HAVERHILL — It’s time to make a statement.
Those were the words written by longtime sportswriter Dave Willis in Thursday’s Eagle-Tribune when he predicted Haverhill would defeat Everett.
He absolutely nailed it.
Actually, the Hillies nailed it right from the opening kick-off until the final buzzer, trouncing the Crimson Tide 42-12 in a non-league game played on Friday night.
Haverhill scored three first quarter touchdowns and that was just the start of the complete domination. The Hillies offense ran 19 plays before Everett ran one, coming 8:36 into the game.
Haverhill finished the game with 451 total yards compared to 38, and had 67 plays from scrimmage compared to just 17 for the Crimson Tide.
Quarterback Michael Bayko completed 19 of 32 passes for 322 yards with four TD passes, two each to George Papanikolaou (4 catches, 129 receiving yards) and Jathian DeJesus (9 catches, 103 yards), including a gorgeous toe-tap early in the third quarter.
Besides the offense, Haverhill (3-3) also executed a perfect onside kick after the first TD, and defensively gave up just 14 yards in the air and 24 on the ground.
Statement made.
“We knew that this game was very important to us. It was almost like history because we hadn’t won three games in a row since 2019. We knew we had to do it and it meant a lot to every single one of us,” said Papanikolaou.
The Bayko to Papanikolaou connection couldn’t be stopped in the first quarter. The first TD strike from 48 yards out capped off an 8-play, 78-yard opening game drive.
“Bayko’s an amazing kid and an even a better athlete,” said Papanikolaou. “We come out here, I trust him and he trusts all of us and he’s just all about making plays with us and we try to do the same with him.”
After Dominic Santos recovered the onside kick which led to Brewer Murray’s 1-yard TD run, Bayko tossed a quick pass in the right flat area. Papanikolaou — who missed all of last year with a stress fracture in his back — turned on the jets down the sideline and scored his second TD of the game and fourth of the season from 55 yards out.
That gave Haverhill a 21-0 lead with 17 seconds left in the first quarter.
“I just knew that I had to kick it into another gear once I saw the kid coming on me. I got some good blocks from my other receivers and I just had to go make a play,” said Papanikolaou. “This just means to much to me. It was so hard for me to go five months without football last year so I worked so hard in the off-season and be here and helping out, just means so much.”
But it wasn’t just that connection. Bayko connected on TD passes to DeJesus from six and five yards out, and junior running back Lucas Perez had 103 rushing yards.
“The whole offensive unit has been getting better,” said Haverhill head coach Rob Pike. “Up front we are blocking better, Lucas Perez has really been running the ball well and he’s finding those holes. And Michael Bayko is just so good at running the offense. We have weapons on the outside with Papanikolaou and DeJesus and Abraham Temple, those guys can make plays. It’s good that they are coming together, but there’s still work to do.”
Bayko, who threw five TDs last week, has been at a whole another level from the early days of September.
“He’s making decisions. Ultimately that’s the quarterback’s job. He has natural arm talent. He can throw the ball. It goes from the NFL down to the pee wee level, it’s all about making decisions and Michael’s making great decisions and getting the ball out to our playmakers and it’s fun when they (convert),” said Pike.
Haverhill will face a much bigger challenge next Friday on the road against Methuen.
Haverhill 42, Everett 12
First Quarter
H: Georgios Papanikolaou 48 pass from Michael Bayko (Jathian DeJesus pass from Bayko)
H: Brewer Murray 1 run (rush failed)
H: Papanikolaou 55 pass from Bayko (Leo Butcher kick)
Second Quarter
H: DeJesus 6 pass from Bayko (Butcher kick)
E: Steven Thomas 16 pass from Jeremiah Clark (kick failed)
Third Quarter
H: DeJesus 5 pass from Bayko (Butcher kick)
E: Clark 75 kickoff return (pass failed)
Fourth Quarter
H: Stavy Baptiste 2 run (Butcher kick)
Individual Stats
Passing: H, Michael Bayko 19 for 32, 322 yards.
Rushing: H, Lucas Perez 18-103, Jathian DeJesus 3-16; Stavy Baptiste 3-4; Leo Butcher 3-4; Michael Bayko 3-2; Brewer Murray 1-1; Kennedy Ramos Damacio 1 – (-1)
Receiving: H, Georgios Papanikolaou 4-129; Jathian DeJesus 9-103; Zavion Alvarez 3-39; Stavy Baptiste 1-34; Abraham Temple 2-13.