Football readies to kick off the game.
Andover: 13, Cheshire Academy: 15
On a Friday morning, starting with an unusual 11:00 a.m. kickoff time, Andover Football suffered a close loss to Cheshire Academy. Despite the loss, the team continues holding its head high and looks with optimism to its next few games.
Jake Saalfrank ’25 noted how, despite the team’s loss and unimproved record, the team had a lot of momentum coming out of the loss with a clear improvement in team mentality. Saalfrank noted the promise their performance had indicating the potential for future wins.
“It can be tough to stay motivated when we are 0-4, but even though we lost, we still played a great game. That was our first full, complete four quarters of playing together and playing how we know we can, so that just gives us hope showing us that good things will happen. We’re just looking forward to playing like that again, and hopefully having a different outcome,” said Saalfrank.
Reflecting upon his own role within the game, Denzil Pierre ’25 noted the emphasis on staying within each moment and working simply on his own task at hand. He spoke on the importance of playing his role on the field and how, together, that can help defeat the team on the other side of the field.
“I was trying to play more together and just focus on doing my job, not trying to do too much and just execute whenever the ball is in my hands. I don’t think it matters the competition of who we play or the level of competition and who has what offers. Being confident, knowing what we’re doing, going out there and executing, being physical, and just wanting to win [is what matters],” said Pierre.
Despite the rough outcome of the game, older players were able to keep the team united with a positive mindset. Saalfrank highlighted offensive lineman Billy Brown ’25 for his leadership and energy.
“Billy, the big o-lineman, is a guy that I go against every day at practice. He really brings that energy every day. He’s fully bought in; he does all his homework outside of football, watching film, and studying the playbook. We get better every practice and he just loves the game and is a great kid. He is probably one of the best teammates, and cares about us and the coaches,” said Saalfrank.
Andover fell behind by only two points, and Pierre partly attributed the closeness of the game to Andover’s “home-court advantage.” Pierre noted how the crowd at home kept the team motivated.
“The crowd definitely helps us when we are down on the scoreboard throughout the game because the energy from our blue keys and the rest of the people in the stands help us stay locked in for each drive. Even though we haven’t given them much to cheer for, they are always there to support us, and we will definitely give them something to cheer for in our upcoming games,” said Pierre.
Keeping his focus on the future, quarterback Nate Parker ’26 talked about how the team has been preparing for its next matchup on Saturday. He is optimistic that if the team plays together, Andover football could be looking at its first win.
“We are working on getting better at the small things. Realizing that small details matter and that little details, such as missed steps, can really affect the outcome of a play. Just watching a lot of film, being confident, and building that confidence will let us play competitively with anybody in this conference, so it won’t matter who we go up against. The coaches have emphasized the idea of playing to [the] whistle and being intentional with everything we do,” said Parker.
Andover Football travels to Brunswick on Saturday.
