FRANKLIN — In the hunt for a second straight state tournament upset,
and a trip to the Division 1 semifinals, Methuen came on flying Friday
night.
On his first pass of the game, Rangers quarterback Drew
Eason found a wide-open Will McKinnon for a 48-yard gain, setting up a
5-yard touchdown run by JP Muniz and a 7-0 lead 5:11 into play.
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Football, 11/13/21 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
LAWRENCE — Understandably, Methuen freshman Shane Eason had a mixed reaction when he found out that he'd be in the starting backfield for Friday night's MVC battle at Lawrence.
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Football, 10/22/21 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
By Bill Gilman
Correspondent
METHUEN — Precise. Efficient. Brutal.
Methuen High took care of business quickly Friday night , scoring on every one of its first-half possessions, en route to a 41-12 romp over Haverhill, at Nicholson Stadium.
The Rangers built a 41-6 halftime lead and the entire second half was played under running time.
After putting on an aerial display in last week's win over Lowell, the Rangers focused on their running attack against the Hillies, rolling up 257 yards on the ground. Senior JP Muniz once again led the way, gliding his way to 147 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries before taking the second half off.
"We really wanted to focus on the ground game tonight and they did everything we asked of them," said Methuen Coach Tom Ryan. "Muniz has been such a good back for us all year. He's been very consistent."
The Methuen offensive line dominated throughout the first half, opening gaping holes for all of the Methuen runners. Almost every play run was between the tackles and the Rangers' big men obliged, creating easy-to-follow running lanes.
Muniz got things going for Methuen, capping the opening drive with a 26-yard touchdown run. On the second possession, Ryan put the ball in the hands of backup quarterback Xander Silva, who engineered his own scoring drive and put an exclamation on it with a 21-yard keeper for the score.
"We have two talented quarterbacks and we like to be able to get them both out there, try some different things," said Ryan.
Muniz was unstoppable in the second quarter, scoring on runs of 12, 7 and 3 yards, as the Rangers' lead ballooned to 34-0.
Meanwhile, the Methuen defense was equally dominant, holding Haverhill to just 13 yards of total offense in the first half. For the game, the Hillieds managed just 8 yards on 13 carries on the ground.
"We've been looking for a consistent effort from the line on both sides of the ball and that's what we got tonight. They executed really well," said Ryan.
Haverhill was finally able to get on the board thanks to its special teams. Following Muniz' fourth touchdown of the half, Haverhill's Tristan Naylor returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for the touchdown. Naylor found a seam up the middle, then cut to the outside and was able to outrace Methuen kicker Omar Aboutoui to the end zone.
Haverhill's momentum was short-lived. Methuen struck back quickly, this time through the air. Drew Eason (5 of 6, 87 yards) found Braeden Carter on a fade pattern from nine yards out to push the lead to 41-6.
Naylor accounted for the only scoring of the second half, hauling in a 46-yard TD pass from Haverhill's backup quarterback James Farrell.
Methuen has a short week to prepare for its next MVC test. The Rangers will be on the road Thursday night at Andover.
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Football, 10/01/21 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
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.
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Football, 09/18/21 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
LYNN — As a backup tailback to standout Anthony Romano last year, Methuen senior JP Muniz got precious few carries.
Instead of sulking, however, Muniz used the experience as a learning experience.
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Football, 09/11/21 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
