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."
