10/28 – Andover: 19 Deerfield: 45
Andover Football (1-5) faced some challenging competition this week, followed by unfortunate injuries that took a toll on the team. Quarterback Adam Landry PG’24 was out and injured, with Jackson Slack ’26 taking his place against a dominating Deerfield team.
Going into the game, wide receiver and Co-Captain Joe Carrara ’24 highlighted the team’s highly competitive yet lively energy. Carrara highlighted the camaraderie between Deerfield and Andover.
“Andover [and] Deerfield is always a good matchup. We always love playing them. It’s always a great game and it’s exciting. We got there a couple of hours early, walked down to the field, [and] everyone was locked in. Unfortunately, the game didn’t go as we had hoped, but it’s always fun to play Deerfield,” said Carrara.
Although the team did not take the win over Deerfield, Landry praised Slack, an IMG Academy transfer, who entered the game as the starting quarterback. Despite his injury, Landry was excited to see Slack fulfill his roles well.
Landry said, “We started off the game rough and Jackson didn’t… start, but he kept his head high and he went in the game in the middle of the first quarter and he started doing the right things. He was throwing the right balls. He eventually ended up with two touchdowns… To be thrown in that situation is pretty tough, but he lived up to his expectations and he had a really good game.”
Carrara highlighted the electric plays made by linebackers Janiel Herrera PG’24 and Nate Rosner PG’24. Carrara emphasized Andover’s energetic defense despite the changes to the offensive lineup.
“A couple of times the defense came up big. I know Nate Rosner, Post-[Graduate] linebacker had a big interception before the half and I know Janiel Herrera, another [PG] linebacker had at least one forced fumble, maybe two, and he made a bunch of good plays on defense,” said Cararra.
From the sidelines, Landry pointed out areas where the team needs to sharpen up, particularly with maintaining a balanced score before the second half and improving its early quarter plays.
Landry said, “In our first quarters, we’ve had slow starts. We make a winnable game very difficult for ourselves by getting down on the scoreboard early. It’s also been difficult for us to dust that off when we’ve been down by a couple of touchdowns before [the] first half is over. Most times, however, we have been able to fight back in the second half and not give up.”
With its last game underway before Andover/Exeter Weekend, the team is preparing diligently to play Suffield Academy. According to running back Logan Cove ’24, Andover is studying film and developing a plan to counteract Suffield’s offensive and defensive line.
“We’re going day by day looking at Suffield’s defense and breaking it down, finding [its] weak points, and finding very specific plays that are going to work in our favor… which I think is going to be huge for us and I think we’re going to have a lot of success going into the weekend,” said Cove.
Andover Football will play its final home game on Saturday against Suffield Academy.
