FOXBORO — Sometimes it’s simply best to throw out the history books, put the past in the rearview mirror.

It has paid off for many teams in recent years, and it did so for Duxbury in 2023.

Thanks in large part to a historic performance by senior Alex Barlow, the Dragons coasted Friday night, and earned retribution in doing so. The Bentley commit racked up 32 carries, finishing with a whopping 275 yards to go with five touchdowns rushing, as the Dragons roared to 62-33 romp of Scituate to claim their latest Div. 4 Super Bowl crown.

“I think the coaching staff and the players put in a good scheme against (Scituate),” said Duxbury coach Matt Landolfi. “They’re a well-coached team fundamentally. We thought we could get them on a few things, and we were able to do that.”

It was the 11th state finals appearance for Duxbury since 1997, and the seventh championship for the program since 2005. The Dragons (11-1) came into Gillette looking to avenge their loss to Scituate in the 2021 Div. 4 title bout, and came out red hot to start. Duxbury relied on its passing attack in the early going, as Trevor Jones connected with Adam Barr and Zach Falls for a pair of touchdowns in the opening frame to help the Dragons seize a 13-0 lead just minutes into play.

While Scituate found the scoreboard with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Belsan to Sam Allard, Duxbury had a response each and every time the Sailors gained momentum. Sam Wein proceeded to return the ensuing kickoff 92 yards to the house, as the Dragons took a 20-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The trend continued on into the second. With his team leading by a pair of scores, Barlow took a direct snap, then plunged into the end zone for his first touchdown of the night to make it 34-14 with nine seconds left in the half. He was only getting started.

Duxbury opened the second half with possession, and decided to roll with its ground game for the remainder of the game. Barlow would find paydirt on the first drive of the third quarter with a one-yard rush, as the Dragons opened up a 41-14 edge.

“They’re a great offense,” Barlow said. “They do a lot of tricky stuff, so we knew we had to keep things in front of us defensively. We knew we were going to ride our o-line like we have all season. We continued to do so, punching teams in the mouth.”

From that moment on, the schools continued to trade scores. With the game well at hand, Barlow shed a few tackles, then broke off a 35-yard touchdown rush for his fifth score of the night as Duxbury broke the 60-point barrier with a 62-33 edge with 3:38 remaining.

On top of Barlow’s heroics, Duxbury received fantastic performances from senior wideout Zach Falls (121 yards receiving, touchdown) and quarterback Trevor Jones (158 yards passing, two touchdowns).

Scituate was propelled by Jackson Belsan, who completed 14-of-26 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns.

“They’re obviously excited,” said Landolfi. “Winning a big game against a great coach, great team is fun to do. But these kids really just live in the moment. They don’t really think about the past. Their brains don’t work like that. Ours do, but these guys are just excited about the year.”

Scituate’s Sam Allard is tackled by Duxbury’s stingy defense Friday night during Duxbury’s victory in the Div. 7 state championship game in Foxboro. (Photo by Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)