Westford denies Lawrence shot at history
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Friday, November, 09
By David Souza
Correspondent
WESTFORD — The forecast for Friday night called for rain and lots of it — and even that may have undersold the deluge that poured down on the field at Westford Academy.
Sharing the field with the gallons of rainwater were the visiting Lawrence Lancers and the host Grey Ghosts (5-5), who had planned for this type of football earlier in the week.
“Practicing for all types of conditions,” Westford head coach Pat Gendron said of his team’s training. “Use different balls — dry ball, wet ball — getting balls in, making sure we’ve got guys on the sideline doing their job, making sure everyone’s adding value somehow.”
That preparation served the Grey Ghosts well, as they pounded their way to a 32-6 win over Lawrence thanks to three second-quarter touchdowns and a running game that dominated time of possession.
Senior Nicholas Faretra amassed 102 yards on 10 carries and plunging into the end zone twice on runs of two and 37 yards.
Senior captain Tyler Bella also found the end zone on a run for Westford, turning in the game’s longest play on a 71-yard run that punctuated the 26-point victory.
And while the fierce rain – worsened by a whipping wind – caused the game to be fought on the ground, the Westford defense also came up big to bolster their offense. The Grey Ghosts held the Lancers (2-7) to just 75 total yards in the first half, and blanked the opposition entirely until 1:14 into the final quarter. There, a 48-yard strike from junior Jacob Tamayo to senior Anthony Garcia put the Lancers on the board.
Lawrence had a chance to make history. Riding a two-game win streak, the Lancers hadn’t won three straight since 1999 ... with one of those 1999 wins a loss but they won on a forfeit.
Prior to that, 1996 was Lawrence’s last three-game win streak.
Game Statistics:
First Quarter
WEST – Nicholas Faretra 2-yard run (2-point try fail), 0:54
Second Quarter
WEST – Cameron Barisano 15-yard pass to Scott Beattie (2-point conversion GOOD), 7:07
WEST – Sean Brown 22-yard fumble recovery (2-point conversion NO GOOD), 6:22
WEST – Nicholas Faretra 37-yard run (2-point conversion NO GOOD), 1:29
Fourth Quarter
LAW – Jacob Tamayo 48-yard pass to Anthony Garcia (2-point conversion NO GOOD), 9:46
WEST – Tyler Bella 71-yard run (2-point conversion NO GOOD), 9:31
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Westford: 30-190, 3 TDs; Nicholas Faretra: 10-102, 2 TDs; Tyler Bella: 3-76, TD; Rory Sullivan: 6-14; Sean Brown: 1-1, Nicholas Antes: 5-1; Cameron Barisano: 5-(-6)
Lawrence:19-52: Brandon Santell: 8-7, Jacob Tamayo: 3-28, Gianni Vargas: 7-19, Anthony Garcia: 1-(-2)
PASSING: Nicholas Faretra: 1/3, 50 yards; Cameron Barisano: 3/6, 41 yards, TD
Lawrence: 7/24 97 yards, TD, INT; Jacob Tamayo: 7/24 97 yards, TD, INT
RECEIVING: Westford: Michael Kennedy: 1-50; Nicholas Faretra: 1-16; Scott Beattie: 1-15, TD; Garrett Jacobsmeier: 1-10
Lawrence: Anthony Garcia: 3-64, TD; Manuel Lara: 2-25; Ayvion Prak: 2-8
