Westborough goes back-to-back after Chapman leads Rangers past Marlborough

WESTBOROUGH – Fifteen seconds to change 32 years of history. 

Brady Chapman took the opening kickoff and was hardly touched until his teammates surrounded him with hugs and back slaps in the opposite end zone. The quick lead lifted Westborough to a 21-6 victory Friday night over Marlborough. And while the victory wasn’t nearly as dramatic as last year’s double-overtime win over the Panthers, the decision was no less memorable. 

Westborough sewed up the Mid-Wach B title for the second year in a row, handing the Rangers back-to-back titles for the first time since 1991-92. 

Senior Jake Martin, who scored a 5-yard touchdown in the decisive opening quarter, had “B2B” written in large black letters on the lower end of a T-shirt under his uniform.  He couldn’t take credit for the creation, however. Thomas Cashman came up with it. 

“I thought it was a great idea,” Martin said. “It really feels good going back-to-back after having two 1-10 seasons being on the field.” 

Chapman also had an interception, but it was his 85-yard sprint for a TD on a windy night that set the tone. 

“That was just really amazing – our first play,” he said. “Being able to run that back. It was a great feeling.” 

The Rangers (7-1, 4-0 Mid-Wach B) won their seventh consecutive game and will advance to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. Not since the early ‘90s, when John Schaefer and Dave Candella were the stars, has Westborough had such winning ways. 

The team went a combined 2-20 earlier this decade. Those days appeared well in the past when Chapman made his opening dash.  

“Huge. Huge,” Westborough coach Joe Beveridge said of the early momentum boost. “We were hoping to defer and they gave us the ball. I feel like we have a tendency to start slow. There’s usually a lot of jitters with the championship and the playoffs on the line. Usually I like to get the defense out there, but Brady made a great play and got the crowd going and got our juices flowing.” 

After Martin put Westborough ahead 14-0, Marlborough (2-6, 1-3) all-purpose back Noah Sowden threw a touchdown pass to Calvin McFarlane to pull the Panthers to within 14-6. The Rangers answered when Andrew Pisciotta threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cashman with 1:23 to go in the first half. 

Due to the running of Malluch Nyutu and Pisciotta – plus Sowden’s ground game – the clock hardly stopped, and Westborough had just two possessions in the second half. The Rangers did drive to the 3-yard line in the waning seconds, but they took a knee to wind down the final ticks. After the usual post-game kneel-down in the end zone to celebrate the victory, Beveridge said the team’s commitment to winning another title began long ago. 

“It starts here every July at seven o’clock in the morning,” he said. “They’re pushing sleds and lifting weights. Everybody else is going to the beach and hanging out. Hard work pays off.” 

Westborough will learn its playoff opponent on Sunday and will begin the postseason on the road. The site hardly matters. 

“It’s huge. Any way we can get in is our main goal,” Chapman said. “Now that we’re in, we’re just looking to do damage.” 

Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.