Melrose coach Tim Morris figured the 200th win was going to eventually happen.

He just didn’t think it would take 10 months to do so.

Morris became the 59th coach in state history to reach the milestone Friday night when the Red Raiders defeated Swampscott 34-27. He admitted it was more of a relief than anything else to finally be able to put the accomplishment in the rearview mirror and focus on the Middlesex Freedom portion of the schedule.

“We never really talked about it, but I could tell the players were pressing to get it,” Morris said. “We just tried to keep it about football. The goal is to win every game each week, that’s what it’s all about.”

The 200-win watch began last Nov. 2 when Melrose defeated Whittier 35-8 to give Morris his 199th win. His first crack at 200 ended in a 35-28 loss to Wayland, followed by a crushing 7-3 loss to rival Wakefield on Thanksgiving.

Melrose opened the season on the road against Peabody and came up on the short end of a 34-13 score. A week later, it was Reading who added to the angst as the Rockets rolled to a 35-7 victory.

The Red Raiders had a bye to regroup and it turned out to be what they needed. The Swampscott game typified what Melrose teams under Morris had been known for through the years – tough, gritty and resilient. After building up an early 14-0 lead, the Red Raiders fell behind 21-14, then responded with three scores before holding off a late Swampscott rally to start the celebration.

“I was more happy for the kids to be honest,” Morris said. “We came into the season and had two really tough games to start. The way they fought back against Swampscott – I was really happy for the players.”

As much as Morris constantly spoke of his happiness for the players, there was a little of him that allowed for a bit of personal celebration. Much like Tommy Lasorda claimed if you cut him open, he would bleed Dodger Blue, Morris is a born and raised product of Melrose.

“Being able to do this in my hometown is certainly special,” Morris said. “I went to school here and when I graduated from Springfield College, I came back here and it’s the only job I’ve had. I worked under Bruce McPherson for 11 years, took over in 1994 when he left and I’ve been here ever since.”

Now that Morris can finally say he’s an exclusive member of the 200-win fraternity, he took a walk down memory lane.

“When I start thinking about it, I think about guys like Tom Lamb,” Morris said. “Then I look at guys in our league who have won 200 games and there were some great coaches and great people like Billy Tighe and Rocky Nelson. To be mentioned with people like them is special.”

SWEET 16

1. St. John’s Prep (4-0): Seniors fittingly took care of business on Senior Day at the Prep.

2. Catholic Memorial (2-1): Knights were waiting for what seemed like an eternity to unleash their offensive firepower.

3. Xaverian (2-1): Fans wouldn’t mind seeing another Xaverian-Springfield Central contest after the show both teams put on Friday night.

4. King Philip (4-0): Old school football battle against Foxboro, just the way Brian Lee loves it.

5. Needham (4-0): Rockets have allowed just three touchdowns in four games to date.

6. Marshfield (3-1): The cardiac kids strike again, this time it’s Mansfield who leaves the field stunned.

7. Scituate (3-0): Sailors return to the field this week with a road trip to Pembroke.

8. BC High (3-0): Another bye week for the Eagles, who could be the most rested team in the state at this point in time.

9. Andover (3-0): Solid two-way performance for the Golden Warriors.

10. North Attleboro (4-0): Red Rocketeers had little trouble this past week.

11. Methuen (2-1): See-saw offensive affair against a hard-luck Chelmsford team who is much better than its record indicates.

12. Weymouth (4-0): We will get a better sampling of how good the Wildcats are this week when they meet up with Milton.

13. Barnstable (4-0): This will be an interesting matchup this week against an explosive Dennis-Yarmouth squad.

14. Milton (3-1): I’m convinced if I had any eligibility left, coach/QB whisperer Steve Dembowski could turn me into a quarterback in no time at all.

15. Natick (3-1): Really impressive victory against a traditionally tough Milford squad.

16. Central Catholic (2-2): Another week, another killer opponent for the Raiders.