In the fourth quarter, Tyler West ’12 saw Labaron Sylvester ’12 open for an eight-yard touchdown pass, ending Exeter’s shut-out. However, Andover, in the final game of the season, lost to Exeter 39-6.
Andover fell behind early in the game, making costly mistakes. Shortly after a 40-yard run for an Exeter touchdown, a costly fumble on the first play of Andover’s drive gave Exeter great field positionand lead to a 14-0 Exeter lead after the first quarter.
Andover’s struggles continued on both sides of the ball in the second quarter, as Exeter scored another 40 yard rushing touchdown, putting them up 21-0 going into the second half.
“It was a tough for us because we couldn’t get a lot started offensively and we let up some big plays on defense,” said Jack Ward ’13.
Once again, Andover did not appear to improve on its mistakes in the third quarter. Exeter was able to go straight through the Andover defense with ease, breaking open two huge plays for scores, a 35-yard touchdown and a 40-yard touchdown. “We got beat on the edge a few times, and we paid for it,” said Ward.
Exeter scored again in the fourth quarter, putting them up 39-0, crushing Andover’s hopes at a comeback. “We weren’t able to consistently maintain our edge. Guys were getting cut, which gave [Exeter] some room to go,” said Leon Modeste, Coach of Andover Football.
Playing for their pride, Andover marched down the field, and capped off a solid drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Sylvester, fresh off a foot injury, making the game 39-6.
“It felt great to get back on the field for the first time after being out for much of the season,” said Sylvester. “I was excited to be able to be a factor to try my best to help the team pull for a win.”
Andover’s multiple turnovers and missed tackles proved costly in the loss. “Turnovers always lose games,” said Modeste. “The missed tackles were a result of us not being strong enough to bring the other guy down.”
“Every team we faced, for the most part, we were weaker than,” said Modeste. “We need to lift a lot more and get physically stronger as a team otherwise we are going to continue to get pushed around.”
On a positive note, Andover’s passing game was much better with Sylvester back in the lineup. “I thought, as a team, we did all that we could do. I feel like we gave a good offensive effort,” said Sylvester.
“He’s a great player, he makes us a better team, and he gives us a deeper threat than we’ve had all year,” said Modeste. “He’s one of those guys who can make somebody miss and get a first down.”
As a result of the loss to Exeter, Andover finished the season with a winless 0-8 record. Modeste said, “It was disappointing. We had a lot of injuries throughout the year. With a full roster I think we could have won some games.”
