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METHUEN — For a few moments, it appeared a dramatic come-from-behind victory was nearly in Methuen's grasp.

Rangers quarterback Drew Eason hit Jason Silverio on a crossing pattern, the receiver was hit in the legs and somersaulted into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown that gave Methuen a five-point lead with 5:41 left in the game.

Methuen senior Jay Ramos is the kind of first-year varsity wrestler that any coach would love to have.

Ramos started the season promising, going 3-2 in his first five matches before getting injured. But he returned to action two weeks ago and has gone 8-0 since with eight pins.

North Andover captain Ethan Ford finally met his match in the finals Saturday at the Marshfield Tournament.

Ford surged to the 132-pound finals but then had to settle for second after losing to Hingham's tough Kaya Bogle, 9-2. Other placers for the Knights were Cam Watson, who was fifth at 160, and Jack Carbone, who was seventh at 195.

Methuen tuned up for Wednesday's Merrimack Valley Conference showdown at Haverhill by winning five meets Saturday, including 34-31 over defending South sectional champ Mansfield.

It's tough being in the same weight class as unbeaten North Andover senior Joey Valentino. Just ask junior teammate Ethan Ford.

Forced to go up a weight because Valentino rules the 126-pound class, Ford looked impressive at the Marshfield Tournament, placing third, taking the consolation finals with a solid 7-2 decision. His only loss came in the semifinals when he got caight in a cradle.

Kelvin Davila and Josh Paige were both undefeated for Andover wrestling in Foxboro. Davila went 3-0 with three pins at 152, and Paige was 2-0 with a pair of pins at 120 as the Warriors won two matches in a quad meet.

Methuen won all five meets at Marshfield to remain unbeaten at 13-0. Among the highlights for the Rangers were a 4-0 day by 170-pounder Jose Diaz and 2-0 records for Nick Avellani at 126, CJ Brown at 160and Jay Ramos at 195, all of whom looked sharp.

MARSHFIELD — North Andover's wrestling team put it all together Thursday, finishing first at the 38-team Marshfield Tournament.

Thanks to some clutch wrestling in both the championship and consolation rounds, the Knights finished with 193 1/2 points to edge Cumberland, R.I. (189) and St. John's Prep (184).

Methuen hit 15 3-pointers, led by six from Kevin Fernandez, as the Rangers rolled over Marshfield 72-37.

Methuen is no longer perfect, but it's still unbeaten.

Wrestling without standouts Nate Green and Matt Cabezas, the Rangers (17-0-1) whipped BC High (42-24) and Duxbury (44-23) but had to settle for a 39-39 tie against a solid Foxboro club. Trevor Abdallah had thee pins at 170 while Darius Franklin and Travis Manick were also 3-0 from 182 to 220.