Quarterback Adam Landry ’24 rushes the ball.
Hank Ferguson ’25 is the kicker for Andover Football.
Saturday 10/7 – Andover: 36, Kent: 0
After two straight losses against Williston and Salisbury, Andover Football took down Kent on Saturday, bringing home its first win of the season.
Byron Johnson ’25 acknowledged the team’s change in preparation against Kent in comparison to its previous games. He highlighted Andover’s ability to work together cohesively throughout the game.
“It was the first time as a team that every single part of the ball, offense, defense, and special teams, worked together. The offense would score and the defense would quickly get us the ball back. I think it was just a combined very good effort by the entire team,” said Johnson.
Johnson also noted that the team also dedicated themselves to elevating their practice sessions after facing off against Williston and Salisbury. These intense practices replicated in-game scenarios that would mimic the difficulty and pressure of facing opponents.
Johnson said, “Part of the reason we won was because of our intensity in practice this week. Taking our first two losses we kind of realized that we needed to step it up. We have the talent to win, we have the coaching, we have the good players that we need to win. We really stepped it up, and had much more intense practices this week.”
Alexandro Armour ’24 also emphasized the importance of high-intensity practices in preparation for games. Getting used to a more difficult level of play in practice allowed the team to identify and address their weaknesses for the upcoming
Armour said, “We just have to try to make practice harder than the game. That’s the biggest difference between the first two games and the past game. We practiced way harder than Kent played against us, so when we got out there, it was easy. We have to do our best to replicate that kind of intensity for Cheshire.”
Andover started off strong against Kent on Saturday, to which John Moran ’24 credited Elan Shetty ’26. Shetty’s kick return at the start of the game set the tone for the rest of play.
“[Elan] took it for 60 yards and almost scored a touchdown during the first play of the game. That really kicked off the night for everybody,” said Moran.
According to Josh Espinoza ’25, the coaches reiterated the importance of staying in the present in the game against Kent. Espinoza recalled the locker room talk from the coaches telling the team to finish the game at full capacity, despite its lead at halftime.
Espinoza said, “We were reminded that although we were performing very strongly, we still have the rest of the game to finish. So it’s about doing well the entire game and putting in your full effort throughout. I think that mentality contributed to our win.”
As the team celebrated its first victory of the season, teammates also forged stronger bonds in the aftermath of their triumph. According to Armour, the challenging practice sessions during the week and the game against Kent provided the team with opportunities to connect with one another.
“We have a lot of new guys this year, and we all met at different times. Some people met in the spring…and there’s been glimpses of us being a team and family, but I feel like it really came together this past week, at practice, and against Kent,” said Armour.
The team plans to maintain its quality in games and practice. Espinoza noted that Andover will look past its recent victory and onto how the team can maintain a high level of play for its next games.
“Going into it, I felt like we were prepared as a team. Coming off a 0-2 record we had a lot to prove to ourselves and to the school. We all knew that we had put in the work to win the game, so it was just going out there and executing it. We got the results we wanted, but now it’s looking to the future and preparing for the next game,” said Espinoza.
Andover Football will host Cheshire Academy on Saturday.
