RallyNorth.net

CHELMSFORD — Rebounding from a tough loss to rival Central Catholic that knocked the Warriors out of title contention, Andover didn't appear prepared for battle last night.

But once they shook off the lethargy, the Warriors displayed they had still had life in them, running away from Chelmsford in a 36-22 victory. The Warriors (6-3) also downed the Lions (4-5) 49-37 in the regular season.

With 1,000-yard rusher Kevin Chen missing his first game with a leg injury and Anthony Soucy sent to the sideline with a leg injury of his own suffered on the Warriors' first scoring drive, it was left to backups to handle Andover's rushing duties.

Anthony Christopher had his first rushing attempts of the season and finished with a team-high 57 yards on seven tries, including a 39-yard blast that set up the Warriors' second score.

But the biggest runs came from Max Grant, who had carries in only four of the first eight games. Grant provided Andover  its first lead with a 3-yard run midway through the third quarter for a 13-6 advantage.

"Coach told me I was about to get the ball and get some carries," said Grant, a senior outside linebacker who added a sack and also plays on all of Andover's special teams. "I was ready for it. It feels great.

"I had never gotten a touchdown in a varsity game. I was just thinking about the players who went down and doing it for them."

After a Jack Campsmith touchdown pass put Chelmsford back ahead by a point 2 minutes into the fourth, Andover reclaimed the advantage with a pair of three-play scoring drives of 52 and 24 yards.

E.J. Perry, who scored Andover's first touchdown of the game, hit first with a slick 40-yard run in which he cut upfield on a rollout and split linebackers before stiff arming a defensive back at the 10.

Then Grant, who capped Perry's second TD with a conversion run, added a 9-yard touchdown jaunt that Perry returned the favor with a conversion run of his own for a 29-14 lead with 7:06 remaining.

"Losing to Central was real tough in such a nail-biter (28-21), but this game was against Chelmsford, so you always have to get up for that," sophomore quarterback Perry IV said. "We started out slow. They kind of shocked us ... We were just lucky to get back into it."

Jeremy Travaglini finished off Andover's scoring with a 5-yard run with 3:24 remaining.

Defensive also had its moments, setting up the offense with several short fields. Ommel Bonilla and Terence Norton each recovered fumbles while Mike Konjoian and Zach Walker each recorded interceptions.

Miracle Mike Milano and Central Catholic got the ball back with 2:17 remaining trailing Chelmsford by 10. No problem. The Raiders scored twice in 68 seconds for a crazy 35-31 victory.