Diving with outstretched arms, Brandon Michel ’14 reeled in a lofty pass from Ian Maag ’14 on a fourth down for Andover’s third touchdown of the game and first touchdown in a barrage of points during the second quarter.
Michel’s grab put Andover ahead of Worcester Academy 20-0 and started a 33-point outbreak in the second quarter.
The game was sealed by halftime with a Worcester forfeit. The final score for the half and the game stood at 47-14 for Andover.
Worcester and Andover proceeded to scrimmage after the half.
The win extended the team’s winning streak to seven games. Andover is undefeated this year at 7-0 heading into its final game against Exeter.
In addition to Michel’s grab, Ryder Stone ’14, Matt Rusk-Kosa ’14 and Matt Ilalio ’14 all had touchdowns in the second quarter.
Stone’s two scores came on a 65-yard punt return and a 35-yard run. He also scored once in the first quarter.
Rusk-Kosa scored on a 65-yard touchdown catch-and-run, and Ilalio secured a pass from Maag for a touchdown.
In its last three games against Northfield Mount Hermon, Deerfield Academy and Worcester, the Andover offense has put up 50, 45 and 47 points, respectively.
“The key to the offensive execution was our chemistry,” said Robert Rush ’14. “We came into the game knowing it was the penultimate game to Exeter, and it was our last home game as seniors. In practice, we worked hard in anticipation for this game. We wanted to lead our team on the field, and go out with a bang. Every pull, every route, every run, every pass seemed perfect. It was almost like magic to see how everything played out on the field.”
The Andover defense continued its streak of holding opponents to two or less touchdowns. With only one game left in the season, Andover has allowed just 66 points, an average of about nine points per game.
One of Worcester’s two touchdowns of the night came on an Andover defensive breakdown, when a Worcester player ran 64 yards for a score.
“We need to work on not letting up the big plays. That was the only thing we did wrong on defense,” said Nick DiAdamo ’15.
Michael DeLaus ’14 led the team with 11 tackles, followed by Michael Moore ’14 with ten tackles.
Other top tacklers were Rob Needham ’15, with nine tackles, and Co-Captain Tyler Marshall ’14, with six tackles. DeLaus, Moore and Needham all had four sacks each, and Marshall had two. Andover had a total of 16 total in the game.
In addition to pressuring Worcester’s quarterback, Andover’s defense forced several turnovers—Ilalio and Moore each had an interception, and DeWitt Burnham ’16 recovered a fumble and blocked a punt.
DiAdamo also blocked a punt, which he recovered for a touchdown in the second half scrimmage.
“[The punter] handled the snap pretty cleanly, but I was in front of him as he dropped the ball. I didn’t want to get flagged, so I ran across his body. All of a sudden, I felt something hit me in the chest, and then I saw the ball bouncing on the ground in front of me. I just chased it down and it bounced into my hands in the end zone,” said DiAdamo.
Andover will put its winning streak on the line against Exeter this Saturday in its final regular season game. As both teams hold undefeated conference records, the winner of the game will decide the NEPSAC Class A independent champion.
