By Matt Porter, Globe Correspondent

The number of Cape Ann Large teams vying for the title was cut in half last night, as host Wilmington took a 17-10 victory over Pentucket. Thanks to two scores from senior back Ernie Mello, the Wildcats ended the Sachems' postseason hopes. Wilmington (9-1, 4-1), which played its last league game of the season, guaranteed itself a share of the crown.

Pentucket (7-3, 2-2) will end its season on Thanksgiving. However, that day will be important for Wilmington and Masconomet.

Masco (9-1, 3-1), which beat Triton last night to stay alive in the race, will face North Andover (6-3, 2-1) on Thanksgiving. If North Andover wins, the Wildcats, who beat them last week, will represent the CAL in the MIAA playoffs. Masconomet, which beat Wilmington, would advance with a win.

With two minutes left, Mello's 1-yard run broke a 10-10 tie, but the Sachems got the ball back with 1:51 to play. Quarterback Jordan Silva found Liam Crawford for a 15-yard gain, then Silva bolted up the sideline for a 22 yards. Silva went to the air three times, but his final try was knocked down by Kyle Lunt for a turnover on downs with 1:16 remaining.

Division 1

Greater Boston: Arlington 28, Medford 14 - Matt Willey and Dan Leary had two rushing touchdowns apiece.

Nonleague: Dartmouth 45, Durfee 0 - Jordan Todman ran for 112 yards in the win, moving him into fourth place on the state's all-time rushing list with 5,320 yards.

Old Colony: Bridgewater-Raynham 22, Taunton 6 - Kevin Bumpis helped the Trojans to the win with three touchdown passes.

Division 1A

Dual County: Acton-Boxboro 26, Concord-Carlisle 13 - Steve Austin and Julian Dufresne each entered the end zone twice for the Colonials.

Wayland 35, Bedford 7 - Michael Mitchell returned an interception for a touchdown and ran for another, and Jeff Brewington threw two touchdown passes.

Lincoln-Sudbury 35, Westford 0 - Mark Hogan, Kurt Rogers, Steven Hodgepps, and Derek Lowe scored in the Warriors' romp.

Tyngsboro 35, Newton South 13 - Tom Sullivan scored four touchdowns, including the first three of the game.

Merrimack Valley: Billerica 27, Lowell 0 - Billerica rolled with four touchdowns from Kenny Mangie, three rushing and one receiving.

Chelmsford 42, Dracut 22 - The Lions clinched the conference title as Tim Rich had 249 yards passing and three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing).

Nonleague: Andover 21, Valley Forge (Pa.) 16 - Mike Pierce tossed three touchdown passes, two to Mike Morander, in the win.

Division 2

Hockomock: Mansfield 34, Sharon 0 - Mansfield clinched the league title after Powell Simpson ran for two touchdowns and Mark Gilson threw for two.

Division 2A

Cape Ann: Masconomet 31, Triton 7 - T.C. Mannetta ran for two scores and Evan Bunker went for another for Masconomet.

Northeastern: Lynn Classical 38, Revere 6 - Cameron Smith torched Revere with three touchdown runs.

Gloucester 42, Salem 0 - Andrew Fulford rushed for the first three touchdowns as the Fisherman clinched the league title.

Patriot: Duxbury 34, Silver Lake 0 - Shane DiBona had four rushing touchdowns, including a 40-yarder.

South Coast: Wareham 28, Old Rochester 0 - Jared Vasconselos caught a 30-yard touchdown pass and ran in a score from 5 yards.

Division 3

Catholic Central: Bishop Fenwick 34, Cardinal Spellman 20 - Bobby Tarr took 33 carries for 312 yards and moved into third place on the state's all-time rushing list with 5,450 career yards.

South Shore: Carver 18, Hull 7 - Taylor LeClair put two touchdowns on the board in the fourth quarter.

East Bridgewater 42, Randolph 18 - Brian Phillips ran for 159 yards and four touchdowns on just four carries.

Tri-Valley: Norton 21, Ashland 0 - Sean Ryan ran in all three touchdowns.

Hopkinton 28, Westwood 25 - Luke Warren connected with Paul Ostrander twice to lift Hopkinton (7-3) over Westwood (7-3).

Medfield 28, Medway 7 - Peter Gumas scored twice for Medfield.

Division 3A

Cape Ann Small: Amesbury 35, Ipswich 13 - Marion Wilder scored three times and rushed for 183 yards on 10 carries.

Mayflower Large: Seekonk 34, Blue Hills 6 - Cody Callahan rushed for two scores and Joshua Rosa threw a touchdown pass to keep Seekonk (9-0) undefeated.

Martha's Vineyard 3, Bristol-Plymouth 0 - Zach Coutinho's 26-yard field goal was good enough for the win.

Division 4

Boston South: Burke 20, Hyde Park 0 - Antoine Pierre-Louis scored on a 2-yard rush in the second quarter and a 3-yard fumble recovery in the third.

O'Bryant 6, Latin Academy 0 - Josh Carrington tossed an 11-yard TD pass to Christopher Flores with 11 seconds remaining.

###

By Ricky Popolizio, Globe Correspondent

MARSHFIELD - Marshfield executed its game plan to perfection, controlling the ball and the clock in a 21-13 victory over previously undefeated Dennis-Yarmouth last night.

Facing a fourth and 3 from the D-Y 42 with the score tied at 7-7 at 4:25 of the third quarter, senior Luke Poirier was drilled at the line of scrimmage but refused to go down, fighting through a tackle for a 4-yard gain.

"That was a bad call on my part," said Marshfield coach Lou Silva. "That was all [Luke Poirier], bad knee and all. The kids said 'Coach, let's go for it.' Sometimes you have to trust the kids. He got the tough yards."

The Rams (9-1) continued on a methodical 71-yard march, spanning the entire third quarter, and culminating on sophomore Bob MacNeil's second of three touchdown rushes.

"Our game plan was to run the ball, control the tempo and keep the ball in our hands," said Silva. "We did not want to get in a track meet with them."

The Dolphins (9-1) did not recover from the 11-minute-5-second second drive. The D-Y offense, which hadn't taken a snap since the second quarter, went three and out, but then caught a break. Poirier couldn't handle the ensuing punt and Matt Dawson fell on the ball, giving D-Y possession at the Marshfield 28. Still, the usually potent D-Y offense turned the ball over on downs.

The Rams went right back to business with seven minutes to play, killing the clock with their rushing game.

"I made the most of the opportunity I was given," said MacNeil . "The three times I went into the end zone, there were huge holes. You can't give enough credit to the offensive line."

D-Y scored in the closing seconds, as senior quarterback Nick Montalto hooked up with Mike Pena from 41 yards.

From the opening kick, the Marshfield defense looked impregnable, using the best protection against a mighty D-Y offense; keeping it off the field. The Rams surprised D-Y with an onside kick and sophomore Brendan Meehan recovered at the D-Y 45-yard line. D-Y was then flagged on a 15-yard face-masking penalty, and from the 30, the Rams needed just four rushes, MacNeil finishing from 4 yards.

"What do you have to lose," said Silva. "We talked about [the onside kick] this week and I left it to the defensive coordinator."

Marshfield's early deception appeared to be a momentum-changing play. Dennis-Yarmouth's offense looked out of sorts. On third and 8 from its own 34-yard line, D-Y's Montalto was intercepted by Poirier.

"We shot ourselves in the foot last week but now we have a share of the title," said Silva.

###

By James Schneider, Globe Correspondent

Brighton and Dorchester entered yesterday's game undefeated in the Boston South, but the Bengals' superiority soon became evident.

Brighton steamrolled Dorchester, 30-6, at White Stadium to win the South title for the second straight year.

Dorchester, which finished last year 1-7 overall and 1-4 in the league, ended its surprising season with a disappointing loss.

'We knew we were in for a battle," Dorchester coach Rich Moran said. "They deserved it. I wish them luck, they're a great team."

The victory advanced Brighton (10-0) to the playoffs for the second straight year. Last year's Division 4 runner-up will play the Commonwealth Small champ in the first round, and coach James Philip has high hopes.

"The goal is 12-0," he said. "We take it one game at a time."

Dorchester (7-2) believed it had the ability to end Brighton's unbeaten run, but the bigger Bengals ran over and around the Bears, led by the standout play of quarterback Kameel Lashley.

Lashley was an unstoppable force on the ground, rushing for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. The 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pounder dominated on rollouts to both sides.

"He's a man among boys," Moran said. "He just killed us. We couldn't tackle him."

"It's a last option to use our quarterback [to run]," Brighton offensive coordinator Randolph Abraham said. "We've got some talented running backs. But when something's not working, something else will."

Lashley scored on a 1-yard sneak to give Brighton a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, but Dorchester responded, tying the game in the second quarter on a 20-yard pass from Steven Jarett to Omar Cepeda.

But an interception on the Bears' next possession doomed hopes for an upset, as the Bengal offense took over on the Dorchester 36 and scored on just two plays, both rushes by Lashley. After an offside call on Dorchester, Lashley took off down the left sideline before being ridden out of bounds at the 1. On the next play, his second 1-yard sneak of the half gave Brighton a lead it would not relinquish.

While Brighton's ground game dominated, Dorchester and star running back Eric Lott struggled to get going against the Bengals' hard-hitting defense. Lott struggled for 33 yards, and Dorchester had two costly fumbles on a chilly afternoon. It was the most important game the Bears played all season, and Brighton's experience in big games may have helped the Bengals avoid such costly mistakes.

"I know we're not that nervous because we've been here before," Lashley said. "That's what I keep trying to tell them, 'Calm down because we've done it before.' "

But the Bengals didn't win the Super Bowl last year, something they're hoping to do this year.

"We have a lot of experience in the playoffs," Lashley said. "Our goal is to win the Super Bowl."

###

By Pat Ouellette, Globe Correspondent

ATTLEBORO - With the Eastern Athletic Conference championship on the line, Bishop Feehan was quicker in every aspect, using its speed on defense and the running of Nick Schwieger to cruise to a 37-6 demolition of Somerset.

The Shamrocks (7-2-1, 3-0) got off to an auspicious start on their fifth play of the game when Somerset defensive back/running back Billy Huard tipped a Mike McGowan pass thrown over the middle to Brian Gallagher and the receiver went untouched for a 41-yard score. McGowan was able to connect on a 46-yard pass to Gallagher at the end of the quarter that led to Schwieger's first touchdown of the day, a 7-yard gallop.

The senior running back (273 yards rushing) consistently broke through the first wave of defenders and the Blue Raider defense had no answer for his punishing running style.

"He got faster and stronger as the game went on," Somerset coach Jesse McKinnon said. "His strength is his ability to break tackles and accelerate in the open field."

A pair of Somerset linebackers had Schwieger wrapped up in the backfield with 1:19 left in the second quarter but he refused to go down. He ripped the Blue Raiders right up the middle for a 48-yard touchdown and a 24-0 Feehan advantage. After Shamrock Kyle Schmitt picked off Andrew Gauthier to start the second half, Schwieger's 48-yard run helped set up McGowan's second touchdown of the game, a 5-yard toss to Nick Linehan.

Somerset's game plan was to give the ball to Huard and play a ball-control offense, but the Feehan defense took him out of the game and forced the Blue Raiders to spread out. The Shamrock defense was ready for the changes and Somerset (5-3, 3-1) seemed to have third-and-long situations all game.

"Our secondary played extremely well, we were able to hold their top receiver [Jake Scott] to a few underneath passes, but not much else," Feehan coach Tony Wood said.

Numerous league titles could be decided today.

No. 4-ranked Brockton travels to New Bedford with a seven-game winning streak. An eighth straight win and the Boxers clinch the Big Three title and a berth in the Division 1 semifinals against Dartmouth.

Also in Division 1, the Catholic Conference race heats up with No. 3 BC High in Danvers to play St. John's Prep. A win puts BC High alone in first heading into Thanksgiving. Catholic Memorial is at Xaverian, and a CM loss combined with a BC High win gives BC High the title regardless of what happens on the holiday.

Walpole can clinch a tie for the Bay State Herget title and a playoff spot with a win over Braintree. Natick is a game behind Walpole but the Rebels own the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of their 28-21 win in September.

***

And for you fans of the "other" football:

By Dave Benoit, Globe Correspondent

The Acton-Boxboro girls' soccer team faced a tough test in its Division 1 North semifinal last night, but the Colonials' talent and power came through and they prevailed over Framingham, 4-1.

The host Colonials jumped to a 3-0 lead and frustrated Framingham's prolific offense to win on a frigid night.

Led by sophomore Hayley Brock, whose speed and strength were on display as she contributed two goals and an assist, the Colonials (20-0-1) looked deserving of the No. 1 ranking they have held all season.

Coach Ruairi Sweeney was pleased with and excited by his team's performance.

"This was a big win. They came out and played exactly the way we practiced yesterday," said Sweeney, who was quick to compliment his opponent. "[Framingham] is the most skilled team we have played all year. They are phenomenal."

Acton-Boxboro needed just eight minutes to take the lead, senior Lindsey Raymond scoring on a booming, high shot from almost 20 yards.

The goal set the tone for the night. By spreading the field and relying on crisp crosses and the strength of their kicks, A-B controlled the game and converted many of their opportunities.

Brock added to the lead seven minutes later. After Ceci Jensen booted the ball far in front of her, Brock beat Framingham keeper Erin Greenstein to the ball, bounced it off Greenstein, and collected the rebound for a 2-0 lead.

Five minutes later, Brock set up Marie Margolius for a 3-0 lead.

But Framingham (16-2-3) kept attacking, and got a goal from Alexandra Doody to close within two goals before halftime.

Brock's second goal late in the second half sealed the victory, but Sweeney said he never felt comfortable against Framingham and the talented Melanie Baskind.

"They switched to a 3-5-2 I think and it gave us fits," he said of the Flyers' formation in the second half. "The scoreboard was not indicative of this game at all, no way."

Acton-Boxboro will play host to Winchester in Monday's sectional final.

Division 1 North: After battling to a 0-0 tie through overtime, Winchester won its second shootout this postseason. Sophomore Julia Avorito converted the winning kick for a 4-3 shootout win over Lincoln-Sudbury and a place in the finals. The Sachems (16-4-1) were led by Michelle Troisi, who recorded seven saves during regulation and overtime before stopping two penalties in the shootout. "I wish we played better soccer today," said Winchester coach Chris Scanlon. "But I feel like if we kept playing it would have continued forever."

Division 1 South: Weymouth (16-1-4) scored two-second half goals to break a 1-1 deadlock and advance to the sectional finals with a 3-1 victory over Bishop Feehan. Senior Jenn Bell opened the scoring for Weymouth, but Bishop Feehan's Meghan Zerba equalized before halftime. Senior Jackie Moscardelli's header from a Melissa Dempsey cross gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead midway through the second half, and Jess Stuart provided an insurance goal four minutes later.

Division 2 South: Oliver Ames (19-1-1) recorded its 16th shutout of the season, advancing to the sectional finals with a 1-0 win over Medway (16-2-3). Junior Brittany Frazier scored 47 seconds into the game and the Tigers used a nine-save performance from sophomore Sam Brown to preserve the win.

Boys' soccer

Division 3 North: Mike Kennedy scored a hat trick as 12th-seeded Lynnfield (11-6-2) advanced to the sectional final with a 4-1 victory over eighth-seeded Bishop Fenwick (10-7-2).