Advertisement

Xaverian's Henry Hasselbeck adds to family's football legacy with Super Bowl win

Cameron Merritt, The Taunton Daily Gazette
·5 min read

FOXBORO — For Xaverian senior quarterback Henry Hasselbeck, football is a way of life.

"I love football, my whole family loves football and it means so much to us," Hasselbeck said. "As a family we couldn't be more circled around football and it's the best way I could imagine my life."

His father Matt Hasselbeck, who also played for Xaverian, spent 17 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL, leading the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XL while making three Pro Bowls. Before that, his grandfather Don Hasselbeck, who was drafted in the second round of the 1977 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, spent nine seasons in the NFL as a tight end, and won Super Bowl XVIII as a member of the then-Los Angeles Raiders.

On Wednesday night, under the bright lights of Gillette Stadium with his father and grandfather on the sidelines, Hasselbeck added to both his family's and his school's storied football history as helped lead the No. 4 Hawks (10-2, 5-1 Catholic Conference) to a 31-25 win over rivals and defending champions No. 1 St. John's Prep in the Division 1 Super Bowl.

Xaverian quarterback Henry Hasslebeck runs past St. John's Prep defender Grayson Ambrosh during the Division 1 state title game at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023.
Xaverian quarterback Henry Hasslebeck runs past St. John's Prep defender Grayson Ambrosh during the Division 1 state title game at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023.

"Beating (St. John's) Prep is one of the most special things you can do," Hasselbeck said. "You're going to remember it your whole life and I can 100% say I will remember this my whole life. I have so much respect (for SJP), but it feels good to be on top."

The Michigan State commit went 7-of-13 passing for 101 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were hauled in by senior wide receiver Caleb Brown, while also rushing the ball 13 times for 122 yards. The win marked the second time Xaverian beat the previously undefeated Eagles in six days following their 23-21 win on Thanksgiving.

"I wouldn't have wanted it to be any other way," Hasselbeck said. "I wanted it to be a nail-biter, barn burner close game like this and it was a great game."

Things didn't start out as Hasslebeck or the Hawks hoped as St. John's Prep sacked him on the opening drive and forced a fumble that they recovered and turned into a touchdown a few plays later for the early 6-0 lead.

MIAA Super Bowl coverage: Live updates from the high school football state championships

"I know how much faith my team has in me and I know how much faith I have in my team and I didn't want to let them down," Hasselbeck said. "From then on, I just wanted to flip a switch and control the controllables from there."

That switch seemed to flip at the start of the second quarter as Hasselbeck found Brown with his first pass attempt of the game for a 19-yard touchdown. Following a successful point after from senior kicker Joseph MacDonald, the Hawks had a 7-6 lead with 7:40 left in the half. After stopping the Eagles and grinding down some clock, Hasselbeck found Brown in the back of the end zone from 25 yards out, with the Brockton resident making the over-the-shoulder catch to make it 14-6.

St, John's Prep was far from out of it, though, and added touchdowns on the final drive of the second quarter and opening drive of the third to go up 18-14.

Once again, Hasselbeck and the Hawks were quick to respond, with Hasselbeck breaking free for a 55-yard run before senior running back Mike O'Connor punched it in from a yard out to put Xaverian back on top 21-18.

Xaverian defensive back Caleb Brown, left, breaks up the pass to St. John's Prep Marrick Barlow with one second left in the game and celebrates with Henry Hasselbeck during the Division 1 state title game at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023.
Xaverian defensive back Caleb Brown, left, breaks up the pass to St. John's Prep Marrick Barlow with one second left in the game and celebrates with Henry Hasselbeck during the Division 1 state title game at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023.

After another Eagles touchdown and lead change on the next drive, Hasselbeck found Brown open again in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the Hawks up for good. A 39-yard field goal by junior kicker Luke Bell with 5:07 left gave them a bit more cushion at 31-25, and despite the best efforts of the Eagle offense, the Xaverian defense kept them out of the end zone and seal the program's first Super Bowl since 2015.

"Our defense works so hard," Hasselbeck said. "We push them so hard and I couldn't thank them enough. They're perfect, they're amazing."

Having a target like Brown, who doubled his season total of touchdowns in the win, certainly helped as well.

"He's a great player, one of the toughest kids I know and just a freak athlete," Hasselbeck said. "I trust him fully, the whole team trusts him full and the whole Hawk's Nest (student section) trusts him fully, and that's why I put so much faith in him every game."

'A football town now': Appearance in Div. 8 Super Bowl a sign of Carver High's new era

Likewise, coach Al Fornaro has all the trust in the world in his quarterback.

"I'm sure as hell glad that we have Henry Hasselbeck," Fornaro said. "If he's not (considered) the best player in the state, I'll fight anyone who wants to disagree with me... Without Henry Hasselbeck, we're not here tonight."

Hasselbeck thanked God, his coaches, teammates and the student section, who he said are unlike any other he's seen, for helping push Xaverian to succeed.

"It means so much to everybody and that's why I love it," Hasselbeck said.

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Hasselbeck leads Xaverian to Super Bowl win over St. John's Prep