Rams tough to the finish

BROCKTON - Framingham came within inches of extending last night's MIAA Division 1A playoff game against Marshfield.

Down, 14-7, Framingham faced a third and 10 at the Rams' 21-yard line with eight seconds left. Quarterback Daniel Guadagnoli's pass to Nicholas Liquori fell incomplete. With three seconds left, the Flyers had one last shot but this time the Rams surrounded Framingham's best target and swatted the pass away, ending the game and sending Marshfield to its third consecutive Super Bowl.

The Rams will take on Dracut in Saturday's championship game at Gillette Stadium.

"I don't think you could take my pulse right now," Marshfield coach Lou Silva said. "It's racing unbelievably right now. It's just being in that pressure cooker with the kids back there, but they came through . . . We should have made it a little easier on ourselves."

Framingham left the game with a bundle of close calls. The Flyers were held to their lowest point total this season and like Marshfield, were plagued by fumbles, dropped passes, and penalties. Despite the troubles, Framingham was in position to tie it in the closing seconds.

Framingham took over at its 7 with 5:15 to play and through a combination of short runs and passes kept the Rams (10-2) guessing as it drove down the field. The Flyers got to the Marshfield 36 when Guadagnoli launched a pass over the shoulder of Liquori. He pulled in the ball around the 2-yard line but was ruled out of bounds.

Framingham (9-3) kept the drive alive when Guadagnoli connected with Samuel Nota to the Marshfield 21. Framingham spiked the ball on its next play to get settled and then launched three passes to the end zone that fell incomplete.

"We had opportunities," Framingham coach Gary Doherty said. "We had the chance to put the ball in the end zone a couple of timesWe were capable of playing better. But hats off to Marshfield. Our kids didn't quit. I'm proud of our kids."

Framingham's opening drive ended when Stephen Sousa snagged an interception at the Flyers' 45. Four plays later, junior running back Sean Griffith sprinted to the right and then cut away from the white jerseys to find an opening and coast 25 yards to the end zone as the Rams took a 7-0 lead with 7:14 left in the first quarter.

The Flyers evened the score by taking advantage of a Marshfield fumble at the Framingham 22. Junior running back Abou Toure took off for 41 yards on the next play, his first touch of the game. Three plays later, he sprinted 33 yards for the touchdown with 5:49 left in the half.

Marshfield showed it was not deterred as it answered on the ensuing drive to go ahead, 14-7. The Rams drove 79 yards in nine plays, capped by Robert MacNeil's 5-yard run. An injured shoulder limited MacNeil in the second half, but he finished with 95 yards on seven carries. Griffith chipped in 88 yards on nine carries.

The Marshfield defense came up with timely stops in the second half as the Flyers entered Marshfield territory twice without getting any points.

Silva credited defensive coordinator John Napoleone.

"Our defensive coordinator did a heck of a job," Silva said. "Offensively, we sputtered here and there, but to win championship games you have to have a top-notch defense."