SCITUATE — In 2022, Old Rochester Regional High School lost to Shawsheen Valley Technical High School in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Div. 5 football playoff tournament. In 2023, the two schools met again in the quarterfinals. Shawsheen won again.

The 2024 tournament set the rematch into a trilogy, as No. 4 seed Old Rochester and No. 1 seed Shawsheen met in the playoffs for the third consecutive season, this time in the semifinals. For the third year in a row, the Rams eliminated Old Rochester from the tournament.

Old Rochester lost 28-7 to Shawsheen at neutral site Scituate High School on a rainy Friday night Nov. 22.

To reach the semifinals, Old Rochester, now 9-2, first won big twice at home to set up another tournament bout against Shawsheen, now 11-0. Senior quarterback Gavin Martin said the playoffs were “more than a run.”

The seniors on the team have been playing together for their whole lives, he said. They had one goal: get to the Div. 5 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.

“It’s cut short, but it’s ok,” Martin said. “It was an awesome run, and I'll remember it forever.”

On the way to the semifinal victory, Shawsheen led 14-0 at halftime and extended to a 28-0 lead in the fourth quarter.

“They’re just a very good team,” Martin said. “I think we played our hardest.”

The Bulldogs struggled on offense against an overwhelming Shawsheen defense that brings “everybody from everywhere,” Old Rochester head coach Bryce Guilbeault said.

“You feel for these kids,” he said. “They work so hard.”

Martin said Old Rochester “tried everything” on offense against Shawsheen’s defense but just didn’t have enough.

Rain filled most of the game. It picked up heavily at points in the first half. After a dry halftime, the precipitation returned seemingly the moment Shawsheen kicked off to begin the third quarter. It cleared up again by the time Shawsheen kneeled out the clock for the win over the Bulldogs.

“It hurts, man, and I really feel bad for them, and I wish we could have got it done today because they deserved it,” Guilbeault said.

During the third quarter, junior defensive back Henry Berry intercepted a Shawsheen pass in front of the endzone and ran it back near midfield. Senior running back Jack Leconte ran in a touchdown with just over 2 minutes left in the game.

Guilbeault said Old Rochester “kept fighting.”

“They never quit,” he said. “In today's world, people quit all the time, and these guys are going to do just fine when they move on in their lives because they’re warriors.”