MILFORD – After trailing 14-0, Xaverian woke up on both sides of the ball to advance to the Div. 1 Super Bowl for the third straight season.

Will Wood had four touchdown passes in a 36-22 victory for the two-time defending Div. 1 state champion and No. 3 seed Xaverian over No. 2 Springfield Central at Milford High on Saturday afternoon.

“I thought it showed great resiliency in our young men,” said Xaverian coach Al Fornaro. “We talked about it at halftime, so we might have to spread and throw the ball a little bit more, which is going to open up the running game. Whether it’s real or whether it’s hitting the sophomore out of the backfield. I think it’s a team effort at that point, and let’s play some football.”

The Hawks will face off against St. John’s Prep twice over the next two weeks, as they will go head-to-head on Thanksgiving as well as the Div. 1 Super Bowl.

Xaverian (9-2) scored the first 14 points out of halftime as it forced stops on defense to set up a 65-yard catch-and-run from Wood to sophomore Rocco Sestito as well as a six-yard grab for senior captain Dave Chiavegato.

“The intensity wasn’t what it needed to be in the first half,” said McIntyre about coming out strong to start the third. “We had to execute in the second half and we did.”

Springfield Central (9-2) answered a couple drives later as it blocked a punt and junior Jareth Staine took it nine yards to the house. Junior Isaiah Rogers rushed in the two-point conversion to go back in front 22-21 with 10:40 left in regulation.

Xaverian quarterback Will Wood, left, runs off the field in celebration after defeating Springfield Central, 36-22, in Milford. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)

The Hawks scored on their next two drives, with the first coming on a 24-yard reception from senior captain Christian McIntyre.

After a 16-yard Golden Eagles’ punt, senior Nico Tordiglione took it 28 yards to the end zone to finish off the scoring with 7:11 remaining.

McIntyre ended the contest with an interception as Xaverian ran out the rest of the clock.

“Just training with these coaches, they teach me very well,” McIntrye said. “They teach me a lot of things that I do in the game, and it means a lot to have these types of coaches tell me what to do.”

On its second defensive drive in the first half, Springfield Central recovered a fumble that sophomore Xavier Thomas returned 16 yards to the Xaverian 17.

Xaverian got a sack on third down from senior Julian Aoun, but Staine found junior Kodi Massey for a 27-yard touchdown behind the Hawks’ defense as they went up 6-0 with 3:47 left in the first.

Xaverian’s Nico Tordiglione, right, breaks away from Springfield Central’s Sean Williams to rush for a touchdown during the fourth quarter. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)

After another three-and-out for Xaverian and a near botched punt, the Golden Eagles scored on just five plays as Rogers found paydirt from six yards, and the two-point pass from Staine to Massey was good to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter.

The Hawks responded on their next drive with a 10-play, 69-yard drive that saw two fourth-down conversion runs for senior Bryce Todd. A 29-yard completion to senior captain Christian McIntyre from junior Will Wood set up the eight-yard strike from Wood to McIntyre to cut the deficit to 14-7, which held until the half.

Springfield Central quarterback Jareth Staine, left, is sacked by Xaverian’s Patrick Curley during the state semifinal. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)

“It’s huge,” said Fornaro about cutting the deficit in half. “You’re going into halftime down two touchdowns, and you’re kicking off to them to start the second half. That’s never a good scenario. To pick up those first downs and be able to (score), that was obviously paramount and very, very good.”