By Bob Albright
DANVERS -- The wild ride that started last week in Lexington rolled through Danvers yesterday as the No.7 seed that nobody wants any part of -- Andover --roared back to to stun No. 3 St. John’s Prep, 35-28.
Trailing 21-7 at the half, the Golden Warriors, who shocked unbeaten Lexington in the opening round of the Div.1 North playoffs, scored 21 points in the final quarter to advance to next weekend’s North final against No. 5 Everett.
Once again, Andover QB EJ Perry was simply superlative passing for 326 yards and four scores and rushing for 97 yards and another TD, while hardl- missing a down on defense.
After the hosts tied the game on Trent Tully’s 5-yard run, Perry and the Golden Warriors got the ball with just 1:38 in regulation and the Boston College-bound signal caller wasted little time getting to work.
“I just told the guys that this was our game and that if we score, we win,” said Perry, who promptly broke off a 68 yard run up the middle.
Two plays later, the versatile QB deftly rolled to his right and fired a dart to Cedric Gillette (7 catches, 134 yards) in the far corner of the end zone.
“We knew they left us too much time,” said the quarterback’s father, and Andover's coach, EJ Perry, who saw his defense answer the call to end it.
“The last two weeks the defense has stepped up in the second half,” said Perry whose defense has allowed just a single second half TD both weeks.
Perry connected with Joe Rockwell (4 catches, 99 yards, 2 TDs) twice in the second half to start a comeback that looked pretty dim when Eagles’ QB Mike Yarin connected with Mike Galatsis on the final play of the opening half on a 75-yard bomb to send the hosts roaring into the locker room up 21-7.
“Coming off the Lexington win we knew that we had it in us and we just needed to show it,” said Rockwell whose 14-yard pass from Perry put the Golden Warriors up, 28-21, with 6:54 to go.
No one in the overflow crowd, however, thought that lead would hold with the way Prep sophomore Aise Pream (25 rushes, 145 yards, 2 TDs) and the Eagles were moving the ball. When Eagles fullback Trent Tully slammed in from five yards out all the elder Perry could do was watch as the guy he shares the dinner table with each night with coolly trotted back onto the field.
“It’s sad that I’ve got to lose him,” said the coach who has been guiding not only his son, but the 26 other seniors on Andover since fourth grade. “I think once BC sees this they are going to know they are getting something special.”
Blog: