The Boys Andover Football team wrapped up their 2004 season this past weekend with a disappointing 12-28 loss against archrival Exeter. While the Big Red turned in a strong performance, in the end it was a myriad of unforced PA turnovers that did the Andover squad in. Through its bad decisions and sloppy play, the Boys in Blue squandered every opportunity the Exies presented to them. Exeter managed to contain and then shutdown the Big Blue for the entirety of the first half. The Big Red entered the third quarter leading 14-0. Then the Andover boys began to find their feet. Jerrel Smith ’05, having already put up decent yardage, helped the Big Blue drive down the field and then snaked his way into the end zone for the first time on the day. After a failed PAT the Andover squad trailed 14-6. Exeter, however, continued its offensive rampage, both running and passing the ball very well, and managed to score two more touchdowns before the end of the game. In the fourth and final quarter, already down by a couple yards, Smith found end-zone yet again. This time, he muscled, juked, and faked his way around five or six different defenders for a gain of fifteen yards for the score. At this point, however, the game was essentially over, and as the clock ran out and a sea of red enveloped the Andover version of Phelps Stadium, Exeter left Massachusetts with bragging rights until next years Andover/Exeter. Despite a couple costly fumbles, Jerrel Smith played a great game, running the ball very well, the best he has run all season, but unfortunately to no avail. Evan Platt ’06 also turned in a great performance, and considering the amount of time they spent on the field, the entire Andover defensive unit also played quite well. Had the offense been able to retain the ball for longer than they had, or at the very least cut down on costly turnovers, the game might have been much closer. While this year’s point differential of 16 may seem inconsequential compared to the 44 to zero pounding the team received last season, the game itself turned out to be a disappointment for all involved. Exeter (1-6 entering the game) picked up only their second win of the season, while the legions of Blue finished the season at a mediocre 4-4. Over the last four years the Boys in Blue are 1-2-1 against Exeter. Matt Ward ’06 will join returning captain Evan Platt as next year’s team co-captains. With a couple key recruits, the Andover team has a great chance of being a contender for the New England Championhip in the fall of 2005.
