Minuteman football team was in, then out of bowl

By Phil Perry, Globe Correspondent

For at least 48 hours last week, players at Minuteman Career & Technical High in Lexington believed they were headed to today’s Super Bowl against Tri-County Regional.

However, after the discovery of a clerical error in tabulating team records, Lynn Tech received the berth instead.

‘‘A mistake was made in the calculation of percentages for both Lynn Tech and Minuteman,’’ said Michele Denise, the athletic director at Blackstone Valley Regional Tech and the vocational division’s football chairman.

Minuteman did not learn that its season was officially over until Saturday afternoon — after its 18-8 Thanksgiving Day win over Mystic Valley — and a handful of players did not receive the news until Monday.

‘‘I was sort of in disbelief,’’ said Minuteman’s superintendent, Ed Bouquillon. ‘‘Mostly because we had heard so much from the committee that this was it, ‘You’re going.’’’
Coach Brian Tildsley chose to reflect on the positives of the season.

Behind its captains, running back Tony Carreon of Needham and lineman Mark Martinos (Belmont), Minuteman finished with a winning record (7-3) for the first time since 2002.
‘‘Now that the smoke has cleared,’’ Tildsley said, ‘‘we can take it as a life lesson.’’

Bouquillon told the players earlier in the season that if they made the Super Bowl, he would shave his head. On Monday, he kept his promise, allowing each of the seniors a chance with the clippers.