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Haverhill Hillies Football '18

Fri, Oct 12, 2018 07:00 PM @ Haverhill
Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Andover 0 0 3 0 3
Haverhill 0 7 3 14 24

Santoro sparks Haverhill to win over Andover

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Friday, October, 12 By David Willis
Staff writer

HAVERHILL —  Joe Santoro saw the ball in the air, and the Haverhill linebacker struck.
 
“I saw the receiver run a hitch and Brandon Grundy tipped the ball in the air,” said Santoro. “All I had to do was catch it and put it in the end zone. It felt great.”
 
After a sluggish start, Santoro’s 8-yard pick-6 late in the second quarter was just the spark Haverhill needed. It was all Hillies in the second half, as they scored on three straight possessions on the way to a 24-3 victory over Haverhill at Trinity Stadium.
 
“This feels amazing,” said offensive lineman Ryan McCartney. “We worked very hard going into this game. Andover beat us pretty bad last year (43-26). We pulled together and got a good win tonight.”
 
The win was the second in three seasons for the Hillies (3-2) over Andover (1-3). 
“I thought we played a complete game tonight,” said Haverhill coach Tim O’Connor. “We were outside for an hour and a half on Thursday in the pouring rain working on stuff. We did the little things and I’m proud of them.”
Haverhill started slow with three straight 3-and-outs and a turnover on downs. 
But with 3:59 left until halftime, Santoro stepped up, grabbing the tipped pass and sprinting in from 8 yards out. 
“That was a huge play,” said McCartney. “That really got the team up. We were really excited after that and got going on offense.”
The score was some sweet redemption for Santoro. A month ago, he made his first career interception against Chelmsford, but was caught and tackled at the 1-yard line.
“It’s good to get into the end zone after what happened last tine,” said Santoro with a laugh. “I think it gave the team a boost. We didn’t have a lot of spark on offense, and I think that got us going.”
Andover opened the second half with a Shamus Florio 31-yard field goal. But Haverhill responded with a Sergio Martinez 29-yard field goal.
The Hillies then kicked an onside kick and Matt Maginnis recovered. Two plays later Brady Skafas found Dante Cadeus for a 33-yard touchdown. 
Haverhill then recovered another short kick, and Skafas finished off a six-play drive with a 1-yard QB sneak for a score.
The Hillies allowed Andover’s offense to run just 10 plays in the second half, limiting the Golden Warriors to 57 yards after halftime. That after Andover back Tommy Duncan ran for 103 yards on 16 carries in the first half. 
Santoro led Haverhill with 10 tackles, while Grundy added eight tackles Sam Prescott intercepted a pass. 
“Our linebackers were filling and our safeties and corners were covering really well,” said Santoro. “And we were getting pressure to the QB. It felt great to beat Andover at home.”
Haverhill now faces Central Catholic. An upset could create a crowded tie atop the MVC Division 1 standings.
“I’m glad Central is coming here and we don’t have to go to them,” said O’Connor. “We are both junior-heavy teams. It’s exciting. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Game Statistics:

Second Quarter

H — Joe Santoro 8 interception return (Sergio Martinez kick), 3:59

Third Quarter

A — Shamus Florio 31 field goal, 6:41

H —  Sergio Martinez 29 field goal, 0:45

Fourth Quarter

H — Dante Cadeus 33 pass from Brady Skafas (Sergio Martinez kick), 9:44

H — Brady Skafas 1 run (Sergio Martinez kick), 6:35 

 


INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Haverhill (36-144) — Ayden Alvarado 9-36, David Carreiro 12-38, Brady Skafas 4-26, Carlton Campbell 7-18, Colum O'Brien 2-25, Disani Houston 2-1; ANDOVER (23-116) — Tommy Duncan 19-106, Victor Harrington 2-3, Shamus Florio 1-6, Aidan Ritter 1-1

PASSING: Haverhill — Brady Skafas 9-16-0, 134; ANDOVER — Victor Harrington 5-13-2, 61

RECEIVING: Haverhill — Dante Cadeus 3-76, Sam Prescott 1-7, Hunter Prescott 2-13, Blake Bachry 1-16, Sam Powell 2-22; ANDOVER — Brendon Moody 4-47, Nick Zalanskas 1-14

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