WAYLAND — A change in momentum put its resilience to the test Saturday afternoon, but there was no stopping the Randolph football team from getting back to the Div. 8 Super Bowl for the second time in four years.

Mekhi White (183 rushing yards, touchdown) and Abraham Cornet (46 rushing yards, three touchdowns) ran wild for the top-seeded Blue Devils (10-1), pairing with a strong defensive response in the third quarter to fuel a 28-12 state semifinal win over No. 4 Nashoba Tech at Wayland High School.

The previously unbeaten Vikings (10-1) started the second half by nearly tying the game at 14-all, but Randolph denied the neutralizing conversion attempt and followed with 14 unanswered points to ice the win.

“This is my first time going, this is going to be a new experience for me,” White said. “I’m just glad I was able to take my teammates to the Super Bowl and help them get here.”

Big rushes of 33 yards from Haggai Joseph (15 carries, 76 yards) and 71 yards from White turned into an early 14-0 lead for the Blue Devils, only for Nashoba Tech to claw back.

Vikings quarterback Colby Catterton (11-for-26, 126 passing yards, touchdown) bounced back from a slow start with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chase Carney (seven catches, 106 yards) in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 14-6. And after he connected with Carney again on a 58-yard deep ball early in the third, freshman Zack Deschenes (18 carries, 92 yards) ran in a 1-yard touchdown to put Nashoba Tech within a two-point conversion of tying the score.

Randolph’s Mekhi White, left, escapes from the tackle attempt by Nashoba Tech’s Chase Carney on his way to the end zone during a Div. 8 state semifinal game in Wayland. Randolph won 28-12. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)

The run attempt failed for a second time.

“That’s in our preparation, we talk about those two-point plays all the time,” said Randolph head coach Jon Marshall. “We just covered it down all week and we talked about how two points in a game can be a really big difference. … The fact that your team is able to respond after getting scored on and shut down those two-point plays is a huge testament to their resiliency.”

What followed was a 14-play drive from the Blue Devils that ate over eight minutes of clock, twice converting on fourth down before Cornet ran in his second 15-yard touchdown rush of the day for a 21-12 lead.

The ensuing kickoff was fumbled deep into Vikings territory, and Randolph finished the quarter at the Nashoba Tech 12-yard-line.

“We call that a Randolph quarter,” Marshall said. “We talk about ball security and controlling the clock. … That kind of drive, especially (to convert) two fourth downs on that series and (be) able to execute on those short-yardage plays, is something we pride ourselves on.”

Much like it did all game, the rushing attack delivered yet another touchdown for a 28-12 lead when Cornet took a fourth-down attempt seven yards for his third touchdown.

It capped off a memorable performance for White, who was frustrated with an early fumble. He paired with Joseph, Cornet and Senecca Spencer to run for well over 300 yards – often getting extra pushes from teammates in a scrum for additional five or more yards.

“Ever since that (fumble), I just worked on ball security and played hard,” White said. “All glory goes to me, but the linemen really do the dirty work. The linemen should be getting the credit. … I really want to give credit to my whole O-line.”

Nashoba Tech’s Zack Deschenes, left, rushes past Randolph’s Abraham Cornet during Randolph’s 28-12 win in a Div. 8 state semifinal game. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)

“We always say the pride of our program is our offensive and defensive lines,” Marshall added. “We’re really blessed to have some big guys that play for us, and they work hard, too.”

The Vikings weren’t done threatening down 28-12, even thriving in the hurry-up offense to quickly drive down the field with about eight minutes left. Andy Vilceron ended the scoring bid with an interception for Randolph at its own 7-yard-line.

Nashoba Tech’s defense got the offense the ball back twice more after that, but the Blue Devils forced turnovers-on-downs both times.