RallyNorth.net

Methuen Rangers Football '19

Sat, Nov 02, 2019 02:15 PM @ Andover
Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Methuen 0 0 6 6 12
Andover 20 20 0 0 40

Andover routs Methuen to set up semifinal matchup with state champ

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Saturday, November, 02 By Kyle Gaudette

ANDOVER - Andover vs. St. John's Prep in the Division 1 North tournament.

Now where have we heard that before?

How about three years ago, when quarterback E.J. Perry IV threw the game-winning touchdown to Cedric Gillette with 1:23 left to clinch a 35-28 semifinal win? Remember that?

Well, after Andover ran past Merrimack Valley Conference rival Methuen, 40-12, on Saturday in the Division 1 North first round, the two are destined to meet again.

The third-seeded Golden Warriors (6-3) will catch a bus down to Danvers Friday night to take on the second-seeded Eagles (7-1) at 7 p.m., with a trip to the North finals on the line.

"We haven't had a Friday game in a while," smiled linebacker Michael Slayton. "We're feeling pretty good. We've got St. John's next week and we're excited for it."

The defending state champion Eagles advanced to the semifinals after beating Lowell, 42-13, Friday night. The Prep scored all 42 points in the first half.

"(St. John's Prep) is just a place," said Andover coach E.J. Perry. "It seems like we go every year. We're excited to go over there, we're excited for the challenge.

"They're going to be a good team. Obviously, we don't fear anybody. When we're in the playoffs and we play them, we're ready to go."

Andover, having now racked up four straight wins, left no doubt early Saturday afternoon.

Methuen (4-4), which has gone 0-4 since star QB Connor Bryant went down with an injury, received the opening kickoff, but fumbled on its third play.

On Andover's first play, Josh Ramos broke a 43-yard touchdown. The teams traded stops, but on the first play of the Warriors' third drive, Ramos took a pitch to the outside and rumbled 86 yards for another score.

The senior running back finished with 177 yards on 12 carries, and added his third TD of the first quarter on a 2-yard run that made it 20-0 after the PAT was blocked by Methuen's Anthony Romano.

Methuen's woes continued after throwing an interception (Seth Jablonki) on its next drive, and a play later Andover QB Scott Brown found fellow freshman Lincoln Beal on an 11-yard strike.

Brown then hit Jackson McCarthy (18 yards) and Ramos (23 yards) on consecutive scores to make it a 40-0 game at halftime.

"It was great to get momentum in the beginning," said kicker/linebacker Shamus Florio, a Yale recruit. "We did a really good job of carrying it through the rest of the game, which was important for us."

Zac Bergeron got the Rangers on the board with a 36-yard scoring scamper in the third, and on the last play of the game quarterback Joe Gangi (13 of 19, 145 yards) hit Braeden Carter for an 11-yard TD.

Andover's Brown finished another fine game 8-for-8 passing for 103 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, Victor Harrington recovered a pair of fumbles for the Warriors, who seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time.

Over their current four-game winning streak, they've held opponents to just 8.3 points per game.

"We're definitely hitting our stride at the right time," said Brown. "Everybody's working right now. We're all playing great, we just have to keep bringing it."

 

 

 

Game Statistics:

First Quarter

A — Josh Ramos 43 run (Shamus Florio kick), 10:51

A — Ramos 86 run (Florio kick), 5:15

A — Ramos 2 run (kick blocked), :11

Second Quarter

A — Lincoln Beal 11 pass from Scott Brown (Florio kick), 11:11

A — Jackson McCarthy 18 pass from Brown (kick failed), 4:51

A — Ramos 23 pass from Brown (Florio kick), :21

Third Quarter

M — Zac Bergeron 36 run (run failed), 5:31

Fourth Quarter

M — Braeden Carter 11 pass from Joe Gangi (No PAT), :00


INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING: ANDOVER (30-225): Josh Ramos 12-177, Scott Brown 7-19, Erik Aulbach 4-16, Andrew Layman 4-11, Victor Harrington 2-5, Will Perry 1-(-3); METHUEN (25-92): Zac Bergeron 10-56, Joe Gangi 10-32, Kareem Coleman 3-8, Jaetel Gomez 2-(-4)

PASSING: A — Brown 8-8-0, 103, Harrington 3-5-1, 22; M — Gangi 13-19-1, 145, Aidan Coakley 0-1-0, 0

RECEIVING: A — Jackson McCarthy 3-27, Lincoln Beal 3-29, Ramos 2-28, Kelvin Davila 1-19, Matthew Ros 1-12, Matt Comeau 1-0; M — Braeden Carter 4-78, Brandon Mondesir 3-45, Nic Mathieu 1-14, Bergeron 2-4, Gomez 2-3, Joey Pinto 1-1

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