Kaiden Brochu’s heroics give Bay Path the Large School Vocational Bowl title
MILLBURY – Junior Kaiden Brochu was next to unstoppable with well over 400 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns for the Bay Path football team Wednesday night.
But with the game on the line in a late deficit, and then a one-point lead to be held in the final minute, it was his teammates that stepped up to help the Minutemen win their second straight MVADA Large School Vocational Bowl title.
Corey Scovil connected with Aiden Fausek for a 24-yard touchdown with 1:16 left to play, and the defense came up with just its second stop of the game in response as Bay Path (10-3) outlasted Blackstone Valley in a true shootout, 42-41.
The Beavers’ desperation play at the final horn was tackled down at the Bay Path 11 by Dale Nussey.
“I have all the faith in the world in (Scovil), he’s going to be a stud for us, and (Fausek) has been making those catches all year,” said Minutemen head coach Cody Giampa. “BVT is, since I’ve been at Bay Path, they’ve been the standard for football in this area. … (The win) feels great, that’s the goal. You don’t play to participate, you play to win and winning championships is what we want to do. These kids have busted their tail to put us in position to win.”
The teams teams traded offensive blows all night – led by MVP performances from each side.
Brochu ripped off 11 carries of 10-plus yards on the way to 346 yards from scrimmage for Bay Path, running in two touchdowns, catching another, and he started his night with a 93-yard kick return score.
“I’m going to give all the credit to my line, they make the holes for me and I kind of know where it’s going to be every time,” Brochu said.
Meanwhile, BVT quarterback Alexander Burgos was almost too much to handle by passing 17-for-23 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 84 yards and two touchdowns with his legs, including a 9-yard keeper for a 41-36 Beavers lead with 3:53 to go.
But Bay Path had more than enough time left to respond.
Methodical movement from the Minutemen’s starting point at their own 41 put them just outside the red zone when Fausek’s number was called. A play-action waggle gave Scovil room to the right, and he delivered a perfect ball toward the corner for a wide-open Fausek.
Scovil was 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter with two touchdown passes. He also sacked Burgos on the second-to-last play to force the desperation play instead of a game-winning field goal attempt.
“I give all my credit to the O-line,” Scovil said. “I’m patient, I wait for my opportunity. When my opportunity comes, I execute and I do as much as I can for my team. Anything I can do, I’ll do for them.”
“That was probably my biggest touchdown of my life,” Fausek added. “I was waiting for it, I was hoping it was going to come. Me and (Scovil), we practiced all offseason for this. … We did it, we executed.”
Not enough can be said about Brochu’s impact on the team, though, entering the game with over 2,000 rushing yards.
“(Brochu) is a great kid, and he’s a team-first guy,” Giampa said. “Every college should be banging down our door to get that kid. The kid’s incredibly smart, he’s incredibly talented.”
Nicholas Whitlock also led BVT with seven catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns.