Upstart Randolph football team sticks to business

Following its 16-10 win over Ware in a Div. 8 quarterfinal, the Randolph football team had a long drive home to celebrate its triumph.

Would there be music blaring, high fives, and a general party atmosphere on the 90-minute trek?

No. The players instead went right to their devices to find out who their next opponent would be. When they saw it was Oxford, they got cracking on any film of the Pirates they could find. Others did school work.

It was not rambunctious, merely business-like. There was no need to tell this team to “act like it had been there before.” Even for a program that had never been to a state title game or Super Bowl, Randolph handled its success like professionals.

“I leaned over to my assistants and said, ‘This is one of the quietest rides after getting to the final four that I could ever imagine,’ ” Randolph coach Jonathan Marshall said. “My guys were already looking at film, and, more importantly, schoolwork. … There were kids enjoying it, as well as they should, but I was really taken aback by the amount of kids doing work on the bus.”

“We went into straight research mode,” running back Malik White said. “We were already locked in. We just cruised all the way back to Randolph.”

As a final four team that has never had this type of success, Randolph (6-4) set the expectation at the beginning of the year for something like this to play out. According to White, they needed to have the right attitude.

“At the beginning of the season, we told our whole team that we need to believe,” White said. “We need to believe in the process, believe in what we’ve been doing, believe in 100% work in practice. We just need to believe. Playing away, anywhere, during the playoffs is hard. But to take two (Randolph beat Lee in the first round), two-hour bus rides all the way to the other side of Mass. and take two wins, that’s pretty big.”

Pretty big is a way to describe the offensive line, as Marshall said it has been key to the team’s run. That group is comprised of Malek Bailey, Jayson Glenn, Edmond McKenzie, Ruben Toledo and Chris Paul. Running back/safety Greg  Izedonmwen had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the win over Ware. White has been great at running back. Inside linebackers Paul Goggin and Sebastian Jouissance — who also plays quarterback — have also been terrific.

Randolph athletic director Tony Price does not know what the future holds for his team, but he knows it will continue to make everyone in the community proud.

“What I expect to see is what you’ve already seen,” Price said. “To go out there and compete. Show good sportsmanship. At the end of the day, we are going to shake our opponents’ hand, whether we’re victorious or we fall short. I expect (the team) to continue to make the town, the school, and their families proud of them and the amazing run they’ve had to this point.

“I don’t think anything will be different. I know they’re going to have great respect for Oxford, who has also had an amazing run. That will be on display, the respect of their opponent. But I expect them to do what they’ve been doing, to continue to be gentlemen, and be a class act as we come off that field, no matter what the outcome or the score is.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3CdSWGc