Tewksbury handles Billerica
TEWKSBURY — Starting the year with two games in five days, both on the road and in cold weather, while missing a key starting offensive player, the Tewksbury Redmen needed some rest.
Entering Saturday’s game with eight days off and playing before a home crowd on a gorgeous afternoon, the Redmen showed the rest was beneficial as they cruised past Billerica, 41-14, in a Merrimack Valley Conference Div. 2 contest.
The win pushes the Redmen to 3-0, while Billerica falls to 1-1.
On the opening kickoff, Tewksbury senior captain Will McKay returned it 71 yards for a score that set the tempo to this one-sided contest.
“When you start any game off like that, it’s just tremendous. We had a couple of lucky things on special teams, the squib kick at the end ended up turning into a turnover,” said Redmen head coach Brian Aylward.
Tewksbury scored a touchdown in all aspects of the game — with three rushing scores, a passing TD, a special teams score and an interception return.
“We had a good week of practice. It was certainly good having (senior fullback) Kalu (Olu) back out there with us. He adds a certain element and gives us another (offensive option) for us and he played well,” said Aylward. “I think our guys up front really played well. They (Billerica) have a strong group up front and they showed it. They pushed us around a lot in the first half. I talked to (our players) at halftime and said this game will come down to whose front is able to have more juice in the end and our guys fought hard in the second half. I think that was the difference.”
After McKay’s score, Tewksbury made it 14-0 with 2:27 left in the first quarter as Kyle Darrigo scored on a 40-yard TD pass from Ryne Rametta, who completed 7-of-10 passes for 138 yards and a score. Nabil Barkallah then kicked his second of five PATs on the day, missing one which came after two Tewksbury penalties.
Billerica ran 65 offensive plays on the day compared to 32 for the Redmen, including an impressive 15play, 60-yard drive, taking up 10:11 and finished off by a 1-yard QB keeper by Dennet Sidell, who also rushed in the conversion. Tewksbury responded with a 10-play, 64-yard drive capped off with a 6-yard TD run by Olu, closing the half out at 21-8.
It was all Tewksbury in the second half.
Sophomore Michael Sullivan had a pick-six from 26 yards out, followed by a 4-yard TD run by Darrigo and a 1-yard TD run by Sean Fahey to cap the scoring. His TD was set up by the squib kick by Barkallah that bounced off a Billerica player’s chest before the fumble was recovered by senior Michael Duggan.
Billerica’s Joseph Green converted on a 5-yard run for the Indians’ second score coming late in the fourth quarter.