The reaction of Xaverian players in the final seconds Friday night told the entire story.

Having seen Springfield Central destroy them in back-to-back postseasons as well as a regular season loss in September, the Hawks finally got their moment. They made just enough plays on both sides of the ball to escape with a hard-fought 21-20 win and a berth in the Div. 1 state semifinals.

“I think there was a combination of getting some revenge and some relief,” Xaverian coach Al Fornaro said of his team’s postgame exuberation. “They really felt cheated that they lost the first game (44-41), they felt like they didn’t do enough to win the game.”

Successful seasons at Xaverian are not measured by win and losses as much as Super Bowl titles. Even with the annual lofty expectations, Fornaro felt he had a returning group fully capable of embracing those goals.

“We really have a group of very mature young men,” Fornaro said. “At the end of last season, they realized that they didn’t met their goals and worked very hard in the offseason to become a better team. They know what they had to do and just worked very hard at improving.”

Fornaro has been around long enough to know that a win over Springfield Central is special, but all it did was ensure a spot in the state semifinals. He knows and his team know that nothing will come easy from here on, starting with a semifinal meeting against Needham.

“Listen, any team that is fortunate enough to get to the Final Four is a damned good team,” Fornaro said. “We have a lot of respect for Needham and we are expecting a good game.”

GOING BOWLING

Mike Willey felt good about his BB&N team’s chances of making it to the NEPSAC Bowl after Saturday’s lopsided win over ISL power Lawrence Academy.

Still, when the NEPSAC Bowl officially annouced than BB&N was one of the 16 teams selected to play in the eight bowls, the veteran BB&N head coach was giddy as he spoke to the Boston Herald following the selection committee meeting.

“This is awesome for the kids,” said Willey, whose team will face Tabor Saturday afternoon. “I’m so happy for this senior group of kids. They played great down the stretch and deserved this.”

For Willey, this will be his sixth bowl appearance in 10 years at the helm. On the other end of the spectrum, first-year Belmont Hill coach Anthony Fucillo will be leading his team in the postseason against Deerfield Academy.

The rest of the matchups are St. Paul’s vs. Lawrence Academy, Pingree vs. Rivers, Dexter Southfield vs. Hamden Hall, Worcester Academy vs. Canterbury. Avon Old Farms vs. Cheshire and Choate vs. Exeter.

1. St. John’s Prep (10-0): Offensive line took over the game in the second half.

2. Catholic Memorial (7-2): Knights continued in their quest to three-peat as Div. 2 state champions.

3. Xaverian (8-2): Hawks finally got over the hump against Springfield Central.

4. King Philip (10-0): Warriors rolling along without much of a hiccup.

5. Milford (9-1): Held off a spirited North Attleboro team to reach the Div. 3 semifinals.

6. Needham (9-1): Rockets went about their business and were rewarded with a trip to the Div. 1 state semifinals.

7. Hanover (10-0): Hawks took care of things on both sides of the ball against Bishop Stang.

8. Duxbury (8-1): No stopping the Dragons these days.

9. Andover (9-1): Defense has been the Golden Warriors’ calling card down the stretch.

10. Foxboro (9-1): Dominant effort against CAL mainstay Newburyport to move within one win of a bowl game in its backyard.

11. Marshfield (8-2): The high-flying Rams get a shot to slow down the Catholic Memorial juggernaut.

12. Walpole (7-3): Incredible fortitude shown by the Timberwolves’ players down the stretch.

13. Methuen (7-3): Rangers simply had no answers for Needham’s running game.

14. Mansfield (6-4): Mike Redding hasn’t lost too many games in his Hall of Fame career, but this one might have been among the most painful.

15. Barnstable (9-1): Solid road win over previously unbeaten Peabody to keep their season alive.

16. Milton (7-3): Wildcats have clearly found their early-season mojo.

ON THE BENCH: BC High (6-4), Central Catholic (4-6). Weymouth (7-3), Everett (8-2), Shawsheen (9-0), Bishop Feehan (7-2), Peabody (9-1), Billerica (8-2), Dartmouth (9-1), Scituate (7-3)