DUXBURY
Duxbury began its football season with a rocky opening but has found its groove at just the right time. Senior captain Brady Rhinesmith completed 14-of-18 passes on Friday, finishing with 305 yards and four touchdowns as the fourth-seeded Dragons advanced to the Div. 4 semifinals again with a 38-14 romp over No. 5 Burlington.
“We knew they were a good team coming in here,” Rhinesmith said. “We just stuck to the game plan and executed the best we can. We were lucky enough to come out with the win. All of us wanted it really badly. You could tell from Monday on. This was the game we had circled, and obviously, we came out on top.”
Using its signature single-wing offense, Burlington (9-1) attempted some trickery right out of the gate. However, the Red Devils were foiled as Ryan Brooks fired a halfback pass up the field that was intercepted by Dragons’ senior Lucas Falls. Duxbury (7-3) took over at its own 24-yard line.
Moments later, Rhinesmith heaved a pass to the end zone, where Jack Carney hauled it in for a 38-yard touchdown reception. The Dragons led 7-0 with 5:17 left in the opening quarter.
Later in the second quarter, Burlington decided to go for it on fourth down from their own 39-yard line. Brooks was tackled short of the line to gain, setting up Duxbury with great field position.
Facing a fourth down sequence of their own, the Dragons capitalized. Rhinesmith took another deep shot, and Carney caught it, then escaped a would-be tackler on his way to a 39-yard touchdown reception. In a flash, it was a 14-0 contest with 5:22 left in the half.
Burlington responded as Brooks broke off a 53-yard rush to set his team up in the red zone. The star running back found paydirt with a one-yard rush two plays later, trimming the score to 14-6.
Duxbury was able to make it a two-possession game at the end of the second quarter as Gavin Hammond drilled a 24-yard field goal to provide his team a 17-6 advantage.
Receiving the second-half kickoff, Duxbury kept on rolling. The Dragons staged a methodical drive into Burlington territory. Then, Rhinesmith took another Hail Mary shot, hitting Nate Read for a 28-yard touchdown pass. The lead grew to 24-6 with 6:58 to go in the third quarter.
Shortly thereafter, Duxbury forced another turnover on downs and took over at its 45-yard line. The Red Devils attempted a blitz, but Rhinesmith dumped a screen pass to Jake Falls, who slipped away from a tackler and took off for a 53-yard touchdown reception.
By that point, the Dragons were in complete command, up 31-6 with 2:42 left in the third quarter.
Cole Barberia put the finishing touches on the victory for Duxbury, scampering for an 11-yard touchdown run with 6:35 left in regulation to make it 38-6.
Sammy Fernandes accounted for Burlington’s final score with a 57-yard touchdown rush.
This marks Duxbury’s seventh straight trip to a state semifinal and its fifth consecutive appearance at the Div. 4 level.
The Dragons will face a longtime nemesis in Scituate. In four out of the last five seasons, the Patriot League rivals have met in the Div. 4 Super Bowl, splitting titles.
“We’re going to literally come in, work our tails off, trust the process and not worry about the result,” said Duxbury coach Matt Landolfi. “We understand that not a lot of people are picking us. We’ll see.”
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/14/duxbury-ends-burlingtons-undefeated-season/
