RallyNorth.net

FOXBOROUGH— In the Division 4 Super Bowl against Tri-County, the Manchester Essex football team did what the New England Patriots couldn't do in Super Bowl XXXXII vs. the New York Giants last February.

FOXBOROUGH — The Gloucester football team had their bid for a second straight Division 2A Super Bowl derailed by Duxbury this afternoon. After a back and forth three quarters the Dragons took over the game in the fourth en route to a 46-26 win at Gillette Stadium.

LOWELL — During halftime last night, Whittier Tech head coach Kevin Bradley was visited by young sons Connor and Kevin Jr. But they were not there to simply say hello.

“My sons came to me with a play,” Bradley said with a proud smile. “They said, ‘Dad, I think this will be open and (quarterback) Dillon (Ryan) can do it.’ They are around all the time and know all the plays. They just adore the team.”

LOWELL — Following yesterday’s Division 3A semifinal, no one had more praise for Whittier Tech than Amesbury football coach Thom Connors.

“That is a great team,” said Connors. “They are in the postseason all the time, three of the last four years. The ball bounced our way, but they played tough. They are a great program.”

LOWELL — One thing jumped out at Kevin Bradley during preparations for last night’s Division 3A semifinal game — Amesbury feasts on turnovers.

“After watching several games of theirs on film, I noticed (Amesbury) forces a big fumble or interception that costs the other team the game,” the Whittier Tech head coach observed. “They have a good veteran defense and you can’t make mistakes. All season, they made teams pay the price.”

NORTH ANDOVER — For a little more than the opening  quarter, North Andover gave the already-crowned Cape Ann League champions a battle in their traditional Thanksgiving morning meeting.

ANDOVER — The moment the ball fell into Sean Ehlbeck’s hands, it was clear fate was on Andover’s side.

“The play we supposed to go to the other side of the field,” said Ehlbeck. “I saw (quarterback John Hennessy) scrambling. He threw it up over me, so I flowed with it and figured I’d give it a shot. It was tipped, fell into my hands, and it went from there.”

LOWELL — The pride was there, but too much talent was missing.

Haverhill threw a lot of physical play at Lowell before about 1,000 fans at Cawley Stadium. Bottling up standout running back Ambruce Carter while forcing three fumbles, the Hillies held its own in the trenches.

AMESBURY — With the latest chapter of the Newburyport vs. Amesbury rivalry complete, we are left to wonder about the legacy each school’s senior class will leave.

Fair or not, Thanksgiving is the day when heroes are made on the high school football circuit. Amesbury captain Steve Serwon will always be remembered for sparking Thanksgiving Day upsets in 2006 and 2007 with defensive touchdowns. Indians quarterback Jared Flannigan will always be thought of as the game manager who took care of the football and kept the chains moving in victories in 2007 and 2008.

LYNNFIELD — It’s been a year filled with more downs than ups for North Reading.

After an impressive 3-0 start to the season, the Hornets dropped six of seven heading into yesterday’s Thanksgiving showdown at Lynnfield. In spite of the fact that the visitors had won the past three meetings by a wide margin (85-18), Lynnfield routed the now 4-7 Hornets, 21-0.