By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

FOXBORO, Mass. – All season long, King Philip (12-1) has been preparing for the challenge of taking on Catholic Memorial (11-1) in the Div. 2 Super Bowl. The Warriors have never shied away from the ultimate goal of facing the Knights for the third time with the state championship on the line.

KP got its chance on Thursday night in the final game of the night at Gillette Stadium, but for the third time in four years, the Knights proved to have too much for the Warriors to handle. CM’s high-powered offense racked up 469 yards of offense (including 334 on the ground) in a 39-21 victory, denying KP a second straight D2 title and ending its win streak at 25 games.

“They have too many dudes to contain,” KP coach Brian Lee explained. “We practice as long as we can practice and we come up with some schemes and then a kid breaks a tackle and he’s gone. They’re big, they’re strong, they’re fast, they’re just better. All you can do is keep playing as hard as you can play.”

He added, “You’re just trying to come up with answers and it’s really hard to find weaknesses over there.”

The game got off to a wild start.

On the first play from scrimmage, Lasean Sharp (eight carries, 148 yards) took the handoff between the left guard and tackle, found a seam, and raced 65 yards for the touchdown. After Boston College-commit Mekhi Dodd (19 carries, 129 yards) added the two-point conversion, CM led 8-0 with just 10 seconds off the clock.

KP came back with the perfect response. On the second play of KP’s opening possession, Drew Laplante (17 carries, 157 yards) took a draw to the right side, finding a hole, cutting to the outside, and streaking away untouched for a 64-yard score. Zach Gebhard (6-of-16, 86 yards) hit Keigan Canto-Osorio for the two-point conversion and after a minute of game time, it was all tied up at 8-8.

The Warriors settled down after that frantic start, as Drew Herlin and Liam King stuffed a run for a loss of two and Luke Gunning and Canto-Osorio combined to sack CM quarterback Kise Flannery and force a punt. Although KP went three-and-out, Tommy Kilroy pinned the Knights back at their own eight.

CM marched down field with Flannery (8-of-12, 135 yards) connecting with Caleb Garrity for 33 yards down to the KP 33. The ensuing snap got away and Nick Gallagher pounced on it to get KP back the ball. Unfortunately for the Warriors, three plays later they put the ball on the ground and CM took over at the KP 45.

Kilroy stuffed Sharp for no gain on third and two and Aiden Astorino stepped up to tackle Dodd short of the sticks on fourth down to keep the game tied. The ensuing punt was a short one and CM started again in KP territory.

This time, the Knights capitalized. On third and four, Flannery got loose for a 26-yard rush down to the three, and three plays later he punched it in for a 14-8 edge.

After another KP punt, CM went on a 10-play, 62-yard drive to extend the lead to two scores. Flannery picked up a big third and long with an 11-yard pass to Gavin Brown and then, on fourth and four, he rolled out to his right, eluded a potential sack, and flicked a pass behind the KP secondary to Dodd for a game-changing 37-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left in the half.

Laplante would break a 47-yard run to give KP a shot at the end zone with just seven seconds remaining, but a pair of back-corner fades fell incomplete.

“I would usually never try and score at the end of the half like that,” Lee said, “but you have to try and keep it close because once the floodgates opened, once we started throwing, it gets out of hand for us. You can play for a while, but eventually, they wear you down.”

KP got the ball to start the second half but was forced to punt. CM took over at its own 15 and needed just six plays to tack on another score. Dodd took the first snap and broke it for 37 yards. Two plays later, he took a toss to the left and went up the sideline for 30 more. Flannery would cap the drive with a three-yard keeper and it was 26-8.

The Warriors started their next drive well, as Gebhard found Jack Assini open for 11 yards and they got as far as the CM 39 before turning it over on downs. A short punt gifted KP great field position and the Warriors cashed in. Gebhard hit Hayden Schmitz on a slant for 15 and on the next play Schmitz was wide open on the left side for a 42-yard TD reception to cut the lead down to 12.

CM made sure momentum was short-lived. Sharp took the first play 51 yards all the way to the KP 20. The defense stiffened, as Tallan King and Herlin stuffed Flannery to bring up third and four and then Will Bubluski and Astorino brought down Dodd for a yard. KP had the chance to get the ball back, but Sharp managed to get four yards around the edge and then Dodd took the next snap up the middle for a nine-yard score.

Bubluski and Herlin had sacks of Flannery to end a CM possession, but Brown intercepted a Gebhard pass to get the ball right back. Flannery hit Garrity for a 22-yard completion and Sharp finished off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

KP would still have time for one more drive, as King fought his way into the end zone from the six, with Sean Woods tacking on the extra point to round out the scoring.

It was a disappointing night for the Warriors, but it takes nothing away from what continues to be the most remarkable stretch of success in program history. This was KP’s seventh Super Bowl appearance in the past eight seasons, including three wins.

“I can try to explain to people what it takes to be here seven years out of eight and they wouldn’t believe me,” he said. “That’s what breaks my heart for them is they work so hard. You get what you earn and we couldn’t earn it on the field tonight. We got here, we got the shot, I’ve just got to figure out a way to get over this next big hurdle.”

Lee continued, “We’re not here for a consolation prize or a participation trophy. We came to win, we want to win, so it feels like a letdown right now, but when you look at the season and how they compete…they’re a special, special group.”