Methuen pours it on Andover
Methuen 51 Andover 18
METHUEN — The rain was pouring down when Methuen welcomed Andover for a Merrimack Valley battle Friday night, and the host Rangers took every opportunity to pour it on their rivals early, as they rode a hot start to a 51-18 victory at Nicholson Stadium.
The seventh-ranked Rangers (3-1) won the toss and deferred, then pinned the No. 16 Golden Warriors (3-1) in their own territory, creating short fields, and capitalizing on a safety to build a 23-0 lead.
“You could feel the energy on our sideline versus theirs when we were up 9-0 after that safety,” said Methuen coach Tom Ryan. “That had more of an impact on the game than anything. Our confidence was high and everybody was just clicking on all cylinders.”
Methuen’s offense ran through senior quarterback Drew Eason and junior Shane Eason, who produced nearly 300 total yards with passing, rushing, and receiving touchdowns on the night.
Despite the rain, Methuen called for a couple of early pass plays, including a flea flicker to open the scoring, and a double pass from Drew to Shane to senior Joe Bolduc to make it 16-0.
On the final play of the first quarter, Drew (11-for-16, 233 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) hit Shane (11 carries, 115 yards; 4 receptions, 153 yards) in stride for an 88-yard score to make it a 30-6 game.
Andover increased its tempo and stayed competitive with junior Dominic Papa (17-for-31, 180 yards, 2 TD) coming off the bench to play quarterback, but the Rangers were always in control.
“We played excellent defense to start and our kicking game was unbelievable tonight,” said Ryan. “[Senior kicker] Omar Aboutoui, to be able to kick as many touchbacks as he does, that’s a big deal. It puts a lot of stress on the opposing offense. We take special teams very seriously and work hard at it, because it’s one-third of the game.”
Afterwards Methuen celebrated with the Klimas Collins Cup, named after legendary past coaches from both programs. The Rangers avenged a loss to Andover on their home turf last year and scored a huge conference win that will boost their power rating.
“The league means a lot, but this means just as much in terms of power ratings,” said Ryan. “A couple of weeks ago, we were unsure of ourselves. But now we’re a little more sure of what we got.”