By Lorenzo Recupero
The Crimson Tide ran into their playoff nemesis Friday night, dropping yet another postseason matchup to Central Catholic High School.
The 21-0 loss in the MIAA Division 1 Quarterfinals is the only time Everett was held scoreless all season long.
The meeting was the seventh playoff battle in 10 years between the Tide (8-2) and Central Catholic (8-2), who now lead the overall series 6-2.
The game was ultimately as competitive as expected, but turnovers and untimely penalties were the Crimson Tide’s undoing.
“We had our chances,” said Everett head coach Robert DiLoreto. “But we committed a few bad penalties, a fumble; you do those things against Central Catholic, you’re probably in trouble,” he said.
In the end, it was back-breaking big plays that led to victory for Central Catholic.
Following a defensive stand and forced fumble in the red zone, Central Catholic got on the scoreboard first with a 50-yard touchdown on a screen pass with under a minute to play in the first half.
Everett’s first drive of the second half stalled again in the red zone because of an illegal formation penalty. The penalty led to a failed field goal attempt from the Tide and more scoring by Central Catholic. On the ensuing drive, C-C took a 14-0 advantage on a 72-yard TD run. A 53-yard quarterback keeper for TD capped the matches scoring.
Notes
Everett has qualified for the postseason for 21 consecutive years.
Everett Running back Damien Lackland led the team in scoring with 13 touchdowns on the year.