MANSFIELD — After watching his group open the season 0-2, Herb Devine was still optimistic. While some folks were counting Scituate out before league play, the football coach was holding out hope things could still quickly turn around.

Just weeks later, the Sailors are back in a spot they found themselves just two short years ago – one win away from the pinnacle.

Senior quarterback Jackson Belsan completed 14-of-18 passes for 189 yards and two total touchdowns (one rushing), while junior running back Willy Robinson added 46 yards rushing and a score as the seventh-seeded Sailors returned to the Div. 4 Super Bowl for the first time since 2021 with a hard-fought 20-10 victory over No. 6 Grafton.

The Sailors (8-3) were determined to prove they belonged in the Div. 4 Super Bowl conversation, and they opened action with a long drive. Facing fourth-and-long, Belsan decided to flick a prayer toward the end zone. It was answered in the form of Sam Allard, who hauled in a miraculous and contested catch for a 37-yard touchdown.

Grafton went three-and-out only to watch its ensuing punt attempt blocked. Scituate was quick to capitalize, as Robinson scampered for a one-yard touchdown. With 4:12 to go in the opening frame, the Sailors were leading comfortably, 13-0.

“We were hoping to start fast,” said Devine. “That’s kind of the plan. To block a punt and to capitalize on that, turn that turnover into points was huge. We knew they were going to run the ball, and they’re going to keep coming … our kids played outstanding tonight, and we needed it.”

Just when it appeared Scituate was ready to cruise, the Gators showed their fangs. Finn Gilmore helped to key a long drive in response for Grafton, capping it with a two-yard touchdown rush to cut it to a 13-7 ballgame with 11:48 left in the first half.

When Scituate needed an answer, however, Belsan came through in the clutch. The senior guided the Sailors on a long drive in the later stages of the half, capping it with a two-yard touchdown scamper to put his squad ahead 20-7.

Grafton would beat the buzzer with a 27-yard field goal by freshman standout Ryan Davis to trim the Gators’ halftime deficit to 20-10. That was as close as the school would get, as Scituate forced two critical turnovers in the second half to ice the win.

“We love that people are not really thinking that we’re a contender,” Devine said. “We’ve talked about that since the beginning of the playoffs. People kind of wrote us off this year, said: ‘Hey, maybe they will be pretty good next year.’ But our seniors that were on this team had different plans.”

Scituate looks ahead to Gillette, hoping to recapture the magic it discovered a few seasons back with a last-minute 14-13 victory over Duxbury in the final.

“That would be huge,” said Robinson. “At the beginning of the season, nobody was believing in us. We were a young team. They thought we were going to come up short this year, but look at us now.”