Norwood Mustangs Outlast Braintree 28-21 in Hard-Fought Bay State League Thriller-October 24, 1994

Mustangs Edge Braintree 28-21 on Late Game Heroics

Following a grueling opening stretch against opponents holding a combined 16-1 record, the Norwood High School football team anticipated smoother sailing in the second half of the season. Instead, the Mustangs encountered stiff resistance on the road before navigating their way to a hard-fought 28-21 victory over the Braintree Wamps in Bay State League action.

“Braintree did a terrific job preparing for this game,” Norwood head coach Joe Smith remarked after the final whistle. “They had a bye last week and they obviously took advantage of the extra time to prepare for us. We had to earn this win.”

Improving their record to 3-3, the Mustangs (never trailing throughout the contest) struggled to shake a persistent Wamps squad (2-4) that clawed back to tie the game at 21-21 early in the fourth quarter following a quarterback keeper by Bob Kerrissey and a successful two-point conversion pass from Kerrissey to Greg Dunn.

Clutch Fourth-Quarter Touchdown and Defensive Sacks Seal the Win

Responding under pressure, Norwood engineered a decisive 65-yard scoring drive over five minutes. The possession culminated in a clutch fourth-and-nine touchdown strike, with quarterback Kevin Griffin connecting with Mike Pedroli for a 16-yard score. The Norwood defense then slammed the door on Braintree’s final possession, recording two crucial sacks to preserve the lead.

Norwood opened the scoring aggressively on its first possession behind a 28-yard rushing touchdown from standout running back Jamie Mahoney, who finished the game with an impressive 154 yards on 32 carries. Braintree answered immediately when Paul O’Keefe connected with Steve Devine on a 45-yard scoring pass. Norwood claimed a 14-7 halftime lead on a four-yard touchdown run by Tyrone Wilson, set up by Wilson’s explosive 32-yard run earlier in the drive.

Special Teams Sparks and Ground Control

Early in the second half, Braintree struck again on a 44-yard counter touchdown by Tony Petryko. Although a mishandled snap on the extra-point attempt kept Norwood ahead 14-13, Wilson electrified the sidelines on the ensuing kickoff, returning it 86 yards for a touchdown. Griffin’s point-after kick extended Norwood’s lead to 21-13.

As the clock wound down, the Mustang offense controlled the final two minutes, aided by a gutsy fourth-and-one conversion run by Mahoney that gained three yards with under a minute remaining to secure the road win.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger