Sherry, Torres run wild for Wayland

QUINCY -- Even among the huddled group of smiling teenagers, the Wayland football team noticed one player was missing.

The players were lined up for their championship photo, but Ben Sherry was in front of the television cameras.

"Ben, get over here," a teammate shouted. The group shared a laugh as Sherry cut the interview short and joined his teammates to the sound of cheers.

Sherry could not be missing from this photo. He rushed for 136 yards on 15 carries and completed 9 of 13 passes for 101 yards to lead Wayland to a 28-0 victory against Marshfield to earn the Division 1A Super Bowl championship yesterday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Wayland's first Super Bowl championship capped an undefeated season.

"This means our program's on the rise," Sherry said. "The past couple of years we have been saying we're getting better and better and now we pulled it off. We're at the top."

Wayland's offense did not stray from what has worked all season. The team was known for its power behind Sherry and tailback Tony Torres, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season. When a defense keyed on one, the other took over.

While Marshfield (11-2) was able to hold Torres to 28 yards on 12 carries, he still managed three touchdowns.

Sherry used his speed to break away for 20- or 42-yard gains. He used his arm to find receivers downfield to pick up first downs. In the first half, Wayland's offense had 198 total yards -- Sherry had 187 of those.

And when Wayland (13-0) needed a few yards for a touchdown, Torres got the ball.

"It's hard to stop both of them," Wayland coach Scott Parseghian said. "They slow one of them down, the other takes off."

Marshfield seemed as if it had the answer for Wayland's tandem in the first quarter. The Warriors' opening drive ended on the Marshfield 23 after Luke Poirier tackled Torres for a loss of 3 yards on fourth and 1.

But in the second quarter, Wayland broke through when Torres ran 13 yards for a touchdown to cap a 62-yard drive on nine plays with 2:24 left in the half to take a 7-0 lead.

Wayland returned in the third quarter just as confident in its offense. Sherry sped for a 42-yard gain from the Marshfield 47 to set up Torres's 5-yard touchdown run with 8:07 left in the third.

On Wayland's next possession, Sherry was 2 yards shy of the end zone when he fumbled, but Torres was there to recover it for the touchdown.

In nearly four minutes, Marshfield fell behind, 21-0.

"The kid knows how to run that offense, we don't face it during the year so it's hard to prepare for," Marshfield coach Lou Silva said. "We weren't surprised by what he was able to do."

The Wayland offense had its rhythm and so did its defense. The group held Marshfield to 18 total yards in the first half. Marshfield didn't pick up a first down until the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Marshfield reached the Wayland 15. But the drive ended when Wade Critides intercepted a pass and returned it 95 yards for a TD.