HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Something has to give in Div. 7 final between Cohasset and Wahconah

When the Cohasset High and Wahconah football teams meet in the Division 7 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, something will have to give.

The top-seeded Warriors are 11-0 and have scored at least 22 points in every game this season. Wahconah averages a shade over 37 points per game. During a current nine-game winning streak, Cohasset is giving up an average of 8 points per game.

“The Wahconah offense keeps pressure on the defense at every moment,” said Cohasset coach Pete Afanasiw. “They have some unusual formations that they try to exploit, which intellectually puts the defense on the defensive.”

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Offensively, the Warriors are led by seniors quarterback Ryan Scott and running back Jonah Smith. According to MassLive.com, Scott has thrown for 1,102 yards and 15 touchdowns with 3 interceptions. Smith has rushed 184 times for 1,650 yards and 20 TDs.

“They’re pretty well balanced,” said Afanasiw. “They have a quarterback who is a very efficient passer. He throws well from the pocket and on the run, both from the left and the right. They have a really solid running back, who is not the biggest kid in the world but he does have good size. He’s about 180, 185 (pounds) and he runs really well.”

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Wahconah boasts a deep receiving core. Seven different players have TD catches, although Ben Noyes (19 catches for 374 yards, six TDs) and Owen Salvatore (15 catches, 220 yards, five TDs) are the leaders.

“They’ve got really good depth at the receiver/tight end position where they can roll, they kind of platoon them,” said Afanasiw. “They go three on and three off almost every play.”

Cohasset has the personnel to match up. Senior captain Michael Donahue, Cohasset’s middle linebacker, hasn’t missed a game despite dislocating his ankle during the Fall II season. Thomas Hansen broke a program record with eight interceptions. Nick Henry, a defensive lineman, is a game wrecker in the backfield.

“I think this game is going to come down to what happens in the trenches, whichever team can dominate the offensive and defensive lines and can exert their will on the other is probably going to be the team that comes away with that trophy,” said Afanasiw. "I like our chances in that our line, offensively and the front seven defensively, have been the catalyst of this team, the most consistent component of this team all season long.”

Cohasset’s offensive line (left tackle Henry, left guard Jackie Lyons, center Ben Joyce, right guard Jay Fox and right tackle Brendan Cingari) has played well together all season.

"It’s a good unit that we know is going to give our team a chance to win, and the offense has come along because of the consistency of the offensive line,” said Afanasiw. “The five kids that have been playing have not missed a play, they haven’t missed a practice. They haven’t missed any time whatsoever and they have just jelled into this really cohesive unit.”

REST VS. RUST

Wahconah will be back on the field for a game on Wednesday for the first time in nearly two weeks. The Warriors didn’t play on Thanksgiving, so their last game was a 22-7 win over Northbridge in the Division 7 semifinals.

The Skippers were prepared to play their starters on Thanksgiving against Hull, but the Pirates, who will play Randolph on Wednesday in the Division 8 final, sat their starters. Cohasset pulled its starters early in the game and rolled to a 42-0 win.

“Every program has to do what’s in the best interest for the program,” said Afanasiw. “That was our third time that we were fortunate to have to make that decision. A lot of teams go a long time without having to be in that situation.

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“It’s really not that difficult of a decision. We lay it onto the kids, explain the plusses and minuses for whatever is and let them make the decision. Then it’s our job as the coaches and adults to try to mitigate that and navigate it so we’re not putting kids in unnecessary situations to take extra hits.”

INJURY REPORT

Afanasiw said the Skippers will be as healthy as they’ve been in a long time heading into Wednesday’s game. Junior quarterback Will Baker is expected to be back under center after sitting out the semifinal against Mashpee and the Hull game.

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He was injured in the first quarter of the quarterfinal win over Hamilton-Wenham on Nov. 13. He finished that game, but Liam Appleton got the start at QB against Mashpee.

“It’s not something that’s going to be getting any worse, it’s just a matter of dealing with the discomfort that’s there and handling that,” said Afanasiw, who declined to get into specifics on Baker’s injury. “Having these last couple of days of practice and having some time off have done him a world of help.”

THE GILLETTE EXPERIENCE

Neither program is unfamiliar with reaching this stage of the season. Wahconah is making its third trip to Gillette following losses to Holliston in 2014 and Mashpee in 2016.

This is also Cohasset’s third trip to Gillette Stadium. The Skippers split two Super Bowls with Littleton in 2013 and 2014. Littleton won in 2013, before Cohasset exacted revenge the following fall.

Throughout the season, the Warriors have rolled through most of their competition. Wahconah has only played in one one-score game, a 22-20 win over West Springfield. All three of Cohasset’s tournament wins have been decided in the fourth quarter.

“Knowing that we were able to go against really good opponents in pressure situations,” said Afanasiw, “and execute under duress does psychology give these kids, maybe not an advantage, but at least has our guys feeling and believing in themselves, which is a huge battle for teenage kids to have confidence."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Cohasset ready to play Wahconah in final