Fun while it lasted: Tyngsborough tames Gardner in first round of state football playoffs

TYNGSBOROUGH – Long unbeaten football winning streaks are fun and exciting—and sad when they end.

As the 1966 Wildcats of long ago experienced when Leominster stopped their streak at six games, and the 2011 Wildcats of not that long ago found out when Holy Name decided that 11 straight victories was enough.

November can be the cruelest month.

And so it went Friday night in Tyngsborough as the Tigers, with their record-setting quarterback Bryce Goulet, knocked the 2023 Wildcats from the unbeaten ranks, posting a big 53-26 victory over Gardner in the first round of the Div. 7 state tournament.

The Tigers took control early, jumping ahead 16-6 in the first quarter and then zoomed to a 31-14 lead by halftime, a strange feeling for the Wildcats who had not trailed at any time in a game all season long.

Perfect for two months, stirring nostalgic feel-good vibes throughout the city, the Wildcats entered with a terrific 8-0 record. But the athletic and very talented Tigers, now 7-2, were more than ready under their home lights with an explosive offense led by the speedy Goulet, a distant relative of the late famous singer and Broadway star Robert Goulet, who was born in nearby Lawrence.

Starring on his gridiron stage, the Tigers’ Goulet, a speedy, elusive signal caller, rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a couple more, keeping his team comfortably ahead throughout the contest.

“Bryce is a great player and great leader,” said Tyngsborough coach Rob Beaudette. “He drives the bus for us and is approaching the all-time TD passing record here.”

Goulet opened the scoring with a 14-touchdown run and later a 36-yard dash to the end zone before he connected with Jacob Riley and Tim Guilmette on perfect strikes of 21 and 30 yards while also adding two-point passes and rushes.

Even though falling behind by big margins, the Wildcats kept pressing and putting points on the board, tightening the game in spots led by junior quarterback Alex Figueroa, who tossed, with pinpoint accuracy under heavy pressure, four touchdown passes of his own: three to remarkable freshman receiver Rocco Roy for scores of 22, 17 and 35 yards and another of 28 yards late in the game to junior Dakota Wells.

“We fell behind by a lot of touchdowns, but I think we played okay in trying to come back,” said the smooth-throwing Figueroa, who added, “I think we can play better and on Monday we’ll just have to come back out on the practice field and get ready to work hard for our next game.”

Tyngsborough will now advance to the quarterfinals of the Div.7 state tournament, while the Wildcats will host a TBA team on Friday in a losers’ bracket game.

Hindering the Wildcats both offensively and defensively was the loss of senior star Doherian Wells, a game-breaking wide receiver and solid safety, who broke his thumb in the Narragansett game a week earlier.

“He was one of Gardner’s better players, no doubt about it, and that was a big loss for them,” said Beaudette.

Added Figueroa, “Losing Doherian was rough, not being able to launch it to him, especially when I was in danger.”

With 5:12 left in the third quarter, Figueroa connected with Roy for a 36-yard TD strike in the corner of the end zone, pulling the Wildcats to within 39-20, but the Tigers quickly answered on a 36-yard TD run by senior Gavin Familia after a near-perfect onside kick by the Cats missed by inches bouncing into a Gardner player’s hands.

Also playing well for the Wildcats was junior running back Ayden Sparrow on several good, long gainers, plus the hard-nose line play and tackling of junior Alex Doucette, who recovered a Tigers fumble in the second quarter.

“We knew coming in that Tyngsborough was physical, quick and well-coached,” said Gardner coach Sean Whittle. “And we also knew that their quarterback was really something. We had not been behind in a game all year and we just never gave up. I’m just very proud of the way we kept on plugging.”

All the scoring, all the 79 combined points, ended with nine minutes left in the game when Goulet passed to Guilmette for the final score and added a two-point laser to TG Bradford for the Tiger’s 53rd point.

“This was obviously not the outcome we wanted,” said Whittle. “But we have two more games left and we still have a chance to get to double-digit wins and take home a Thanksgiving Day game trophy and that hasn’t happened in a long time.”

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Tyngsborough defeats Gardner in first round of MIAA football playoffs