Norwood 27, Framingham 19: Flyers hit the wall

The Framingham offense thrives on its up-tempo style. Snap the ball, run the play, back to the line, throw it, run it, score. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In the first quarter of last night's game with Norwood, the Flyers executed that game plan perfectly to run out to a three-touchdown lead.

But Norwood had other plans, slowing the game down to its more comfortable, yawning pace. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Mustangs had put the Flyer momentum to sleep, dominating the final half to rally to a 27-19 win.

The loss drops Framingham to 6-2, but the Flyers still hold a one-game lead in the Bay State Conference Carey Division after Needham's loss to Natick. Flyer quarterback Dan Guadagnoli completed 24-of-39 passes for 392 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another score. But he was sacked eight times, five by 6-foot-2, 240-pound Norwood defensive end Moses Acloque.

"It's really disappointing," said Guadagnoli. "It's just really disheartening to know how easily we cut through them early on. We just fell apart. They started dictating the tempo, as coach pointed out to us after the game, and that was the difference."

"That's a good team out there, they're probably going to go to the playoffs," said Norwood coach Joe Curran of Framingham, after his team improved to 6-2 overall and in the BSC Herget Division and he took a Gatorade bath from his celebrating players. "But they're going to have to earn it.

"All that being said, we're big up front, we pound the rock, we work hard in the offseason. That's our game: get up there and beat them into submission."

Down 19-7 at the half, Norwood's first big play came via the quick strike early in the third quarter. Quarterback Pat Cavanaugh found Stephen Cottens on a simple out route that the senior took for a 60-yard score to cut Framingham's lead to 19-13 just 1:28 into the half.

It stayed that way until Norwood took over on downs at its own 12-yard line with 4:24 to go in the third. Nineteen plays and 9:53 later, Brian Williams, the second of the two rotating Norwood senior captain quarterbacks, dove in for a 1-yard score and Cavanaugh's kick made it 20-19. Jhorges Antoine, who finished with 147 yards on 24 carries, did the bulk of the work on the drive, as 106 of his yards came in the second half.

Framingham turned the ball over on downs before Antoine scored on a 33-yard burst up the middle on a gassed Flyer defense. Cavanaugh's kick completed the scoring as Acloque sacked Guadagnoli twice on the ensuing drive to force another turnover on downs. The Mustangs took a knee at the Flyers 6 as time ran out.

"When we're not doing our things the way we need to, we're like any other offense," said Framingham coach Gary Doherty. "You sputter and you're inconsistent and you have miscues. That's what happened in the second half."

That wasn't happening in the first quarter. The Flyers took the opening kickoff and scored on a five-play, 65-yard drive that took just 58 seconds and was capped by a 1-yard Guadagnoli sneak that was set up by a 22-yard strike to Bret Siflinger.

Framingham forced a three-and-out and the Flyers offense went fast break right back down the field, this time taking just 1:58 off the clock in a 64-yard march. Guadagnoli finished it with a 32-yard hookup with sophomore Travis Hayes (6 catches, 113 yards all in the first half), who juggled the ball into his grasp and slipped free inside the 10-yard line after getting open on a wheel route for a 12-0 lead with 7:20 left in the quarter.

After another Norwood three-and-out, Framingham made it 19-0 when Guadagnoli rolled to the right side on 4th-and-goal from the Mustangs 10, only to reverse field and find Nicholas Liquori (9 grabs for 148 yards), who tiptoed inside the back line and caught the scoring toss with 1:39 to go in the quarter.

But Norwood finally got on the board early in the second quarter when junior cornerback Silqwan Russell intercepted Guadagnoli and returned it 35 yards for a score to make it 19-7 after Cavanaugh's boot with 9:29 left in the half.

Framingham nearly extended its lead at the end of the half, but Richard Johnson fumbled after a 27-yard gain to the Norwood 8, and Russell recovered.

That proved costly, as Framingham didn't score again and Norwood's offensive and defensive lines took over in the second half.