BILLERICA – The season’s end came suddenly and
decisively for the North Andover boys hockey. And for the second time in three
years, its demise came in the Division 2 North semifinals.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 03/03/20 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Trailing 2-1, HPNA scored three times in the third period for a 4-2 win over Lincoln-Sudbury. Hannah Keating had a hat trich, Eliana Kane had a goal and two assists and goalie Jenny Hubbard not only had 19 saves but registered two assists!
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Girls Ice Hockey, 12/31/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Emir Alagoz scored a team-high 17 points, but the Northern Essex men's basketball team fell to Gateway, 105-76. Ajani Phillips had 14 points for the Knights, Conor O'Neil had 13 and Guney Kilitcioglu had 12.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 01/26/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Julia Masotta netted a first-period hat trick as part of an eventual four-goal game in Methuen/Tewksbury's 8-2 win over Lincoln-Sudbury.
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Girls Ice Hockey, 01/09/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
On a team with a lot of wins, with several good individuals, it's somethimes tough to get the notice you deserve.
Such is the case for Haverhill junior Steven Wise, who was 35-12 last year and rarely got mentioned as one of the team's top wrestlers.
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Wrestling, 12/22/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
NORTH ANDOVER — Gabe DeSouza could not fight back the tears of joy that ran down his face as he stood, overcome with emotion, celebrating on the Walsh Stadium turf.
“This is unreal,” said DeSouza, wiping away tears. “This is the greatest moment of my life. Everything that happened to me, all the struggles, changed my life. And it has all paid off now.”
A season ago, DeSouza left the Division 2 North title game in an ambulance, after suffering a life-threatening heart arrhythmia.
A year later, on Friday, he and his North Andover teammates left the field as champions.
On the third play of the game, DeSouza intercepted a pass and ran it back 24 yards for a touchdown. It was all North Andover from there, as the top-seeded Scarlet Knights surged to the Division 2 North crown with a dominant 42-0 victory over No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury.
North Andover fell to Lincoln-Sudbury in the North title game last fall.
“I’m the happiest man on Earth right now,” said Knights tri-captain Darren Watson. “This was the revenge tour. This was the biggest game of our lives. We’ve worked four years for this, and to be here is the best feeling.”
The win sends North Andover (10-0) to the Division 2 state championship game at Gillette Stadium, where they will play South champ King Philip (8-2). The game will be played on either Nov. 30 or Dec. 1.
It is the first North title for the Knights since beating Haverhill for the crown in 2014. They then lost in the now-defunct Division 2 state semifinal.
“It’s crazy,” said running back Freddy Gabin. “We saw what (the North final) was like last year. So we had this all planned out. Coach (John Dubzinski) laid out the blueprints. We got after it, and we got it done.”
With rain pouring from the opening kickoff, North Andover set the tone right away.
On the third play of the contest, DeSouza jumped a route and cruised into the end zone for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead just 1:06 into play.
“That play turned the game,” said Gabin. “Once I saw him pick off the pass and go into the end zone, I knew we were going to win.”
After a Warrior 3-and-out, Watson took North Andover’s first offensive play and broke a 67-yard run. A play later, QB Jake McElroy ran in a 3-yard score, and the Scarlet Knights were rolling.
“I saw the hole and hit it,” said Watson, who finished with 80 yards rushing and 103 yards receiving. “The guys gave me a big hole to run through, and I took it.”
After another 3-and-out and a blocked punt, Gabin sprinted in for his first of three touchdowns, an 11-yard score.
Watson then made it 28-0 at halftime, taking screen pass from McElroy and breaking free for a 51-yard touchdown.
Lincoln-Sudbury only threatened twice, both late in the first half.
The Warriors advanced to the Knights’ 39-yard line, but defensive lineman Charlie Regan knocked the ball out of the QB’s hands, and it was recovered by Thomas Vance.
Lincoln-Sudbury later made it to the North Andover 14. But Keegan Hardacre and Mike Roche each had a sack to force a turnover on downs.
North Andover continued to dominate in the second half, with Gabin adding touchdowns of 10 and 9 yards. The Knights did not punt once.
DeSouza (two interceptions) led a North Andover defense that allowed just 153 yards of offense, 76 of those in the second half with the game well in hand.
Vance added six tackles, Ryan Slattery had eight stops and Watson had five tackles.
“Everything was working on defense,” said DeSouza. “Our line was getting pressure, our linebackers were doing their job and we were shutting it down in the secondary.”
North Andover now has its eyes set on Gillette Stadium and the chance to win a state title.
“I can’t wait!” said DeSouza. “I can’t wait to play at Gillette. It’s a dream come true. It will be amazing.”
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Football, 11/09/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Senior John Metzamaekers belted his first career home run, but Andover fell to Lincoln-Sudbury 3-2. Cedric Gillette added the other two hits for the Golden Warriors, who were playing just their second game of the season due to weather issues.
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Baseball, 04/20/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Matt Lucey had three assists and Jake Sitak, Shaun McKay and Zach Keating scored for North Andover (7-3-2) in a 3-1 win over Lincoln-Sudbury (8-4, 6-1), which suffered its first MVC-DCL 2 loss. Jack Walsh stopped 24 L-S shots.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 01/23/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
A game after scoring the 50th goal of her career, Haverhill-Pentucket-North Andover senior Jess Chicko scored four more times in a 5-0 win over Lincoln-Sudbury. It was her second consecutive hat-trick.
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Girls Ice Hockey, 02/18/17 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Haverhill lost tough dual meets to Lincoln-Sudbury and St. John's Prep. but it was a big day for sophomore 195-pounder Joe Santoro, who had two pins. Also, heavyweight Rolando Carrasco continued to shine, getting two pins, including one over returning state placer Franciso Colon of Lincoln-Sudbury. For St. John's Prep, North Andover's Zach Alexander won his 100th match.
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Wrestling, 12/31/16 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
