NORTH ANDOVER — For a few moments, it appeared North Andover had stolen the momentum.
On a fourth-and-1 from his own 29-yard line, Scarlet Knights quarterback Austin Allen ran a QB sneak into the line, fought his way through and out of the scrum, then broke free for a 71-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to just seven points with 0:29 left in the third quarter.
But it would get no better for the Knights.
Chelmsford responded with touchdowns on its next two possessions, dealing North Andover a 29-7 loss on Thursday night.
“We played tough, but we just aren’t good enough to make mistakes and leave points on the board,” said first-year Scarlet Knights head coach Matt Cerullo. “We had some good drives, but turned the ball over and hurt ourselves with penalties. We also gave them yards on special teams, and we just aren’t good enough to do that. We need to do better.”
Chelmsford, which entered the game No. 12 in the MIAA Division 2 Power Rankings, improved to 2-4. North Andover (1-5) began the day No. 16 in the Division 2 Power Rankings — the last of the 16 teams that will make the state tournament (if they satisfy the three-win minimum). Both teams previously had beaten Dracut, with the Scarlet Knights downing the Middies last week for their first win.
After the Lions scored on the opening drive, North Andover appeared poised to strike right back.
Running back Dave DePrizio broke a 23-yard run on the Knights’ first play from scrimmage, then added a 25-yard run to the Chelmsford 12-yard line. But just as North Andover appeared to be cooking, the drive ended in a fumble.
“That’s kind of been the story of our season,” said Cerullo. “Last week was the first time we scored on the first drive. Every other game, we started off with a positive drive, then weren’t able to capitalize. That’s self-inflicted stuff. They’re a good team, but we made too many mistakes.”
After a slow first half, Allen came alive in the second half, rushing for 112 of his 134 yards for the game, including the big score. He also had a perfectly-placed pass that could have gone for a long touchdown, but was dropped.
“Austin is really a gamer,” said Cerullo. “He’s going to keep us in a lot of games with what he has. I’m really proud of the way her performed tonight.”
Billy Vincent, who returned last week from offseason knee surgery, was all over the field a safety with 10 tackles. Tommy Farrell added seven tackles and a pass breakup, Evan Toland had a sack and Daniel Fitzgerald grabbed an interception for the Knights.
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Scarlet Knights, who next week travel to face powerhouse Tewksbury (5-0), the No. 1-ranked team in Division 4.
“It’s a very tough game,” said Cerullo. “We are just going to watch film. There’s a lot to prepare for, from what I’ve seen and heard. We know what they do, and we have to do what we can do and try to clean everything up on our end. We’re just trying to get developed right now. That’s our mission.”
Chelmsford 27, North Andover 6
FIRST QUARTER
C — Dylan Quinn 15 pass from Anthony Mauriello (kick failed), 8:21
SECOND QUARTER
C — Mauriello 2 run (Patrick McConnell kick), 5:43
THIRD QUARTER
C — Austin Allen 71 run (kick failed), 0:29
FOURTH QUARTER
C — Joe Nordengren 6 run (McConnell kick), 8:23
C — Mauriello 38 run (McConnell kick), 4:24
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: North Andover — Austin Allen 14-134, Dave DePrizio 9-64, Darren Bernat 7-28; Chelmsford — Anthony Mauriello 10-127, Joe Nordengren 8-35, Sky DeJesus 8-37, Oliver Ilg 1-3
PASSING: North Andover — Allen 7-17-0, 61; Chelmsford — Mauriello 8-12-1, 78
RECEIVING: North Andover — Marcus Peralta 3-14, Billy Vincent 1-16, Tommy Farrell 1-10, Bernat 1-8, Daniel Thompson 1-13; Chelmsford — Dylan Quinn 3-43, Gable Gray 2-21, Nolan Smith 1-7, Nate Duggan 2-7