Telegraph photo by TOM KING Hollis Brookline's Marc-Andre Thermitus runs to daylight for one of his two TDs in HB's 33-14 playoff win over Milford Saturday in Hollis.

HOLLIS – When Hollis Brookline and Milford get together for a high school football game, believe the unbelievable.

If someone were to tell Cavs coach Chris Lones that his team would have committed five turnovers and have two touchdowns called back and still won Saturday’s Division II playoff game with the Spartans 33-14, he’d never believe you.

“I would’ve told you you’re out of your freakin’ mind,” he said. “We won it because we just kept grinding. Our defense was great.”

It’s the same way a month ago when he had his talented senior back Marc-Andre Thermitus rush for over 300 yards and the Cavs still lost by two points to the Spartans in Milford.

Thermitus didn’t rush for nearly as much – 163 yards on 14 carries – but his two long TDs broke the Spartans’ backs. The first one of 57 yards made it a 14-0 game with 4:10 left in the first half.

“He’s gifted,” Lones said. “He’s a nice weapon to have, a nice tool to have in the backfield.”

His second TD run was the most important, coming after Milford (1-3) had just closed to within 14-7 on a penalty-aided 17-play, 60-yard drive that chewed up nine minutes to start the third period.

Just a kickoff and one play from scrimmage after Spartan Charlie Urda had run it in from 9 yards out, Thermitus ripped off a 53-yard score, helping to make it 21-7 with 3:01 left in the third.

As Milford coach Keith Jones said, “Heart breaker.”

“For them, yeah, I think so,” Thermitus said. “They ran up the clock, probably thought they were going to get back into it. But we got momentum back, though.”

And held on to it. The Cavs got two TD passes from QB Drew Gryniewicz, a 21-yarder to Blake Bergerson in the first quarter (7-0) and a 17-yarder to Jack Delaney early in the fourth quarter that made it 27-7 and basically put things away.

While the Spartans won the turnover battle, they were hurt by penalties. One controversial one, though, negated a trick play 81-yard TD pass from Darrion Kimball to Trice Cote late in the first quarter that with an extra point would have tied the game. It was ruled that Urda’s initial flip to Kimball was a forward pass, thus making Kimball’s throw illegal.

“I want to see the film, I still think that was a touchdown,” Jones said. “I want to see the film, I still think that was a touchdown. Marc’s a good player, we have to take ’em when we can get one.”

But now the Spartans season ends and the Cavs now advance to the quarterfinals against one of Division II’s best, unbeaten Souhegan, next weekend.

The Sabers beat HB 20-0 in the season opener.

“It’s going to be a war, as well it should be,” Lones said. “We’ll bring everything we’ve got, and we know they will too.”

HB can’t afford the mistakes, though, it made yesterday.

“We started off pretty slow on offense,” Thermitus said. “Four turnovers. … And we just stayed with it, got better throughout the game, and finished off pretty strong.”

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