BROCKTON — While strategizing how to dig out from a three-possession hole at halftime, the energy within the Brockton High football team's locker room swung.
The pregame scene resurfaced.
Prior to Friday night's game against Lincoln-Sudbury, Brockton High athletic director Kevin Karo and staff dedicated a framed jersey to the family of ex-Boxers Makhi and Terry Boston Jr. , who died in a car accident in Randolph last July at 18 and 15 years old, respectively.
The No. 75, which was worn by the elder Boston in his junior season in 2022, loomed large in paint in each end zone. Jarred Mighty graced over it on his dash to score a 90-yard kickoff return on the opening play of the second half.
“We all came out here for Makhi Boston," Mighty said. "We had something on the line in this game. We thought back to that and had to prove we’re holding it down for him.”
Brockton didn't allow a point in the second half and fired a potential game-winning heave to the end zone with 38 seconds to play, but ultimately suffered a 17-14 loss. Jailson Silva still awaits his first win as the new head coach of the Boxers (0-3).
“The kids were passionate," Silva said of the inspiration. "Lots of tears early on. They wanted to come out and win one for Makhi and T.J. I think that’s one thing they’re low on right now. They wanted to win that game for their fallen brothers, and they fell just short.”
Following Mighty's kickoff return, the Boxers forced a Lincoln-Sudbury turnover on downs at midfield on its first of three drives in the second half. The Warriors' final two ended in punts.
“At halftime, we challenged them to not lay down or just allow yourselves to give in to defeat," Silva said. "You’ve got to fight back. I think Jarred sparked it. You could see the energy it built. The sideline came alive.”
“Everyone was down and we had to change something, had to change the momentum of the game," Mighty said. "I got the ball and something just clicked. I started seeing space, everyone was blocking, everyone was motivated and I ran to that end zone.”
Senior running back Luke Turco capped the Boxers' ensuing possession with a 5-yard touchdown that, along with a successful point-after by junior Daniel Da Silva, suddenly lifted the team within a 17-14 margin at the 3:09 mark of the third quarter.
Turco finished the night with 149 yards and the touchdown on 18 carries.
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“Luke’s a workhorse," Silva said. "He shows up on Friday nights when it’s time to play. He’s an underrated player that people may have overlooked and may not know much about. But he’s up there with the top guys in the state.”
Friday marked the second one-score game Brockton has played in through three weeks. The Boxers lost to Barnstable, 10-7, on the road in the season-opener before falling to Franklin, 35-7, last week.
Still, Brockton emerged as the No. 12 team in the MIAA's first release of the tournament power rankings on Friday afternoon. The top 16 teams qualify for the bracket. The Boxers missed last year's postseason in a 3-8 season under Jermaine Wiggins.
A trip to Lawrence (0-3) is ahead next Friday at 6 p.m.
“They’re building that toughness, that resilience," Silva said. "We’re close. We’re right there. We just have to tighten up a little more and get back to work on Monday.”
THEY SAID IT
Silva on Friday's close finish: “I thought we had it. We had the ball to end the game. We felt confident. We felt good going into it. You want to be in that position to win the game. We had it. We didn’t capitalize. They beat us.”
Mighty on drumming up momentum: “The second half of this game showed that we don’t give up, that we persevere. What we have going, we’re going to show up (big).”
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: 'Lots of tears early on': Brockton football's comeback bid inspired by late teammates' tribute
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