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Coke, Zavrl power Andover to romp over Gloucester

Friday, September, 16 By Nick Curcuru
Staff writer

GLOUCESTER— Andover coach E.J. Perry said the game plan was to take it to Gloucester physically.

As it turned out Perry’s squad executed the game plan to perfection as a power running game led by senior captain Andy Coke’s 198 yards and dominating play from the offensive line resulted in a 33-16 win at Newell Stadium.

The Golden Warriors accumulated 230 yards on the ground and chewed up clock in the second half.

“Our game plan was to out-physical them, and we did,” Perry said. “(Gloucester) showed a lot of improvement this week and we let them off the hook a couple times in the first half but our kids responded and they really wanted to win this game.”

The Golden Warriors lost the last two years to the Fishermen, who had a 26-game win streak heading into this season.

Ahead 16-6 at the half, Andover (2-0) controlled the ball, and the clock in the final two quarters. The decisive drive came in the Golden Warriors' first possession of the second half when they went 69 yards in 13 plays culminating with a Will Heikkinen 3-yard touchdown catch from quarterback C.J. Scarpa.

“In the second half (Andover) just lined up in the I formation and pushed us,” said first-year Gloucester head coach Tony Zerilli, whose club dropped to 0-2. “And when you have a lead, that’s all you need to do. They are a big and physical team and they showed why they are one of the top teams in the MVC this year. They wore us down.”

Andover got off to an excellent start as Coke took the opening play of the game 65 yards for a score.

Andover opened up their lead with a 40-yard field goal from Mark Zavrl and another touchdown from Coke, this time a 5-yard score, to make it 16-0 early in the second quarter.

“On the first play of the game Andy came out of the gates and said, ‘We are playing,’” Perry said. “This team wanted the win tonight and we came out and played smashmouth football.”

The Fishermen, however, got their bearings and made it a game. Following Coke’s second score, Gloucester picked up its first touchdown of the season when Mark Horgan took a screen pass from quarterback Lenny Taormina 69 yards for a touchdown cutting the lead to 16-6.

The Golden Warriors made it 19-6 just before the half when Zavrl drilled a 44-yard field goal as time expired.

“He is such a big weapon to have,” said Perry. “Not too many kids can kick the ball the way he can.”

Andover then took control with a score on its first possession of the second half.

The Fishermen answered Andover’s score in the middle of the fourth quarter when senior captain Kyle Lucido ran a punt back 93 yards to cut the lead to 26-16, but the Golden Warriors once again flexed their muscles powering the ball down the field on the ensuing drive culminating with a Coke 15-yard run.