The 2014 MIAA south sectional football finals had a certain Micky Ward vs. Arturo Gatti element to it.

Both teams had moments where they put pressure on their opponents and appeared to have the other on the ropes. Their was an old-fashioned slugfest feel to the action at times, but in the end, the Marshfield Rams came away with a hard fought victory, 20-12.

After facing arguably the top receiver in the state the previous week (in Natick's Brian Dunlap), the Rams had to battle King Philip's Mark Glebus, who could easily be argued as the top running back in the state.

While it seems laughable to claim any degree of success in allowing Glebus to amass 192 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night, the Rams did make him do it over 35 carries, and the element of fatigue seemed to play a factor in the waning moments of the game with the outcome still in question.

Both teams would agree that the most critical sequence of the contest came at the end of the first half.

Marshfield had found early success in the game, building a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. They got started on their first drive, as Neal Parry made a highlight-reel, tackle-busting, run-after-the-catch on a screen pass, which resulted in a 41-yard touchdown.

The Rams kept the momentum in their favor on King Philip's opening possession, as Danny Dalton intercepted a pass on the Warriors' third play from scrimmage, giving the Marshfield offense excellent field position at the King Philip 38. The Rams took advantage, as Frank Catanoso took a sweep to the house from 17 yards out to finish the drive.

However, the Warriors answered and capped their second possession with a touchdown run by Glebus. 

After trading punts on the next three drives, King Philip used an excellent punt return by Glebus to set themselves up with favorable field position in the closing minutes of the second quarter.

The Warriors had a first-and-goal opportunity from the Rams' 5 yard line with 0:18 to go in the half, but Kyle Meeken burst into the backfield to drop Glebus for a 2-yard loss. A false start penalty moved the Warriors back to the 12 yard line, setting up the final two plays before halftime.

King Philip quarterback John DeLuca launched a pair of passes into the end zone as the final seconds ticked off the clock, and both times the receiver appeared open and poised to reel in a scoring catch, but on both occasions, a Rams defender leapt up to deflect the ball out of reach at the last possible moment. Danny Dalton made the first deflection, and Bob McCarthy made the second, allowing Marshfield to maintain its 14-6 lead going into the locker room.

The Warriors came out and scored on their first drive of the second half, thanks to another Glebus TD, narrowing the score to 14-12. King Philip went for two following the score, but Dalton had the primary receiver blanketed in the flat, and Rams defensive end Sean Burger sacked DeLuca before he could seek out a second option.

After trading turnovers on successive plays late in the third quarter, Marshfield extended their lead to open the fourth quarter. The sequence began with a leaping 30-yard catch by Dalton, followed by a quick-tempo snap that Catanoso took to the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown.

The Rams could have avoided late drama by converting the extra point to make it a two-possession lead, but the kick was no good, which kept King Philip alive into the closing moments of the game.

Matt Benson finally erased all doubt and locked up the south sectional title with an interception with just 0:10 remaining.

Marshfield will advance to the state semi-final game next week against North Andover at Brockton High School. The winner will advance to play in the state championship game at Gillette Stadium. Go Rams!