BRAINTREE – Even if your team has been cruising all season long, you still have to be prepared for a challenge in the postseason.

Only an eighth-grader, quarterback Hudson Garrity showed poise when it mattered most Friday night. The young star completed 10 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for the game-clinching seven-yard score as sixth-ranked Archbishop Williams punched a ticket to the Div. 5 Round of Eight with an exciting 14-7 win over No. 11 Swampscott.

“We told them that Swampscott was going to be good,” said Bishops coach Mark Landolfi. “If you watch film, they’re big, they’re strong. They’re a good team, and we told them that this was going to be our biggest test.”

That it was. This opening round bout was a war between schools with contrasting play styles. Archbishop Williams (9-0) had been one of the Commonwealth’s strongest teams offensively, averaging 34.75 points a game. Swampscott (6-3), on the other hand, was surrendering just 14.25 points per contest. For most of the first half, the Big Blue baited the Bishops into their own game.

This showdown remained scoreless until the second quarter, when John von Barta dumped a screen pass off to Will Bush. The senior found a seam, then broke free for a 55-yard touchdown reception as Swampscott drew first blood with a 7-0 lead.

However, Archbishop Williams punched right back. On the ensuing possession, Garrity fired a bullet to sophomore Jadon Beatty along the sideline. The wideout shed a tackle, then scampered loose for a 63-yard touchdown reception of his own, as the Bishops cut things to 7-6. Garrity connected with Blake Nelson for a two-point pass, providing his team an 8-7 lead with 5:27 to go in the half.

The score would hold until the opening play of the fourth quarter, with the Bishops standing in the red zone. Garrity attempted a quarterback keeper, then refused to go down as he steamrolled his way to paydirt with a seven-yard touchdown rush as Archbishop Williams made it a 14-7 contest with 11:52 left in regulation.

“I saw that we could run the ball between the tackles,” Garrity said. “We just attacked that, and it worked out.”

During the next drive for Swampscott, von Barta fired another screen pass, this time to junior Noah Bason. The wideout shook free for a moment, darting up the field for a 24-yard gain. Then, Luke Deftos swooped in at the tail-end of the play, punching the ball loose. The Bishops were able to recover, and took over at their 26-yard-line with 9:04 to play. Then, they staged a long drive spanning well over six minutes.

Looking for the dagger, Garrity attempted to scramble to the end zone again. This time, the eighth-grader lost control of the ball as he lunged for the goal line. Doyle Delano recovered for Swampscott, providing his team one final gasp with 2:45 left.

But when the game was on the line, the Bishops stood tall defensively, and kept their perfect season alive. David Santiago and Travis Gardner-Harris combined for a crucial tackle during a fourth-down sequence, icing the game for Archbishop Williams. It was the first postseason victory of Landolfi’s career as a head coach, and Garrity’s first win at the high school level himself.

“It was awesome,” said Garrity. “Obviously it was my first high school playoff game, and it was awesome to get it done with the boys.”

The win sets up a game in the Div. 5 quarterfinals with third-ranked Hanover for Archbishop Williams. Oddly enough, that is the school Landolfi began his coaching career as an assistant, and where his family resides to this day.

“It could have went either way,” said Landolfi. “To get through this game and win it, and for the kids to stay focused the whole time, it really means a lot. Especially for the school, this program, these kids and these coaches. We’ve worked our butts off since last August. To have this result goes a long way for us. It’s a special moment here.”