| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andover | 13 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 33 |
| Lexington | 7 | 17 | 7 | 21 | 52 |
Friday, October, 27 By Kyle Gaudette
LEXINGTON - For a moment between the first and second quarter, Andover had put hometown Lexington in unfamiliar territory.
When QB Nick Dellatto hit star receiver Cedric Gillette for a 16-yard touchdown near the end of the first quarter, it gave Andover a 13-7 lead and marked the first time all season that Lexington had trailed in a game.
But it took Lexington just 82 seconds to reclaim the lead, as the second-seeded Minutemen scored on seven consecutive possessions to eventually earn a 52-33 victory over No. 7 Andover in the first round of the Division 1 North playoffs.
"I'm always proud of these guys. These guys sell out for me," said Andover coach E.J. Perry III, whose team dropped to 3-5. "We're never going to be satisfied with second best. We're the type of team that wants to come here and win. That's the attitude they brought."
After shocking Lexington in an overtime classic last year, for a half it looked like Andover might do it again.
The Minutemen, now 8-0, scored on the first play of the game when dynamic quarterback Sal Frelick hit top target Anthony Bianchi for a 69-yard score. But thanks to two interceptions by Andover junior linebacker Nick Zalanskas, the Warriors were able to get a lead on two Dellatto TD passes to Patrick Dennehy and Gillette.
But Ben Quint broke off a 61-yard run to give Lexington a 14-13 lead, starting the run of seven straight scoring drives. He would break another 72-yarder to help the Minutemen take a 24-16 lead at the half.
Despite forcing three turnovers on defense in the first half, completely controlling time of possession, Andover still trailed.
The Warriors went on a six-minute drive to start the second half, but it eventually ended in a Shamus Florio 21-yard field goal - his second of the game.
With Lexington's high-powered offense, field goals weren't going to cut it.
"I take responsibility. I can't take field goals," said Perry III. "I think Florio did a good job. I thought, like last year, if we got to the half and it was reachable we were going to come out and give them an opportunity.
"But we had three times inside the 5-yard-line where we took two field goals and got nothing on one. So that was crucial."
After Florio's field goal made it 24-19, Lexington scored the next three touchdowns to break open the game. Andover scored twice in the fourth quarter on touchdown runs from Tommy Duncan and Joshua Ramos.
Ramos was a workhorse, rushing 28 times for 155 yards. Dellatto also played well, completing 17 of 30 passes for 206 yards and two TD's. Dennehy (6-74) and John Marotta (5-71) were his top targets.
Frelick had 396 total yards of offense, throwing for two touchdowns while catching another.
Lexington will host No. 3 Everett in the Div. 1 North semis on Friday.
Lexington 52, Andover 33
Andover (3-5): 13 3 3 14 - 33
Lexington (8-0): 7 17 7 21 - 52
First Quarter
L - Anthony Bianchi 69 pass from Sal Frelick (Duncan Hewitt kick), 10:45
A - Patrick Dennehy 36 pass from Nick Dellatto (Shamus Florio kick), 4:21
A - Cedric Gillette 16 pass from Dellatto (pass failed), 1:09
Second Quarter
L - Ben Quint 61 pass from Frelick (Hewitt kick), 10:47
A - Florio 24 field goal, 4:49
L - Quint 72 run (Hewitt kick), 2:43
L - Hewitt 48 field goal, :00
Third Quarter
A - Florio 21 field goal, 5:02
L - Frelick 20 pass from Bianchi (Hewitt kick), 1:28
Fourth Quarter
L - Quint 14 run (Hewitt kick), 10:08
L - Bianchi 9 pass from Frelick (Hewitt good), 7:42
A - Tommy Duncan 11 run (Florio kick), 5:41
L - Bianchi 26 pass from Frelick (Hewitt kick), 3:34
A - Joshua Ramos 6 run (Peter Stylos kick), :53
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Andover (37-176): Joshua Ramos 28-155, Tommy Duncan 3-14, Nick Dellatto 6-7; Lexington (26-291): Ben Quint 11-146, Sal Frelick 13-136, Anthony Bianchi 2-9
PASSING: A - Dellatto 17-30-1, 206; L - Frelick 8-14-2, 242, Bianchi 1-1-0, 20
RECEIVING: A - Patrick Dennehy 6-74, John Marotta 5-71, Brendon Moody 4-45, Cedric Gillette 2-16; L - Bianchi 6-132, Quint 1-61, James Lane 1-49, Frelick 1-20
First Quarter
L — Anthony Bianchi 69 pass from Sal Frelick (Duncan Hewitt kick), 10:45
A — Patrick Dennehy 36 pass from Nick Dellatto (Shamus Florio kick), 4:21
A — Cedric Gillette 16 pass from Dellatto (pass failed), 1:09
Second Quarter
L — Ben Quint 61 pass from Frelick (Hewitt kick), 10:47
A — Florio 24 field goal, 4:49
L — Quint 72 run (Hewitt kick), 2:43
L — Hewitt 48 field goal, :00
Third Quarter
A — Florio 21 field goal, 5:02
L — Frelick 20 pass from Bianchi (Hewitt kick), 1:28
Fourth Quarter
L — Quint 14 run (Hewitt kick), 10:08
L — Bianchi 9 pass from Frelick (Hewitt good), 7:42
A — Tommy Duncan 11 run (Florio kick), 5:41
L — Bianchi 26 pass from Frelick (Hewitt kick), 3:34
A — Joshua Ramos 6 run (Peter Stylos kick), :53
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Andover (37-176): Joshua Ramos 28-155, Tommy Duncan 3-14, Nick Dellatto 6-7; Lexington (26-291): Ben Quint 11-146, Sal Frelick 13-136, Anthony Bianchi 2-9
PASSING: A — Dellatto 17-30-1, 206; L — Frelick 8-14-2, 242, Bianchi 1-1-0, 20
RECEIVING: A — Patrick Dennehy 6-74, John Marotta 5-71, Brendon Moody 4-45, Cedric Gillette 2-16; L — Bianchi 6-132, Quint 1-61, James Lane 1-49, Frelick 1-20
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