But that meant nothing to the Mansfield football team, who snapped Duxbury's 37-game winning streak with a 23-19 win in the MIAA Division 2 Semifinal at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
From HockomockSports.com's Josh Perry:
Walking onto the field at Bridgewater-Raynham High felt like walking into a snow globe that had just been flipped. Swirling winds, bright lights, and the frozen mix of snow and rain made for difficult conditions to play football.
In the midst of the wintry mix, Mansfield junior quarterback Kyle Wisnieski hit sophomore receiver Brendan Hill for a 74-yard touchdown that turned out to be the game winner in a 23-19 victory that sends the Hornets to the Division II EMass Super Bowl on Saturday and ends Duxbury’s 37-game winning streak.
“We had to do everything right to be able to get out of here with a win,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Redding after the game. “We got turnovers, we got a couple of 3 and outs…everything we needed to do - we had to do all of it.”
Mansfield used a two-headed monster at running back all season with Kevin Makie and Robbie Rapoza and that didn't change in their match up with the Dragons. The two combined for 200 yards and a touchdown apiece. Another key piece was the stout Hornet defense which pounced on their opportunities.
From ESPNBoston High School's Scott Barboza:
The ball control element for the Hornets (8-4) came in the form of Kevin Makie (123 rushing yards, TD) and Robbie Rapoza (67 yards, TD). The solid backfield did as it has done all season, churning out tough yards in key situations, particularly at the end of drives.
On defense, Mansfield was opportunistic, forcing three turnovers. Michael Barresi showed a nose for the ball with a fumble recovery and an interception on consecutive drives bridging the first and second quarters.
The Hornets’ defensive success synergized with the offense, as Mansfield scored points following each of its three takeaways; the finest example of which was the second quarter when Duxbury (11-1) ran only three plays from scrimmage.
“We came into the game and we knew that if we played our hardest, got a couple of turnovers, didn’t make any mistakes on offense, we’d have the game,” Makie said. “The offense fought hard, the defense fought hard and created a lot of turnovers to help us out.”
Mansfield went on to the D2 EMass Super Bowl against Reading, but fell 27-7 in a rematch of the 2010 Super Bowl that the Hornets won 29-26 after a dramatic comeback.