Byline: Dan Ventura
The Thayer Academy program lists Judson Smith at 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds.
Smith certainly played bigger yesterday, capping off a record-setting career by rushing for 154 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to give the undefeated Thayer football team a 13-0 victory over Gunnery in the Austin Bowl in Milton.
'He's tough as nails,' Thayer coach Jeff Toussaintsaid. 'Usually when we play good strong teams, sometimes they might shut him down a little bit early. But we just stick with it and it's just a matter of getting a little rhythm going and we bust a few plays.'
Employing a bend-but-don't-break style, the defense permitted Gunnery (7-2) to march into the Thayer end twice but kept them off the scoreboard.
The biggest defensive play came with 27 seconds left in the first half. Gunnery had a second-and-10 from the Thayer 11 when a huge hit by Alexander Shulman forced a fumble and Matthew Evans recovered to end the threat.
'That was a huge play. All year long the kids have been bringing it,' Toussaint said. 'Every time we play someone (big), we're thinking whether we can stop these kids. Our kids aren't the biggest ones around, but we have speed and a lot of heart.'
Little by little, Thayer (8-0-1), which hadn't won a postseason game since 1991, began winning the battle for field position. The dam finally broke in the fourth quarter when Toussaint unleashed a heavy duty dosage of Smith. The Bates-bound back broke through a seam and sprinted 14 yards for the game's first score with 8:02 remaining.
The final touchdown came with 1:42 remaining. Dan Pozner completed a pair of passes on the drive and Evans picked up 27 yards on two carries, paving the way for Smith's 5-yard TD run.
In other Prep/Private bowl game action, junior Kevin Decker completed 31-of-55 passes for five touchdowns as Brunswick (Conn.) defeated Belmont Hill, 46-36, in the Samson/Lorden Bowl. Corey Gatewood caught three passes for 165 yards and two scores for Belmont Hill, while Barry Gallup Jr. rushed for 75 yards and three scores on 21 carries. . . . Mike Aldo rushed for a pair of scores as Middlesex (7-2) held off Portsmouth Abbey, 15-14, in the Clark/Francis Bowl. . . . Winston Venable threw a pair of touchdown passes as St. Thomas More (Conn.) defeated Hebron, 27-7, in the DelPrete/Theobold Bowl. Hebron avoided a shutout in the fourth quarter when Jose Gumbs scored on a 2-yard run. . . . Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.) captured the Eaton-Estey Bowl with a 42-26 victory over Phillips Andover as Martwain Johnston caught five passes for 121 yards and two scores. Joe Lokitis completed 19-of-32 passes for 247 yards and two TDs for Phillips Andover.
Joe St. Pierre rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns as North Shore (7-4) clinched a share of the Commonwealth Athletic Small title with a 36-6 win over Minuteman.
Tristan Atwood had a fumble recovery and an interception as Martha's Vineyard (7-3) defeated Nantucket, 27-12, in the Mayflower Large.
Alex Amaral threw a halfback option pass to Nate Deere for a 17-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left as Old Colony (5-5) beat Tri-County, 14-8, in the Mayflower Small.
In nonleague play, Jeremie Chumack rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns as Bristol-Plymouth (7-2-1) defeated Holbrook/Avon, 40-12.
