Hello, Super Bowl.
Less than 24 hours after winning its regular season finale, the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Football team was selected to play in a Super Bowl for the first time since 2007.
"It's a real honor," Coach Jeff Vartabedian said. "I knew 7-1 would get us in. At 6-2 we may have gotten in but things would have been left to chance. It's hard to get a postseason game. There are only six Super Bowls, which comes down to 12 teams out of the 60 or so teams in New England. And we had to win some tight games along the way: Canterbury, St. Thomas More, Williston and St. Luke's. I'm proud and happy for our guys and I'm glad we get to do it for one more week because it's been a special year with a special group of guys, and I know we're still hungry. We're thrilled and it's going to be fun."
WMA will head east to play at Belmont Hill (6-2) of the Independent School League Saturday at 1 p.m.
"They play a very good schedule and they've had a very good year but I know our guys will rise to the challenge," Coach Vartabedian said. "We'll play anybody, anywhere. We'll be ready. We're excited."
The Titans have good reason to be excited, coming off a 48-6 victory on Senior Night Saturday against the Westminster School. WMA scored on all of its six possessions in the first half to take a commanding 41-6 lead at halftime.
"We took over right from the get-go," Coach Vartabedian explained. "Everybody was playing well and everyone was pitching in. That's kind of the story of our year – making plays and relying on each other. The defense kept Westminster in check all game except for one pass play, and the offense just keeps clicking. We've found a good balance between the run game and pass game and getting the ball to different guys. It's nice to get things spread out and everybody involved.
"We knew everything was on the line. We were playing for a bowl bid, but we didn't play nervous about it. We were excited to play our last home game in front of parents and the crowd."
Caelan Etti '17 scored on touchdown runs of 14 and 3 yards, and Anthony Costa '17 added another from 19 yards as WMA led 20-0 at the end of the first quarter. Caelan scored his third touchdown on a 10-yard scamper, and Chase Speller '17 capped the half with scoring runs of 6 and 8 yards as the Titans built a 35-point lead at the break. Zach Mann '17 scored from a yard out in the third quarter for the final touchdown of the game and the first score of his career.
"The school was awesome in terms of hosting: getting the lights so we can do the annual night game for the seniors," said Coach Vartabedian, who also commended the leadership of his captains: Caelan, Alexander Strange '17 and Alex Claudio '17. "The atmosphere was fantastic. The people came out in big numbers and they were loud and excited. It was exciting for the team."