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METHUEN — During the week, Methuen seniors Kendrick Denose and Brian McAndrew were not feeling all that great. Denose was still hobbled by a toe chip fracture suffered in a win over North Andover and McAdam was battling an ailing shoulder. But Friday night, the offensive standouts ignored the pain to help carry the Rangers (now 4-5) to a never-safe 43-34 victory over Chelmsford. Denose was outstanding with three touchdowns and 148 yards rushing while throwing two TD passes while McAndrew rushed for 141 tough yards and a TD on 26 carries despite aggravating his sore shoulder. “The shoulder was bothering me all week, but I overcame it,” said McAndrew. “I’ll be all right.” Denose felt pretty much the same way. “During the week (toe) hurts a lot, but I don’t think about it during the game,” said Denose. The offensive exploits of the dynamic duo were a must because the Rangers, leading 30-7 late in the third quarter, gave up three straight touchdowns and then had to hang on for dear life, only clinching it on a 39-yard scoring run by Denose with 59 seconds remaining. “This is November and there is going to be a lot of bruises, and they’re banged up, but they continue to suck it up,” said Methuen coach Tommy Ryan. “Brian is about as tough as any kid I’ve been around. He has a real high pain threshold.” McAndrew scored the game’s first TD, early in the second quarter on a one-yard plunge, and then Denose took over. Two minutes after McAndrew’s score, he zoomed around the left side for 59 yards and then, after a 25-yard field goal by Jordan Perdomo, threw a 22-yard scoring strike to Michael Bodenrader (5 catches, 97 yards and 2 TDs) to make it 23-7 at halftime. After Denose scored on a 12-yard run early in the third, the Rangers seemed to be in total control, 30-7, but  — depending on how you look at it — either the Lions’ offense (285 yards in the second half) cranked it up or the Methuen defense faltered. In a span of 11 minutes, Chelmsford scored four touchdowns, including three in a row to make it 30-27 and later 37-34, but Denose had the last TD run to wrap it up. “It’s nice to get the win but our defense has a lot of problems,” said Ryan. “We were on a mess on defense. We just have to keep working at it.”  For Chelmsford (1-8), the worst season in recent memory continued, but head coach Bruce Rich was encouraged by the comeback. “We had a lot of positives tonight,” said Rich.

ANDOVER — Throughout the week, Dan Gemmell was stuck on the sidelines, nursing the shoulder injury that had plagued him for weeks. When Friday arrived, however, Gemmell was determined to be on the field. “It was game day,” he said. “It was frustrating sitting out all week, but I did everything to prepare myself and I knew that I was going to play.” Play Gemmell certainly did. The dynamic receiver caught seven passes for 161 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, as Andover rolled over reeling former Merrimack Valley Conference power Chelmsford 41-7. “Gemmell was unbelievable,” said quad-captain Arman Koul. “The moves he was putting on guys were crazy. He is the best athlete out there, and the best athlete was making the best plays. I believe he’s the best receiver in the league.” Chelmsford was certainly in no position to disagree with Koul following Gemmell’s night. The junior speedster opened the scoring with a 28-yard score, and midway through the second added a second 28-yard score — both matching his No. 28 jersey number. But he saved his greatest plays for later in the quarter. With 2:53 remaining in the second, E.J. Perry IV threw a swing out to Gemmell, who seemed to be stopped for a gain of about 15 yards. But Gemmell managed to shake not one, but two tacklers before juking two more on his way to a 40-yard TD. “E.J. made a great read and called an audible,” said the very reserved Gemmell. “He threw me the ball and no one could stop me. It was great.” He then capped the quarter with one more highlight-reel play on the final play before halftime. He caught a pass going along the sidelines, and as teammates yelled for him to step out, he turned on the jets and cruised 27 yards for a score. The starters did not play after halftime. The four scores topped his career-high three-TD day in a victory over BC High in Week 3 this fall. “The numbers are definitely fun to see,” he said. “But the win is what counts. We hit a bump last week against Central, and we needed this one. E.J. played a great game.” Perry IV hit on 17 of his 23 throws for 285 yards and four scores, the other going to Cedric Gillette. He also had a TD called back for holding and another go off a receiver’s hands. Koul led the way with eight tackles while Perry Wynn and Mikey Comeau each had a sack. “That loss to Central Catholic hurt,” said Koul. “We wanted to come out and make a statement today, and we feel like we did it.” Andover now awaits North Sectional playoff pairings.

LAWRENCE — Central Catholic needed a rebound after last week's disappointing loss to rival St. John's Prep.

Enter sophomore quarterback Bret Edwards.

The Lowell resident threw four touchdown passes, while completing 12 of 15 passes and 238 yards in a big-time rout of Chelmsford High, 42-0, last night at Veterans Stadium.