Grafton Globe Newspaper
Winter 2020 Edition
For the first time since 2014, the Grafton football team failed to win a playoff game.
The team fell to the Marlboro Panthers in the first round of the Division 4 Central Massachusetts playoffs by the score of 20-13. Grafton, down 20-0 in the waning moments of the third quarter, staged a comeback in the final 12 minutes of the contest, scoring two touchdowns in the final quarter. The Panthers, unfortunately, recovered an onside kick attempt, sealing the Indians’ fate. Nonetheless, it was a successful season for Grafton, who went 6-2 in the regular season and 7-4 overall. The Indians have made the playoffs in each of last four seasons. 2017 marked the third straight year in which the Indians hosted a playoff game at home. Head coach Chris McMahon agrees. “We look at the quality of competition we played this year, and eight of the 11 we played this year were playoff teams,” said McMahon. “You have to say it’s a success. It’s not where we want to be, but it’s certainly a positive in terms of ‘Look, finishing 6-2 with those eight games is pretty impressive.’” There were memorable moments galore in the 2017 season, even if that list doesn’t include a district championship. Twice, the team rallied back from 14-point deficits to win, against Leicester and Northbridge. A 7-0 win in the Homecoming game against Tantasqua, along with a 33-13 blowout of Uxbridge on Senior Night were also games to be remembered from 2017. McMahon’s personal favorite will be the regular season finale against Northbridge, a rival of Grafton. “Anytime you go down to Northbridge to play on a Friday night, the atmosphere’s great down there,” said McMahon. “[Northbridge] always bring a great team, and it was their Senior Night.” “We were down 14 points, and the kids just kept battling, and battling, and battling… We completely took over in the second half… That game was, in many ways, a signature win. To go down to Northbridge on a Friday night and to win, that’s pretty special. It’s something we haven’t done many times around here.” The departing seniors were able to go out as winners. In the annual Thanksgiving day game against the Millbury Woolies, the Indians prevailed for the third consecutive year by the score of 14-7, capping off yet another successful campaign.
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February 2020
CategoriesHumans of Grafton High |