FOXBORO – Make it three straight for the West Boylston football team for the first time in program history.

A large band of first-year starters came out of the gates at Gillette Stadium like experienced veterans for the second-seeded Lions Friday night, using a dominant first half to hold onto a 22-16 win in the Div. 8 Super Bowl despite a late rally from top-seeded Randolph.

The Blue Devils (10-2) battled back from a 22-3 halftime deficit to pull within  one score with 5:41 left, but junior Dominick Renzoni (97 rushing yards, two touchdowns) and West Boylston built too big of a hill to climb.

That’s now two straight Div. 8 state titles for the Lions after winning the Div. 7 Super Bowl in 2022.

“Most of these kids were one-year starters,” said West Boylston head coach Mike Ross. “You give them credit. It was a total rebuild. On the line, it was a total rebuild. Look what they did. … That’s a good football team. A lot of speed, a lot of size. My kids just played, they’re tough.”

“I’m honored,” Renzoni added. “The teams before us were amazing, and this year, I didn’t think we were going to make it this far. But we did and I’m just proud of everyone.”

Randolph’s Haggai Joseph (5) is taken down by West Boylston’s Aiden Williams during Friday’s state title battle in Foxboro. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

Randolph looked plenty in rhythm to start, methodically moving the ball behind Mekhi White (143 rushing yards, two touchdowns), Haggai Joseph (48 rushing yards) and Abraham Cornet (50 rushing yards). A 13-play, eight-minute opening drive put the Blue Devils in the red zone, but the Lions finally put it to a stop to force Alin Norisca to a 27-yard field goal.

“When we stopped them there and made them get a field goal, that was a big play,” Ross said. “If they score a touchdown, I think they would’ve had more momentum.”

It was all West Boylston for the rest of the first half.

The ensuing drive saw Stephen Simpson (86 rushing yards, touchdown) and Renzoni each rip off long rushes, which the latter took 36 yards for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead. Randolph produced four more drives, but they ended in two turnovers-on-downs and two fumbles.

West Boylston’s Dominick Renzoni (24) celebrates his TD with Aidan Hamilton during a 22-16 win over Randolph for the state title. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

Those turnovers set up the Lions to score on a 19-yard run from Simpson, and then a 3-yard carry from Renzoni. Fullback Tommy Wyatt (23 yards) drew plenty of attention on fakes up the gut, setting up big rushes all half.

“We were doing a lot of fake inside runs and jets on the outside,” Ross said. “That opened up (the offense). … When we had to make plays on offense, we did.”

Randolph didn’t go down without a fight.

West Boylston only had one possession in the third quarter, which it punted on. Randolph’s trio of top rushers each contributed big runs on its first drive of the second half, and 50 rushing yards in it from White was capped off by his 12-yard touchdown for a 20-9 deficit.

Randolph followed with an onside kick recovery and drove deep into Lions territory before turning the ball over on downs again. The Blue Devils forced a punt and White punched in a 1-yard touchdown with just under six minutes left.

“That’s back to one of our things we always talk about, is our ‘R-factor,’ ” said Randolph head coach Jon Marshall. “It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you react to it. I’m really proud of the guys for how they fought back in the second half there.”

The Lions ran out the rest of the clock to ice the win from there – including a fourth-down conversion in the red zone.