canton.

“All I remember last year was the loss to Duxbury,” noted Crowe after the game, referencing their heartbreaking, 30-27 defeat to last year’s top seed in the state quarterfinals. “It lit a fire under our team, and we worked so hard in the offseason to get back.”

Crowe said the team was able to gain the upper hand on the ground thanks to the blocking of the offensive line, and he credited the defense for wearing down Marblehead and making several clutch plays that helped swing the momentum to the Bulldogs.

In addition to losing Norton, Canton also had to play Friday night’s game without one of its leading tacklers, junior linebacker Gavin Pushard. To fill the void, interim head coach Jeff Eckler and his staff turned to senior Jerome Weekes, who took over Pushard’s position and finished as the team’s second leading tackler with six for the game.

With Weekes filling in for Pushard, the Bulldogs tabbed senior Nolan Harney to start at cornerback, and he responded with a brilliant performance, forcing three turnovers with a trio of interceptions while also coming up huge on special teams with three extra-point kicks.

The one area that the Bulldogs struggled with throughout the game was penalties, as they committed eight infractions, including one that took away a touchdown and several others that foiled scoring drives. “The penalties definitely hurt us,” acknowledged Eckler, “but I think it was a combination of nerves and mental errors that can be fixed. We are making it a priority this week.”

A key strength of the team in the win was its receiving corps, led by Marcell with five grabs for 69 yards and a touchdown. Senior Chris Pirrera added three receptions for 18 yards, while junior Tommy Rose and senior Brian Kaelin also had key catches for the Bulldogs.

Eckler said he loved to see his players step up. “Everyone made a play when they had to,” he said. “They blocked, they tackled, they caught the ball. We are so pumped to be back. These kids are seasoned. They are ready to play and they are excited.”

Crowe said the entire team is committed to the “next-man-up” mindset. “We never take no for an answer,” he said. “We never submit to anything. We always look forward.”

Their next test is likely to be their toughest yet, as they prepare to face a very strong and athletic Tewksbury team that is unbeaten on the season (10-0) after dominating their two prior playoff opponents, Middleboro and Ashland, by a combined score of 83-14.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Nov 21 2025. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.