The Wait Is Almost Over: Generals Make First Playoff Appearance Tuesday

 The Hamilton-Wenham football team wants to be in Foxboro this Saturday.

But to get to Gillette Stadium, the Generals have to get past Cardinal Spellman tomorrow night. The Cardinals are a formidable opponent, riding high after a 42-0 win on Thanksgiving Day Eve over Archbishop Williams, bringing an 11-0 record into Tuesday night's playoff game at Reading Memorial High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

"We've been underdogs before, so that's fine with us," said Hamilton-Wenham coach Andrew Morency.  "We showed what we can do in big games this year against Pentucket and Lynnfield."

Hamilton-Wenham is making their first Eastern Massachusetts playoff appearance after winning the Cape Ann Small championship on the arm of quarterback Dylan Keith, the power running of backs Elliot Burr and Trevor Lyons and a stiff defense that has been resilient all year long.

Cardinal Spellman is back in the playoffs for the first time since 1992. In his third year at the helm, Coach Ron St. George has turned the Cardinals program around, mirroring earlier successes he had at East Bridgewater and Boston College High School.

Both teams have had a chance to check each other out; the Generals watched Wednesday night when the Cardinals crushed Archbishop Williams and the Cardinal Spellman contingent watched Hamilton-Wenham finish a great regular season with a Thanksgiving win over Ipswich.

The key for Hamilton-Wenham Tuesday night will be to stop Blaise Branch. The Cardinals star back has done it all this season, setting a school record with 34 touchdowns and rushing for over 1,700 yards. The Generals will also have to deal with quarterback Zac Cooney, who has been very effective throwing the football when hasn't been handing off to Branch.

"Hamilton-Wenham's got a very good football team, there are a lot of good athletes on that team," said Cardinals coach Ron St. George.

"Our kids are very excited about the playoffs, this is a special group," said Morency. "We're going to have to play our best, and I'm confident we will."

Hamilton-Wenham is on a winning streak too, winning five straight games to close out the regular season. The Generals haven't lost since Oct. 8 in Wilmington. The Generals beat North Reading, Georgetown, Amesbury, Lynnfield and Ipswich to finish the regular season at 8-2.  The team opened the season with wins over Newburyport, Triton and Pentucket before a two-game skid saw them fall to Bishop Fenwick and Wilmington.

The teams had one common opponent this year, Bishop Fenwick. The Crusaders beat Hamilton-Wenham and lost a close game to Cardinal Spellman.

"The Fenwick game was early in the season, I think Hamilton-Wenham has come together since that game," St. George said.

Hamilton-Wenham will be the home team, with the winner Tuesday night playing the winner of the Rockland-Holliston game this Saturday for the Division 3A championship

The boosters had offered to pay for a fan bus to the game but not enough fans signed up so it was cancelled, said Athletic Director Don Doucette.

"It's the first week of winter tryouts and only a few students signed up, so bus was cancelled," he said.

The weather forecasts calls for temperatures dropping from the upper 40s to lower 40s in the evening with light winds and increasing clouds, but no rain.

Reading Memorial High School is located at 62 Oakland Road in Reading.