Magicians Topple Tigers, Improve to 1-1

Marblehead improved its record to 1-1 on the season with a lopsided win against Ipswich at Piper Field on Thursday night.  A strong showing by the starting unit amounted to a 34-6 cushion for the Magicians through three quarters, and the first action for many of the players further down the depth chart.

With rain sweeping through the North Shore for most of the evening, and torrential downpours at times during the game, much of the action remained on the ground. 

Junior Will Quigley rushed for more than 100 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone, showing the ability to run between the tackles or to the outside of the line, eluding defenders and running straight through them.

Senior quarterback Dan Colbert displayed his skills in managing the Magicians offense in adverse conditions, completing multiple screen plays and successfully running the option to set up two scores. Colbert also connected with senior Ryan Stanojev who made a terrific diving grab for an 18-yard completion and his first touchdown of the season.

The Ipswich Tigers' offense was kept in check by the Marblehead defense, which set the tone early, forcing three-and-out possessions on four of five first-half Tiger drives. Senior defensive linemen Josh Freedland and Matt Perlow anchored a Magicians front line that recorded two sacks on the first two Tiger possessions, and held Ipswich to negative yardage on both series.

Ipswich got its first bit of momentum on a drive that ended the first quarter and continued into the second, highlighted by a quarterback keeper for nearly 20 yards by senior Brendan Gallagher. Just four plays later, the Tigers turned the ball over on fourth down in its own territory, setting up a 28-yard touchdown run during which Quigley plowed through multiple defenders like a wrecking ball.

After a touchdown rush of 25 yards by junior Colton Dana and yet another three-and-out by Ipswich, Marblehead returned to the locker room with a 28-0 lead.

Ipswich put its first and only points on the board with their first drive of the second half. The series went for more than 70 yards and was kept alive on a late-drive roughing the passer penalty called against Marblehead, saving the Tigers from a fourth-and-8 situation and the prospect of being shut out on the road.

The Magicians responded with a three-play drive of its own that was capped by a 57-yard run by Quigley for his second and final touchdown of the night, pushing the Marblehead lead to 34-6. The extra point attempt failed because of a fumbled snap, a problem both teams battled throughout the wet and slippery matchup.

With the third quarter nearing completion and the game out of reach, the Tigers sent junior Henry Sacco in to replace Gallagher at quarterback and pulled a number of other starting players. Marblehead followed suit, giving the remaining touches to other players, such as Ian Maag, Robby Brown, John Perry and Zac Cuzner.

Through Marblehead's first two games, running back Will Quigley has tallied an impressive six touchdowns, five rushing and one receiving.

Marblehead will next travel to Lynn to face Lynn Classical Friday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m.