Winthrop captain Robert Rich surely looked like he was going to be tackled for a loss. Four different Swampscott defenders, including two who made direct contact, seemingly had him contained, but Rich escaped the quadrangular containment behind the line of scrimmage.
But Rich wasn’t going to settle for a short gain on the play. The senior running back raced toward the left sideline and used his speed to outrun at least five other defenders for an electrifying 49-yard touchdown that helped Winthrop tie the game at 14-14 on the way to the Vikings’ 21-14 victory.
“My goodness, it looked like it was gonna go for a loss!” exclaimed the Swampscott cable TV announcer about a play which for now is being alliteratively called “The Robert Rich Run.”
Winthrop head football Jon Cadigan explained that the play was designed to go inside. “And as soon Robert starts breaking it outside – we don’t necessarily want it to out there because we’re not blocking any of those guys, and we don’t want to lose yardage. But he just made a great play.”
Cadigan believes Rich’s touchdown run exemplified the skills of a multi-sport athlete.
“It’s a three-sport athlete run,” said Cadigan. “That’s Robert Rich playing lacrosse. That’s Robert Rich playing hockey. That’s just him doing what three-sport athletes do, because they’re used to being in situations like that. Certainly, eluding the tacklers, that was impressive. But then outrunning the whole team on Swampscott, I think that was even more impressive, because I think Swampscott’s a pretty fast team.”
Rich was asked about a play that will stand the test of time in Viking football annals.
“I was sort of just running, and they were grabbing on to me, and I just kept chugging my feet,” said Rich. “They eventually slipped off, and I just ran down the sidelines.”
Rich had tried to make something happen inside on the play, just as Cadigan indicated. “The play was supposed to be inside, but the play got a little bit blown out, so I had to bounce it. They surrounded me, and I just had to find any way out,” related Rich. “I honestly didn’t know I could run fast. I just saw the green grass and started going.”
Rich said the blocking of the offensive line was outstanding against Swampscott. “If you look at O-Line’s blocking percentage, they were all over 70 percent this week. It gives us lanes to cut off of, and that’s always amazing.”
Rich’s contribution to the victory extended beyond his 49-yard touchdown. Playing at free safety, Rich also made the game-sealing interception.
With Swampscott seeking the game-tying touchdown (or potential game-winning touchdown and two-pointer) in the final minute, Rich perfectly timed his leap to intercept the football.
“There was a timeout before that play, and Coach [James] Fucillo basically told me what play [hitch-and-go] they were going to run, and they ran exactly that. So, he [the Swampscott quarterback] threw it, I saw it, and I jumped up and got it.”
Rich also knew instinctively to hit the turf once he made the interception, eschewing a possible Pick-6 (and avoiding what Troy Brown did in the 2006 NFL playoffs by stripping a Denver defensive back of the football, which turned a likely Patriots’ loss into a victory).
“There were 40 seconds left in the game, and Swampscott was low on timeouts, so I knew if we just took a knee, we would win the game,” said Rich.
From The Robert Rich Run to The Robert Rich INT, it was a trip to Blocksidge Field in Swampscott that he will remember forever.