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GROTON — A.J. Dillon, one of the top-rated junior running backs in the country, lived up to the hype as Lawrence Academy trampled Brooks 46-7.

Dillon scored on runs of 37, 33 and 22 yards. Jaylen Cromwell had the lone Brooks score, a 5-yard run in the third quarter. But by that time the 7-1 hosts already had a 26-0 lead.

NORTH ANDOVER - Senior Jalen Martinez of Methuen rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns as Brooks dominated Groton by a score of 42-6 on Senior Day.
Brooks scored twice in the first and second quarters to take a 28-0 lead going into halftime, and with the exception of one big Groton touchdown run in the third, prevented the opposition from ever coming close to the end zone.
"Jalen Martinez had a great game running the ball," said Brooks coach Pat Foley. "He runs hard and he has the ability to break some long ones, which has helped us get out of some holes, and I'm pleased with the way we threw the ball.
"We haven't thrown the ball a ton. That's kind of by design because we have a good running game, but I was pleased with the way Jake Hesse came out and threw the ball and made good decisions and got the ball to people."
Hesse got Brooks on the board early with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tamenang Choh on the game's opening drive. On Groton's first possession Brooks pulled further ahead after Pentucket transfer Pat Freiermuth recovered a fumble and took it 42 yards to the house to make it 14-0.
From that point on, Martinez dominated the Groton defense, scoring each of his two touchdowns in the second quarter from 1 and 16 yards, respectively.
In the second half, Brooks began utilizing Jaylen Cromwell more, and he came through with 48 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. His first score came early in the third quarter on a 13-yard scamper, and the second came with 10:19 to play in the fourth from 15-yards out to wrap up the scoring.
Good as the offense was, the defense may have been the biggest star, and Freiermuth in particular. On the drive following his fumble return TD, Freiermuth blew up his blocker to record a sack for a 12-yard loss, and then shortly after he reeled in a one-handed interception near midfield to give Brooks a short field.
Freiermuth, who is repeating his sophomore year, also had a 22-yard catch. Foley said Freiermuth, who is his nephew, has done a nice job adjusting.
"I think it's been great for him," Foley said. "He played some quarterback last year and he's playing probably a more natural position for him as a tight end. It's been nice for us because he's a big physical blocker. He's been able to help our run game a lot, and he catches pretty much anything around him."
Brooks, 5-2, is at Lawrence Academy next Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

BYFIELD — One year after Governor's handed Brooks its first loss and snapped a four-game winning streak, the Big Blue made amends on one of the most successful prep school programs in New England.

NORTH ANDOVER — Brooks football blitzed Rivers for four first-quarter touchdowns and continued to roll from there en route to a 51-0 win. Quarterback Jake Hesse only completed 3 of 5 passes, but two of them went for long touchdowns, including a 22-yard TD to Will Gibeley and a 25-yard score to Pat Freiermuth to put Brooks ahead 14-0 early. From there, running back Jalen Martinez went to work, finishing with 187 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just seven carries, including scores of 48 and 86 yards respectively midway through the first quarter. Brooks scored three more times in the second quarter, including a 41-yard run by Jaylen Cromwell and a 7-yard run by Sam Wakelin. Brooks also benefited from a bad snap on a Rivers punt that resulted in a safety. Pat Sheehan finished the scoring with a 21-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Brooks is now 3-2 on the year and is at the Governor's Academy next Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

SOUTHBORO — Methuen's Jalen Martinez rushed for 129 yards and four touchdowns, including three scores in the second quarter alone, to give Brooks a 49-6 drubbing of St. Marks.

"It was a great effort by the boys," said Brooks coach Pat Foley. "They prepared hard for this game and were ready. Our running game worked very well."

Brooks nearly gave the undefeted St. George their first blemish of the young season. The green and white were just a field goal away from sending thier matchup into overtime.

NORTH ANDOVER —Last season, Jalen Martinez rushed 36 times for 253 yards and scored two touchdowns.

In Saturday's season opener against Pomfret, he nearly exceeded that in the first quarter.