COHASSET, Mass. -- The Cohasset High football team Friday was as good as everyone expected.
Drury was better than many would have thought.
The 15th-seeded Blue Devils outscored the Skippers, 15-7, in the second half of Friday's 41-15 Division 7 State Tournament opening loss.
The defending state champions got 128 yards rushing and two receiving touchdowns in just more than two quarters of work from Liam Appleton.
But Drury senior Louis Guillotte ran for 125 yards and all 15 of his team's points in the loss.
"At the half, we were down a lot," Guillotte said. "But we weren't going to end up with zero on that scoreboard over there.
"We were going to go down swinging."
Cohasset came out like the "well-oiled machine" Drury coach Al Marceau called the Skippers in the post-game interviews, going 72 yards in six plays on its opening possession.
William Baker (72 yards rushing, 107 yards and two TDs passing) went in from the 7 less than two minutes into the game to open up an impressive 34-point half for Cohasset.
A Guillotte interception on the Skippers' first play from scrimmage cut short its second possession of the game, but Cohasset went on to score on its next four possessions.
Drury's offense, meanwhile, gained a couple of first half first downs but mostly ended up losing possession on fourth-and-short situations.
On the other hand, Drury played disciplined football all night, turning the ball over just once and committing just one penalty, a 5-yarder late in the third quarter.
Drury went into the game without a couple of starters due to injury, including its starting QB, Ben McDonough, who was hurt in last week's regular season finale.
Donte Dillard stepped in and did an estimable job under center.
"He didn't get any reps all year because we didn't need to," Marceau said. "And then, we worked him in a little bit at practice here and there. I knew he could run the base offense.
"But when you get into a playoff game, it's not like working him in in a league game. I mean [Cohasset] is studs. They're really good. I thought [Dillard] did an excellent job. He stepped up."
And he sparked Drury to its first score of the game on its second possession of the second half.
On first and 10 at the Drury 36, Dillard found Parker Smith deep down field. Smith leapt up for the grab and then raced down the left side before going out of bounds with a 48-yard gain.
After handoffs to Guillotte, Dayshawn Moore (34 yards rushing) and Guillotte again, Drury was in the end zone to make it 34-6. Guillotte then ran in the 2-pointer.
A 55-yard return by Appleton on the ensuing kickoff set up Cohasset at the plus-35, and the Skippers quickly answered with a score to go back ahead, 41-8.
Drury then had its most sustained drive of the night, going 80 yards in nine plays, the last a 12-yard Guillotte run.
"I'm very pleased with the effort," Marceau said. "I love my guys. They grind. They come to work every day.
"You know, we don't get whole lot of respect. But I think we earned it, and I think these guys are a special group of seniors."
