Wild finish gives Andover first win over Central Catholic since 2012

David Willis, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
Updated ·4 min read

Oct. 1—ANDOVER — As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Scott Brown sprinted to the sidelines with his arms pointed towards the sky, before throwing the ball high into the air and jumping into the arms of his teammates as they charged onto the field.

The emotions flowed for Andover players, coaches and fans as 10 years of frustration were finally snapped.

"We hadn't beaten Central Catholic since I was 8-years-old," said Brown. "So this is an amazing feeling. They had beaten up on us for years, but this was our year. I think we just made this rivalry a rivalry again."

Brown connected with Andrew Wetterwald for the go-ahead 50-yard touchdown pass with 5:40 to go in the game, the Andover defense delivered a red zone stand in the final minute, and the Golden Warriors ran out the clock for a 30-29 victory over Central Catholic on Friday night.

The win was the first for Andover over Central since Thanksgiving Day 2012, snapping a 13-game losing streak to the Raiders.

"This is the best win of my life," said Wetterwald, who caught three passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns and kicked a crucial field goal. "Two years ago, we lost to them and didn't score any points (17-0), and last year we lost to them and were shut out again (56-0). We were pretty confident, and to go out and beat them like this, it was one of the best feelings of my life."

Andover (4-0) entered the game as the No. 3 team in the MIAA's Division 1 football Power Rankings, while Central (2-2) was ranked sixth.

"This is awesome!" said Golden Warrior running back Lincoln Beal, who scored two touchdowns. "I waited four years for this, and this is the team that got it done."

But the victory didn't come without plenty of drama.

The Golden Warriors opened the game with a blocked punt by Samuel Joseph, setting up a 10-yard Beal touchdown run.

But back came Central. Markys Bridgewater broke a 56-yard touchdown run to give Central the lead, then QB Blake Hebert threw a perfect pass to Mike Ryan in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown.

The two teams then exchanged field goals — Wetterwald with a 22-yarder and Ryan a 32-yarder — to make it 17-9 at halftime.

"We just had to have a positive mindset," said Brown. "It's always easy to be a leader when it's all sunshine and rainbows. But when it comes time to step up, you have to step up, and that's what we did tonight."

Brown opened the second half with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Wetterwald to tie it 17-17. Central's Matthias Latham then (game-high 152 rushing yards) broke free for a 37-yard touchdown.

Andover responded with a Beal 2-yard run touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Central responded with a 25-yard Bridgewater TD run to give the Raiders a 29-24 lead. Bridgewater finished the game with 107 rushing yards.

But, with the game on the line, Brown and Wetterwald delivered.

"We called a play where Scotty can either hand the ball off or throw it," remembered Wetterwald. "I ran the slant route, which we had already hit once. It was wide open all night. Scotty threw it right into me. No one was going to catch me."

Wetterwald shook his defender, grabbed Brown's pass and sprinted into the end zone for a 50-yard score to give Andover the lead.

"We ran an RPO (run-pass option), I went to hand it off and saw the linebacker come up a little bit," said Brown. "I saw him wide open on the slant he made a great play on it, and we got six points."

With 5:40 still left, Central Catholic began a methodical drive, led by Latham and Sean Mercuri (92 rushing yards for the game), advancing to the Andover 18-yard line.

But Evan Haddad and Kayden Houth combined for a stop on second down, William Sheehan made a stop on third down, and a Central Catholic 37-yard field goal on fourth down with 0:38 left was no good.

As his players celebrated, Andover coach EJ Perry took a moment to remember his close friend, late Eagle-Tribune sportswriter and Andover High graduate Michael Muldoon, who passed away in May.

"At the end of the game, I couldn't help but think of Mike Muldoon and all he did for me as a reporter, but more importantly what he and (his wife, longtime Eagle-Tribune reporter) Yadira did for me as friends," said Perry. "This game was very special, and we were so excited to get this win. They were very tough and well prepared. I'm going to take 24 hours to enjoy this, then start getting ready for Methuen."