With a tie score of 7-7, quarterback and Co-Captain Julio Dahl ’22 crossed the goal line, sealing the game in overtime and allowing Andover Football to defeat Kent 13-7 on Saturday. Despite a low-scoring game, the team pulled off a victory in its first game since 2019. Andover’s record now stands at 1-0.
According to Co-Captain Cato Legaspi ’22, after a canceled season last year, he was grateful to take the field for the first time at Andover. He noted errors that occurred in the game but was nevertheless proud of the team’s efforts on Saturday.
“It was probably one of the best feelings any of us have had in a while, a lot of us, all we wanted to do was play football for two years and we couldn’t so there were a lot of stupid mistakes that came with not playing for two years, but overall it’s just such a good feeling to be back, and you can tell how excited everyone was,” said Legaspi.
Legaspi mentioned the significance of the win as many players filled crucial roles and played as a tight-knit team. Injuries were also a setback for numerous players but the team was able to adapt in order to beat Kent.
“This was one of the best team wins I’ve ever been a part of. You could get into some different guys on the team and think about how many guys stepped up and made huge plays when it counted, and the team as a whole really came together. There were a lot of injuries that we had to work around, so everyone stepped up in their own ways,” said Legaspi.
According to Joseph Carrara ’24, he had confidence in the older leaders on the team during the last intense moments of overtime.
“I’ll always have the nerves running a little high but with my guys I knew we would be alright so I wasn’t too worried. I was excited, I know all the guys were excited; we felt pretty good, we were confident, and we pulled it through all together,” said Carrera.
Carrera described Legaspi’s crucial touchdown run, followed by Dahl’s overtime score to win the game, in addition to a game-changing turnover caused by the Andover defense.
“In the last 30 seconds, Cato had a big touchdown run, and then in overtime to win it, Julio had the touchdown run, and then our defensive end, Dean Sokaris [PG’22] had a big play to get the turnover in overtime,” Carrara said.
Andover Football looks to advance to 2-0 on Saturday at home against Loomis Chaffee.
