LAWRENCE – It was a great start for Lawrence High with senior Carolina Sanchez, a noted singer/actress, giving a beautiful rendition of the national anthem.
Then Lawrence won the toss and took the ball.
But it was downhill from there, beginning with a fumble on the opening kickoff as the Rangers never looked back.
Methuen High, one of the surprises of the 2025 season, entering last night as the No. 5 ranked Div. 1 team in Eastern Mass., was no surprise last night.
The Rangers simply overwhelmed the Lancers, 36-6, taking out most of their starters after the first half with a 30-0 lead.
One of those starters, was senior Thomas Rodriguez, who transferred to Methuen out of Lawrence High in the summer.
He made his presence felt early with two first quarter touchdown runs of 17 and 7 yards, his first scores of the season.
“He is one of our fullbacks and frankly we don’t beat Andover or Central Catholic without him,” said Methuen coach Ryan Dugan. “He is a tough kid and we ask our fullbacks to help with blocking the linebackers. We knew this was a big game for him and we put in at running back, trying to get him a touchdown. He got two. His teammates were very happy for him.”
Dugan said he heard from Rodriguez as early as May about transferring in, wanting to participate in the late spring and early summer workouts. But it wasn’t official until late July.
“Thomas is absolutely a phenomenal kid,” said Dugan. “I felt bad saying we had to wait, but since he’s been with the team he’s been all about the team. He ended up being our biggest fundraiser, selling about $1,000 of our Ranger Cards. Everyone at the school, including the teachers are giving him rave reviews.”
Rodriguez said it already feels like home.
“I love to compete and win,” said Rodriguez. “They accepted me from the start and that meant a lot. And this game, to score two touchdowns against my former team, is something I’ll never forget.”
Methuen rushed for 251 yards on 63 carries. In fact, the Rangers didn’t complete a pass.
Quarterback Josh Danella, who broke his collarbone, is expected to return by the time the playoffs begin in November.
Lawrence, which falls to 1-5, had a few impressive performances, including senior cornerback Jarmany Gonzalez’s two interceptions.
Junior Denzel Morales did double duty at wide receiver (4 receptions, 43 yards) and quarterback (1-for-2, 11 yards) when Manny Perez (7-13-1, 69 yards) went down with a leg injury. He scored the Lancers only touchdown on a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Methuen sophomore George Kaltsunas, who dislocated his elbow in August returning last week, earned kudos for his 62-yard touchdown run to end the game.
“Overall, we did what we wanted to do, got a lot of young guys some action in the second half,” said Dugan, whose Methuen team faces Haverhill and Billerica before the playoffs start.
“Haverhill beat Lawrence and Coach (Rob) Pike always has his team ready,” said Dugan, whose team improved to 5-1, “We are in good shape health-wise. We are excited about what’s ahead.”
M
ethuen 36, Lawrence 6
At Fitzgerald Field, Veterans Memorial Stadium, Lawrence
Methuen (5-1): 21-9-0-6—36
Lawrence (1-5): 0-0-0-6—6
Scoring
1Q
M – Thomas Rodriguez 17 run (Hicham Aboutoui kick), 10:35
M – Rodriguez 7 run (Aboutoui kick), 7:23
M – Caiden Hartley-Didio 1 run (Aboutoui kick), 2:14
2Q
M – Safety (Running back tackled in end zone), 3:28
M – Alex Santiago 55 return (Aboutoui kick), 3:14
3Q
None
4Q
L – Denzel Morales 9 run (rush failed), 4:01
M – George Kaltsunas 62 run (no attempt) 0:00
Stats
Rushing: M (34-251) Rodriguez 7-83, Hartley-Didio 7-17, Tim Domezon 2-46, Ali Kale 8-38, Kaltsunas 8-60, Dylan Conway 1-3, Amariyon Moore 1-9; L (17-69) – Nixon Deleon 5-15, Manny Perez 8-30, Javien Tibbets 1-(-4), Morales 3-24
Passing: M – Hartley-Didio 0-3-2; L – Perez 7-13-1, 69 yards; Morales 1-2-0, 11 yards
Receiving: M – None; L – Tibbets 2-8, Denzel Morales 4-46, Luis Arias 1-8, Amir Almonte 1-11