10/11/25 – Andover: 35, Suffield: 7
Football (2-3) beat Suffield Academy (Suffield) 35-7, who it lost to last season 43-7, in a dominant display on Saturday. Led by quarterback Cale Barker ’28, who threw 363 yards and four touchdowns, the team is now on a two-game winning streak and an offensive scoring spree. The defense also matched that intensity and caused four turnovers with three interceptions by Tyler Baty ’27, Co-Captain Bennett Rodgers ’26, and Edward (Tommy) Ginty ’26, and a fumble forced by Nathaniel McCormick ’27 and recovered by Richie Indresano ’26.
In response to its previous loss against Suffield, the team brought the momentum of last week’s win versus Kent to Suffield’s home arena. Co-Captain Scott Carmichael ’27 described the energy of the team in the early game.
“We started the game off super fast. We were doing great, the offense was rolling, the defense was rolling. Just everything seemed to click. We had juice. As soon as we got to Suffield and got on the field. We were feeling the energy. We really wanted to prove Suffield wrong and rewrite history,” said Carmichael.
Early in the game, Barker threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. With the momentum of the game at risk, the entire team understood the importance of the following drive. Barker discussed the bounce-back play and all of the factors that contributed to it.
“We got right back out there and I threw a strike to Ollie Velez [’26]. He ran down the field for a 62-yard touchdown, it just pumped us. Michael Valerelli [’27] set a pick, which allowed Ollie to run free and through all of this, the [offensive]-line had perfect protection, just holding the pocket and just being the centerpiece of that play,” said Barker.
Not only did the team’s offense execute efficiently, Andover’s defense held Suffield, a team that scored 43 points in its last meeting, to just a single touchdown. Brock Feinberg ’26 zoomed in on a crucial play, in which Rodgers made an interception that encapsulated the defense’s strong performance.
“[Suffield’s offense] were starting to move towards the end zone and [were] getting close to scoring. But the quarterback threw an interception towards Bennett Rodgers and he picked it off in the end zone. It was a huge defensive play, totally flipped the momentum… we just played tremendous defense and that’s what got us the win,” said Feinberg.
Midway in the third quarter, during which Suffield’s offense struggled to move the ball and score, the defense needed to rally for and put the momentum back in the team’s hands. Following a few lucky third-down conversions, Suffield was in scoring position. Carmichael highlighted a momentum changing play that both prevented a Suffield score and set the offense up with great field position.
“It’s first-and-15, we break up two pass plays in a row. Now, it’s third-and-15 and [Suffield’s] like, you know what, we’ll do it one more time. Suffield drops back and looks to pass deep. Then, McCormick gets past the offensive tackle, hits the quarterback and strips the ball free. And Indresano picks it up and puts our offense at midfield, just giving us a great opportunity to score and giving our team the momentum when needed to finish the second half super strong,” said Carmichael.
As Football adds to its record, claiming back-to-back wins, the team feels the culmination of six weeks of dedicated practices and hard-fought games. Ben Kazlouski ’28 detailed the team’s noteworthy growth and praised Barker for his strong performances as quarterback.
“The momentum is at an all-time high right now. It’s been years since Andover Football has won two games in a row, even just winning an away game was pretty huge and we’re trying to just ride the high from this big win far into further weeks. The offense is finally clicking the way it’s supposed to, and that’s obviously with huge help from our new quarterback and the great work of our receivers. He makes big passes and big plays in big moments,” said Kazlouski.
Looking to carry its momentum, Feinberg has a message for future opponents.
“Teams need to look out for us, we’re rolling now, we’re ready,” said Feinberg.
Football will play Brunswick School at home on Saturday, October 18.
