RallyNorth.net

North Andover Scarlet Knights Football '06

Fri, Oct 20, 2006 07:00 PM @ North Andover
Team Final
Pentucket 31
North Andover 35
North Andover's Andrew Foote escapes Pentucket's Dan Johanson's grip Friday night at North Andover High School. » Angie Beaulieu, Staff Photographer

Foote scores four touchdowns in win

  • Currently 0.0 with 0 votes.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Monday, August, 27 By Rob Bradford
Staff writer

NORTH ANDOVER | Pentucket Regional might have had Mother Nature when it counted, but North Andover had someone a bit more influential this time around | Andrew Foote.

The Scarlet Knights' running back scored two of his four touchdowns when it counted the most, in the final 4:49 of the Cape Ann League large school showdown with the Sachems. The result was a 35-31 victory for the hosts, whose star running back, Foote, finished with 199 yards on 23 carries. With a stiff fourth quarter wind at their back, the Sachems appeared ready to weather a North Andover comeback, which saw the Scarlet Knights score two third-quarter touchdowns to take a two-point lead heading into the the final frame. Jeff Puopolo had given the Sachems their final lead with 4:49 remaining on a 66-yard touchdown run.

But Foote came right back, first scoring on a 100-yard kickoff return, and then nailing Pentucket's fate in North Andover's next drive with a third-down 75-yard TD run. "I always talk about team, team, team, but my hat is off to the kid," said North Andover coach John Rafferty of Foote. "The kid can play. The kid can run."

It was a long way from what appeared to be a promising beginning for Pentucket.

As valuable as go-to running back Nathan Bunnell was to the Sachem's offense in the first half, it was his defensive work which first buoyed the visitors. Playing at defensive end, the junior dropped back into coverage, read North Andover quarterback D.J. Sippel's eyes and picked off a short third-and-11 pass.

Bunnell gathered in the interception and proceeded to run into the end zone from 15 yards out, untouched, for the game's first score. With a Ryan Durkin extra point the Sachems found themselves with a 7-0 advantage just 1:38 into the game.

North Andover used a predictable counter-measure on its next drive |Foote.

The Scarlet Knights' leading rusher first broke off a 48-yard jaunt on 3rd and 6, and then capped North Andover's 44-yard scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown dive with 5:01 left in the opening quarter. A Robert Connelly extra point knotted the score at 7-7 heading into the second 10-minute frame.

By the time the Scarlet Knights' third offensive drive was complete the Sachems' offense had accumulated just two plays (having fumbled on an errant snap). But when Pentucket did get rolling, the running tandem of Chris Troy and Bunnell proved tough for the hosts to stop, combining to rush for 68 yards on 13 first-half carries.

Pentucket's lone scoring drive from its offensive in the opening half was keyed by a 21-yard scamper from Bobby Curtis and a 19-yard run by Puopolo, who punctuated the 52-yard march with a four-yard TD coming on 3rd and goal. The extra point kick was not converted.

The Sachems added to the 13-7 advantage just three plays later thanks to another take-away from their defense. This time it was Puopolo who anticipated a Sippel pass, taking it away from the intended receiver, Foote, and speeding 40 yards to cap the first-half scoring at 19-7.

On the first drive of the second half, it was North Andover which capitalized on the theme of scoring by unconventional means. On 4th and 4 from his own 11 yard line, Pentucket punter Chris Troy had his punt blocked by Kenny Kobierski. The deflection went into the end zone, where Sippel fell on it to cut the hosts' deficit to 19-14.

The Scarlet Knights made certain the momentum remained on their side in the third quarter, forcing a Pentucket punt and subsequently taking their first lead via a 15-yard touchdown run around the left side by Foote. With Connelly's extra-point, North Andover found itself with a 21-19 advantage heading into the fourth.

"We had a better first half, they had a better second half," said Pentucket coach Steve Hayden. "We took advantage of what we had in the first half, but, hey, that's the way it goes."

0 Story Comments