Everett delivers knockout of Boxers

QUINCY -- Fourth down and inches deep in his own territory, and John DiBiaso didn't even flinch.

The Everett coach, whose team was leading Brockton, 14-0, early in the second quarter, did not hesitate to keep his offense on the field for the play from the 16, and it paid off.

Isaac Johnson followed his blockers to the right, then cut to the sideline, brushing off a would-be tackler at Brockton's 5 before finishing his 84-yard scoring run.

The gamble made it 21-0, and the Tide went on to win, 35-6, yesterday at Veterans Memorial Stadium, capturing their first Division 1 Super Bowl since 2003.

"I wasn't thinking at all. I wasn't," said DiBiaso of the play. "We were hoping to catch them off guard. I think they thought we were going to punt, hoping they weren't ready, and it worked."

The Tide (12-0) ran in virtually every direction over the Boxers (6-6), who surrendered 176 yards to Division 1 leading rusher Jordan Todman of Dartmouth last Tuesday night. The top six Everett rushers combined for 352 yards. In two playoff games this year, Everett's first-team offense compiled 628 rushing yards.

Johnson led all rushers with 15 carries for 206 yards and three touchdowns. He finished his junior season with 1,352 all-purpose yards.

"This goes down with Diamond Ferri, Mike Borgonzi, and all the great Super Bowl games . . . Matt Nuzzo, Frank Nuzzo," DiBiaso said of Johnson's performance. "He's right up there with them, absolutely."

The usually-reserved Johnson, meanwhile, was full of chatter.

"We played excellent as a team," he said. "We all came together at the half. I think this is one of the best teams I've ever played with."

Everett finished the season having scored 466 points, its most since 1914.

"They're a better team, and we tip our hats. No doubt about it," Brockton coach Peter Colombo said.

Brockton cut into the Tide's 21-0 lead with less than two minutes to go in the first half. On third and 11 from the Brockton 41, quarterback Vaughn Askew rolled away from Everett linebacker Walter Fallas -- who was blitzing from the right -- and took a few steps toward the line of scrimmage. He then heaved a bomb deep down the middle to a wide-open Sharrieff Hall (four catches, 100 yards) for the score. The 2-point pass failed.

The Tide responded with more electric play from Johnson in the third quarter. His punt return to the Brockton 37 gave Everett great field position. On second and 7, he took a sweep 16 yards around the right. Five plays later, he plunged in from 2 yards. Nick Brown's rush gave the Tide a 29-6 lead.

Johnson's final carry came in the fourth quarter, a 9-yard sweep around the right that set up first and goal from the 2. Nick Parker punched it in on the next play for the 35-6 final.

Johnson opened the scoring with a 16-yard run, followed by a 1-yard scramble from quarterback J.R. Suozzo that made it 14-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter.