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Lowell, Central Catholic

LAWRENCE — Lowell head coach Al Pare didn’t take much credit for last night’s huge 14-7 victory over Central Catholic, but he was more than eager to single out defensive coordinator Kevin Callagy, the former North Andover head coach and assistant at Haverhill.
“What a great job by Coach Callagy,” said Pare. “We were ready for everything they did. We were last in defense last year (in the MVC) and we must be first now.”
With direction from Callagy, who was elevated from line coach, Lowell improved to 3-2, which is already one win more than last year, while Central dropped to 2-3, 0-2 in the Merrimack Valley Conference.
“This one was really big for the program,” said Pare. “I think the kids will believe in themselves now.”
Lowell’s defense was particularly tough in the pivotal first half. Lowell grabbed a 14-0 lead from which the Raiders were not able to recover.
Lowell tailback Ambruse Carter (25 carries, 103 yards) ran hard from the outset, but it was two passes from sophomore quarterback Kyle Edwards (6 of 7, 89 yards), who was impressive filling in for injured captain Tim McLeod, and a key turnover that made all the difference.
Taking over on its second possession at its own 34, Carter gained 24 yards on two carries, but a 33-yard pass to Julian Scott brought the ball to the Central 2-yard line and set up the first score, a 2-yard dive by Carter.
Central fumbled the ensuing kickoff on an attempted reverse, giving the ball back to Lowell on the 17. Five plays later, after a 12-yard pass to Joe Healy, another short run made it 14-0.
“That was a big turnover on the kickoff — we gave up two touchdowns within five minutes and you can’t do that,” said Central coach Chuck Adamopoulos. “We’ve been doing that (key turnovers) all year.”
Meanwhile, Central had no luck rushing the ball in the first half. The Raiders managed only one drive, advancing to the Lowell 20 late in the first half before Shain Jowett’s protection broke down and he was sacked three times in a row.
Spurred on by a homecoming crowd of over 1,000 fans, Central dominated the second half, allowing Lowell just two first downs and 43 yards of total offense. But the host Raiders lost a great opportunity when their opening drive of the second half stalled at the Lowell 16, and they weren’t able to score until 2:49 remained in the game when Jowett ran one yard for the TD.
When he had the time, Jowett enjoyed an excellent day throwing (11 of 20, 166 yards), with Brendan Walsh catching five passes for 86 yards. Zack Lattrell, Zak Adamopoulos and John DiBitetto shined on defense in the second half. But time ran out for Central.
“No excuses, they deserved to win,” said Adamopoulos. “We played better defense in the second half, but the first half killed us.”