A dream season that has placed Revere High among the top football teams in Massachusetts and united the student body and the entire community continues Friday night in what many alumni are calling the biggest athletic event in school history.
The Revere football team, led by electrifying junior running back Joe Llanos and star junior quarterback Calvin Boudreau who is playing the best football of his career when it matters most, defeated a high-powered Wayland team, 42-35, in a Division 4 North semifinal before a large crowd Friday night at Harry Della Russo Stadium.
Coach Lou Cicatelli’s undefeated Patriots (9-0) will play undefeated Melrose (9-0) in the Division 4 North final Friday night in Melrose. The winner advances to the Super Bowl on Dec. 7 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
Llanos, who has been sensational all season on both sides of the ball, made another major contribution to a Revere victory with 241 yards rushing, a leaping interception (seconds after spotter Ira Novoselsky predicted a “turnover†in the Revere pressbox) and a well-executed halfback option pass.
Boudreau was immense piloting Revere’s offense, connecting with senior captain Lucas Barbosa for two touchdowns and senior captain Joanthan Murphy for a 19-yard TD reception that proved to be the game-winning points in a wild fourth quarter.
Revere needed every bit of its explosive offense and superb playcalling by its coaches to hold back a terrific Wayland offense and quarterback Mason Bolivar, who scored four touchdowns in the game.
While there were offensive exploits on both sides, there were some noteworthy defensive plays ny Revere at crucial moments, including a key fumble recovery by junior lineman Dominic Reed that Llanos turned in to six points on a rushing touchdown on the very next play.
Revere built a 34-14 lead in the game but Bolivar rallied Wayland to within one score, 42-35, with four minutes left.
But the Wayland defense was unable to contain Llanos, who picked up some crucial first downs that denied the visitors a final possession of their own.
Wayland Coach Scott Parseghian said he had expected a high-scoring game.
“I knew both teams were going to score a lot of points and their [Revere’s] defense played a little better than ours,†said Parseghian.
The Wayland coach said Llanos was every bit as good in person as he was in the game videos.
“I watched him on the game films the past week and he had three more touchdowns tonight – he’s a great running back,†said Parseghian. “He’s hard to tackle. I thought we had him stopped a couple of times, but he got out of it.â€
Some observers had given Wayland the edge in the pre-game buildup because of its Dual County League schedule, but Parseghian said the NEC also presents tough opponents each week.
“Revere has a great team right, we play in a good league but Revere does, too, – they beat an excellent Marblehead team and the Lynn schools are tough – it was a good game and Revere earned it – I wish them the best the rest of the season,†said Parseghian.
Cicatelli said Wayland was the most difficult test of the season.
“I’m so darn proud of our team and our staff,†said Cicatelli. “Wayland was the best team we’ve met all season and their quarterback was the best player we’ve faced. “We committed too many penalties and it cost us, but we found a way to win. We can’t make mistakes like that against Melrose because they are a great team. “They’re fast and they’re big up front, so they will match up against us very well.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than this,†Cicatelli added. “The entire city has been great in supporting us. The Revere community has been awesome. We have two fan buses making the trip to Melrose. It’s going to be a tremendous high school football game.â€
