CHELMSFORD — It was Andover football’s eighth straight victory, the most to start a season since 2004 and one win from matching the best start for the program since The Andover Townsman began keeping records in 1982.
But last Friday was special. Last Friday was Chelmsford.
“This is our biggest win of the year,” said linebacker Adam Ladd. “This has a very special meaning to us. None of us have ever beat Chelmsford at any level, so this is a really big deal.”
The Golden Warriors jumped out to a fast 14-point lead five minutes into play and never let up, crushing defending MVC Division 1 champion Chelmsford 42-22.
Heading into the game, the Lions had won 12 of their last 13 matchups against Andover, and owned a 5-22-1 advantage over the Warriors.
But that dominance would not be the case in 2012.
“We have wanted to beat Chelmsford since middle school,” said Andrew Deloury. “It has just been forever, so to finally overcome that is a really big deal for us. It is the best feeling I could imagine.”
Andover’s last varsity football win over Chelmsford was in 2009, which snapped a 10-game losing skid.
“We knew we could beat them,” said receiver Cam Farnham. “Besides Central Catholic on Thanksgiving, Chelmsford is our biggest game of the year, so this is huge.”
The Golden Warriors started fast. On their first possession of the game, QB C.J. Scarpa connected with Deloury on a 38-yard touchdown. After Ladd booted a perfect on-sides kick on the following kickoff, Scarpa needed just four plays add another score, hooking up with receiver Will Heikkinen for a 21-yard score.
After allowing one score, Andover just kept rolling. Scarpa and Jack Sylvester each rushed for a touchdown, Scarpa tossed a 12-yard TD to Farnham and Brandon Marti’s 8-yard score made it 42-8 before the third quarter was over.
After a tough first half wearing the No. 7, Chas Heseltine had his No. 11 jersey brought to him from home at halftime, and he responded with nine tackles and an interception, while Ladd added eight tackles.
“This was a huge win for us,” said Farnham. “It means a lot. Now we have a tough team in Lowell coming up, so now we have to set our focus on them. But this was a good win.”
Andover 42, Chelmsford 22
Andover (8-0): 16 6 20 0 — 42
Chelmsford (4-4): 8 0 7 7 — 22
First Quarter
A — Andrew Deloury 38 pass from C.J. Scarpa (Deloury pass from Scarpa), 6:42
A — Will Heikkinen 21 pass from Scarpa (Heikkinen pass from Scarpa), 5:55
C — Greg Johnson 34 pass from John Campsmith (Johnson pass from Campsmith), 4:54
Second Quarter
A — Scarpa 2 run (pass failed), 0:17
Third Quarter
A — Jack Sylvester 12 run (Deloury pass from Scarpa), 10:06
A — Cam Farnham 12 pass from Scarpa (kick failed), 8:33
A — Brandon Marti 8 run (kick failed), 4:00
C — Connor Brimley 2 run (Charles Calenda kick), 1:16
Fourth Quarter
C — Johnson 9 pass from Campsmith (Calenda kick), 4:31
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: A (31-103) — Jack Sylvester 15-102, Brandon Marti 9-31, Jesse Greaves 1-7, C.J Scarpa 6-(-37); C (21-67) — John Campsmith 7-26, Jeff Dauria 5-26, Connor Brimley 6-11, Sean Sarault 1-6, Todd Dowrey 1-0, Alex Freker 1-(-2)
PASSING: A — Scarpa 14-23-0, 206; C — Campsmith 11-21-1, 160
RECEIVING: A — Will Heikkinen 8-100, Andrew Deloury 2-56, Sylvester 2-34, Cam Farnham 2-16; C — Greg Johnson 4-101, Eric Van Gelder 3-36, Connor Wooster 1-12, Zach Andre 1-8, Jose St. Hilaire 1-5, Vadim Mayorskiy 1-(-2)
