With a stunning 72-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Tommy Shannon ’12, Jason Buco ’11 secured the 36-20 victory over Northfield Mount Hermon. “NMH is one of the weaker teams on our schedule, but we’ll take a win,” said Coach Leon Modeste. “We definitely showed improvement over last week.” Andover started the game off with great momentum, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter. Joe Kruy ’12, returning from an injury last week, began by plowing through the line on a counter for a 19-yard score. Kruy rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns in the game. “The counter was the big running play for us this week,” said Kruy about the running game. “Jamie Castleberry ’11 blew his man off the ball each time, so I just followed right behind him. The receivers’ downfield blocking on the defensive backs was also key.” Tom Szymanski ’11 followed suit with a one-yard touchdown rush later in the quarter. He quickly scored his second touchdown of the game early in the second quarter, giving Andover a comfortable 21-0 lead. “Szymanski and Kruy are primarily tremendous linebackers on defense, and their fantastic talents in the rushing game are just icing on the cake,” said Modeste. An NMH running back ran for a 14-yard touchdown on the team’s first drive of the second half, cutting Andover’s lead to 14 points. On the point after attempt, Liam Murphy ’11 was ready to put a quick end to the opposition’s momentum. Murphy leaped up and blocked the extra point, slapping the ball right into the hands of Brendan Rankowitz ’11. Rankowitz then sprinted downfield and reached the end zone for a rare 102-yard defensive two-point conversion. “That was just a great play on both players’ parts,” said Modeste. “It killed any sort of momentum NMH had going for them after the touchdown.” On its next offensive drive, Shannon threw the pass to Buco to essentially seal the victory. Said Modeste, “We set up the long bomb by running some hitches and making the cornerback cheat up on Jason. Then we called a straight fly and it worked to perfection.” Kruy had the final Andover score, rushing for his second touchdown. “I felt really relieved [to be back from the injury],” said Kruy. “I went on the field feeling like I owed something to my teammates for not being able to play against Cushing.” Tyler Marshall ’14 had four tackles during the game, the first junior to record a varsity football statistic since Zak DeOssie ’03. Said Modeste, “While you can’t make any comparisons to Zak DeOssie in a player’s freshman year, that’s good company. He’s a very explosive and tough player and we look forward to his career here at Phillips Academy.” Andover did a good job of turning the ball over less often this week, throwing one interception and two fumbles. “We minimized our turnovers and kept the ball in our possession. We also forced two turnovers, which was huge,” said Ben Green ’11. Green caught two passes for 83 yards, including one long 70-yard reception. Andover will play Deerfield (4-1) on Saturday. Said Modeste, “Deerfield has a tremendous quarterback who can do everything. Stopping him will be our focus this week.” The game will start at 3:30 on Saturday, at Phelps Stadium.
