With the return of quarterback and safety Andy Vailas ’10 to the starting lineup, Andover returned to form after a disappointing loss to Cushing last week. Vailas led Andover to a commanding victory over Deerfield, 37-18. After suffering head trauma late in the Choate game two weeks ago, Vailas was back in the huddle on offense and defense. Ricky Marcotte ’11 commented, “Although people always say that one player can’t make a difference, I think the real difference was having Andy back. Just his presence on the practice field led to better practices, which translates into everyone playing better during the game. His leadership and talent were really missed at quarterback and on defense.” Having that leadership and skill back on the field allowed for Andover to get out ahead early and stay up on Deerfield. Vailas led the team on a strong first quarter drive, capped off by a touchdown scored by Clay Cleveland ’10. Cleveland had a standout day with three touchdowns and 119 rushing yards. Andover continued push hard on offense, but was stalled multiple times in Deerfield territory. However, one of these drives translated into points on the scoreboard, as James Poss ’10 kicked a field goal to put Andover up 10-0. After a Deerfield touchdown near the end of the first half, Andover went into halftime with the lead, 10-7. In the third quarter, defensive back Chris Higgins ’10 suffered an injury. This gave Matt Fothergill ’11 an opportunity to shine and he took full advantage of it by snatching a high Deerfield pass for the interception. Coach Leon Modeste commented, “[Matt] came into the game cold after Chris got hurt and Deerfield tested him. However, we got great pressure on the quarterback, causing him to scramble and throw up a pass. Matt stepped up and took it. It was a great play by Matt.” Andover turned this takeaway into points on the very next play, as Vailas connected with Cleveland on a 40 yard touchdown pass to increase the lead to 10. After getting out to such a lead, Andover continued to put the points up and eventually the deficit became too much for Deerfield as Andover cruised to a dominating victory. Luke Duprey ’10 was very pleased with the way the offense looked compared to the Cushing game. He said “Our offense excelled against Deerfield because all week long we pushed each other and really worked hard. We didn’t want to make the same mental errors that we made in the Cushing game. Everyone was going as hard as they could throughout the week and on Saturday.” The hard work paid off for Andover and they now look to continue the winning against Worcester this Saturday. Coach Modeste explained, “Worcester is a wild card. They have a lot of explosive weapons, especially their running back. We won’t be able to stop him, but we hope to contain him.” This game also marks the final game in Phelps Stadium for all the Seniors. Duprey explained, “We expected to beat Cushing and we ended up losing, so we are treating Worcester as if they are Exeter. We’re going to work harder than we did this week not only because we want to win, but because it is the last time that we’ll play on our home field.” After last season’s 55-6 rout of Worcester, Andover will look to put on a similar show this year at home.
