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Romano, Methuen upend Haverhill

Friday, April, 02 By Jeff Hamrick

HAVERHILL – On a near-freezing afternoon when the Fall 2 season reverted to winter, Methuen had just enough heat from Anthony Romano to eke out a tough road win.

The Ranger senior ran for both touchdowns and ended host Haverhill’s final gasp with a sack as Methuen held on for a 12-6 victory.

Romano finished with season highs with 33 carries and 152 yards while upping his touchdown tally to nine in four games.

“Haverhill has a bunch of tough kids, and they’re always a tough game,” Romano said. “Their (defensive line) came to play, but we fixed things. We wanted to perform a little better today, but we’re going to go to practice on Monday and keep getting better to get ready for Lowell.”

After spotting the hosts a six-point lead late in the second quarter, Methuen (3-1) responded with a quick five-play, 66-yard drive that Romano finished off with a 5-yard run for a halftime tie.

A pressured Haverhill punt late in the third quarter set up Methuen at the Hillie 33, and eight plays later Romano added another five-yard scoring scamper.

“He’s a grinder for sure,” Ryan said of his back who took 33 of the team’s 34 hand offs. “We have to figure out ways to complement other players.”

Friday, that other player was receiver/defensive back Jason Silverio, who was the target for the bulk of Joe Gangi’s passes – many of them quick shovel tosses to the wide receiver in motion.

“Jason Silverio did an excellent job today,” Ryan said. “I’d have to call him the MVP of the game. He caught a bunch of balls and played an outstanding game. Romano does what he does – he’s one of the best players in the state, but Jason Silverio was why we come home with a (win) today.”

Silverio finished with 81 yards receiving while catching 13 of Gangi’s 18 completions. Silverio also had an interception as did JP Muniz to lead a defense that gave up 176 total yards.

“We had eight or nine penalties, but defensively we caused a bunch of turnovers,” Methuen coach Tom Ryan said. “We came to play on defense. We were a good defensive team, but offensively we have to clean things up if we want to win any more games.”

Even though Haverhill has scored only two touchdowns this season, the Hillies grabbed an early lead for the second consecutive week – and once again it was Jabari Baptiste doing the damage.

The senior running back busted the team’s longest play of the fall with a 69-yard blast with 3:44 remaining to halftime. Baptiste broke down the sideline before cutting back where he was caught from behind but managed to fall into the end zone.

“I almost got caught there,” Baptiste said. “I turned around and I saw the guy right there. But the coach has been telling me he wants to see that break-away run, and it was right there, so I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.”

Baptiste finished with 130 yards on 20 attempts.

“I think all the seniors did their thing today,” Baptiste said on senior day. “I’m proud of the defense. That’s the least amount of points that have been put up against us this season. I really couldn’t be happier … Honestly, I’m very proud of our team.”