SCITUATE — For Scituate’s football program, one player has played the role of catalyst all year long, and he was back at it Friday.

Senior quarterback Jackson Belsan finished 13-for-17 passing, racking up 266 yards to go with five touchdowns as seventh-seeded Scituate held on for a 47-36 victory over No. 10 Wayland in the opening round of the Division 4 football playoffs.

Like many expected, this game had the makings of a classic during the first half. After Scituate (6-3) drew first blood on a 19-yard touchdown strike from Belsan to Lawson Foley, the Sailors watched their advantage evaporate, rapidly. Max Dressens broke off a 53-yard touchdown scamper 1:28 later, tying the score at 7-all. The schools would trade scores one more time, with Alex Burrill scampering for a five-yard touchdown for Scituate to cap the quarter.

With 9:57 left in the first half, Wayland’s Michael Caulfield sprinted six yards for a touchdown, tying the score again at 14-14. By then, Sailors fans had started to reside themselves to the fact they might be in for a long night.

Then, the levee collapsed on Wayland. Just 31 seconds after the Warriors (6-3) evened the score, Belsan uncorked a 39-yard touchdown strike to Charlie Hartwell, as Scituate jumped right back in front. The Sailors would find luck on special teams as well 2:08 afterwards, as Roman Glowac returned a blocked punt 18 yards for a score with 7:15 to play in the second quarter, as Scituate extended its edge to 28-14.

“First and second quarter, it was back and forth,” Belsan said. “We were kind of nervous, but then we just started running our plays, doing what we do out there perfectly. We started taking shots, and that was just working.”

The momentum swing proved monumental, and the Sailors continued to ride the wave as they tallied 26 unanswered points against the Warriors.

While Wayland staged a rally as the second half progressed, the deficit was simply too great of a hole to climb out of. After the Warriors cut it as close as 40-30 off a 40-yard touchdown rush by Caulfield, Belsan iced the game on the next possession by connecting with Allard for a 39-yard score, sealing things as Scituate made it 47-30 with 3:10 left.

“We love that play,” Belsan said. “We run it everyday at practice, every game. We knew it was going to work. I saw that there was no high safety, and I just knew it was there.”

Allard finished with three receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns for Scituate, while Foley added four catches for 61 yards and a pair of scores.

Max Dresens turned in 18 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns for Wayland.

The win sets up an Elite Eight showdown with a familiar postseason opponent for Scituate – No. 2 Holliston. The programs will meet for a chance to play in the Final Four next.

“It’s funny, because the head coach at Holliston (Todd Kiley) and I laughed,” Scituate coach Herb Devine said with a chuckle. “It seems like every year, somehow we find each other in an early round. Obviously, they’re a great program. Tons of tradition, great coaches, great atmosphere, great players. We’ve had to see them four out of the last five years I feel like, during the playoff run. We’re going back there again.”