Scarlet Knights show their grit with 3-0 start

NORTH ANDOVER -- They began the season with a milestone 20-14 overtime victory over Andover, kept up momentum by beating Silver Lake, 21-6, and preserved an undefeated season Friday night with a come-from-behind 17-14 win at Newburyport.

So far, so good for the North Andover High football team, as they take a 3-0 record into Saturday afternoon's Cape Ann League game at Hamilton-Wenham.

''We went into the season as a senior-oriented team; we were hoping they felt it was their year, and so far that's happened," said North Andover head coach and former Syracuse University captain John Rafferty. ''Their desire to work together and the leadership they've provided has carried us through so far."

Against highly regarded Andover, a team North Andover hadn't beaten since 1987, the Scarlet Knights were down at halftime, 14-7. Andover had scored late in the half.

''Going into the locker room, we had to make a decision which way this was going to go, whether we were going to fight back or allow Andover to take the momentum," recalled Rafferty. ''We came back and responded."

North Andover tied the score in the final quarter when junior tailback Andrew Foote scored on a 14-yard run and classmate Bobby Connolly added the extra point. The defense was tested throughout the second half, but survived, and the offense held onto the ball long enough to give the defense an occasional rest. North Andover even scored what they thought was the clinching touchdown in the final 30 seconds, but it was nullified by a penalty and two subsequent field goal attempts were unsuccessful.

In overtime, North Andover senior Josh Iovanella scored on a 5-yard run, but the 2-point conversion pass was broken up. Now, it was Andover's turn, and on fourth and eight, an Andover score was nullified by an offensive penalty, and the game was over.

''We were holding our breaths. We had just chased their quarterback all over the field, and flags were thrown," said Rafferty. ''It seemed like we waited for an eternity for the officials to talk it over. It was a crazy finish. We weren't sure of the outcome for a while."

But when it was official, the reaction was jubilation on the North Andover side.

''I was right in front of the quarterback when they threw the flag. The ref said to me, 'If you accept the penalty, you win the game,' and I was kind of in shock. I just ran over to the sidelines and everybody started celebrating." said senior cocaptain Matt Zahoruiko, a linebacker and offensive guard who leads the team with 32 tackles. ''A lot of us have been playing together for several years. We're an experienced team. Everyone knows their roles. We don't get too far ahead of ourselves. We're not thinking about a championship."

And a letdown, said Rafferty, ''wasn't in the cards" when South Shore League power Silver Lake came to town. The Scarlet Knights never trailed, taking a 14-6 halftime lead and finally putting it away on a short plunge by senior cocaptain and quarterback Scott Driscoll, who has thrown for 262 yards and two TDs and run for another.

The Newburyport game was not decided until Driscoll hit senior Damien Lauwers on a fourth down, 23-yard pass that the latter took to the 3-yard line. Foote then stepped into the end zone with less than a minute to play, erasing a 14-10 Newburyport lead.

''In the huddle on fourth down, we were a little nervous, but still confident," said two-year starter Driscoll, who also plays cornerback where he has a team-high three interceptions. ''When I got back in the pocket, our receivers weren't open, but our line did a good job blocking, and then Damien changed his route to the middle of the field and split the linebackers. We know there are no easy games, so we push each other."

Lauwers is the team's leading receiver with 111 yards on three catches, while Foote has chipped in with 341 yards on 50 rushes and four TDs.

Despite Hamilton-Wenham's winless record, Rafferty said his team better be ready on Saturday.

''They were behind, 6-0, throughout most of their game last weekend, and they had chances to go ahead before Masconomet pulled away. I was impressed with Hamilton-Wenham. We'll be in for another dogfight," said Rafferty, who played at Wakefield High and was a starting strong safety at Syracuse, from which he graduated in 1975.

He took over the North Andover program in 2001, when the team went 7-3. But then it was time to rebuild. The 2002 team was 4-6, the 2003 squad 5-5, and last year's team was 7-4. This year's team is off to its best start under Rafferty.

The other senior starters are defensive ends Andrew Greenwood, Luke Boyajian, and Alex Hoehn; tackles Cameron Po and Anthony Perry; guard Chris Holland; wideouts Sam Laorenza and Ryan Reading; and halfback Mike Uttley.

Holland, whose brother, Bobby (now playing at Stonehill), was a team captain last season, is first cousin to Zahoruiko.

Strong contributors from the junior class also include tight end and linebacker Conor Tierney and center and defensive tackle Matt Weisman .

''I'd like to think we're headed in the right direction," said Rafferty, an assistant coach at Reading, Wakefield, and Melrose high schools over 14 seasons.

''The Cape Ann League is one heck of a league, so there's a challenge ahead," he said. ''Masconomet, Wilmington, and Pentucket are perennially strong, but you have to prepare and work hard every single week. We have two captains, but a lot of leaders.The team concept is what makes us click."

Marvin Pave can be reached at pave@globe.com