The Merrimack Valley Conference decided to eliminate overtimes in the 1997 season.
Good thing for Haverhill and Andover. They might still be playing today.
Haverhill had the first and best shot at scoring on its opening possession as Mike Terenzi (116 rushing yards) picked off a deflected pass and returned it to the Warrior 19. But the Hillies suffered a procedure penalty and the drive died on downs.
Andover’s best opportunity came when QB Rick Johnson connected with Joe Maglio on a 47-yard bomb that moved the Warriors to the Hillie 9 with six seconds left in the half. With place kicker Scott Brodsky out of the lineup, a field goal was out of the question and a pass into the end zone flew just off target.
Duffy delivers, Royals roll past Amesbury
Amesbury was in the midst of a field hockey dynasty 15 years ago, running roughshod over its Cape Ann League competition.
That is, except for Georgetown.
For the third year in a row since taking over the Royals’ program, coach Joy Farmer — a former Amesbury two-sport great — led her squad to a 1-0 victory over the Indians. Kara Duffy got the game’s lone score midway through the second half.
Tight defense from Melissa Sherry and freshman Katie Stahl helped goalie Kim O’Toole withstand a furious Amesbury charge and preserve the shutout.
The Royals improved to 4-4-2 while Amesbury suffered its second loss.
Bellmore, Blackington beat the clock
On its final drive of the game, Jason Bellmore hit Jeff Blackington with a 39-yard scoring strike with 52 seconds left to earn Greater Lawrence a 28-22 victory over Northeast. … Behind 136 yards and three touchdowns from Joe Uliano, Central Catholic beat Billerica for the first time in nine years, 35-7. … Adam Jordan scored five TDs in unbeaten Pinkerton’s 33-12 triumph over West. … Methuen turned four fumble recoveries into TD runs by Dave Beaudin and sophomore Danny Dinicola to hold off Lawrence, 12-6. … North Andover suffered its first CAL shutout in 10 seasons, losing 13-0 to Wilmington. … With two rushing touchdowns, two receiving TDs and a pair of 2-point conversions in a win over Cathedral, North Reading’s David Torra set a new Austin Prep record for points in a game with 28. … Nate Gatchell ran for two scores in Georgetown’s 30-6 torching of Whittier. …
Dan Young’s eight saves earned Central Catholic its first win of the season, 1-0 over Tewksbury. … Mike Simone registered his fifth shutout of the year as Sanborn nipped Somersworth, 1-0, while Phil Ayoub produced his sixth clean sheet in Andover’s 3-0 victory against Chelmsford. … Mike Pifani had the deciding goal in a key Class L battle as Pinkerton snuck past Manchester West, 3-2. … An air-tight defense led by Rick Harrison and Brandon LaFlamme helped 2-5-4 Methuen surprise 10-1-1 Billerica with a 1-1 tie. …
Mia Giannone scored four goals as North Reading defeated Hamilton-Wenham in girls soccer, 5-1. … Freshman Julie-Anne Plouffe’s first career goal was a game-winner as Methuen edged Billerica, 2-1. … Katie Sullivan’s late goal got Andover past Haverhill, 2-1. … Kerry Hood had two goals and an assist in Londonderry’s 3-2 win over Exeter. … Timberlane’s Kristen Kearney scored in a 1-0 verdict over St. Thomas. …
Coming out of the net against Memorial, winning goalie Heidi Leuchte scored as part of a 7-0 field hockey victory. … Ali Hart found the mark in the second half off of a penalty corner to give Haverhill (1-8-1) a stunning win over previously unbeaten Andover (9-1-1). … Two goals from Adrienne Guzman was all Lawrence needed to beat Dracut, 2-0. … Kara Winne was perfect in the North Andover net to beat Lynnfield, 2-0. …
Pelham’s Damon Whalen shot a 76 to take a first-round lead at the Class M-S championship. … Rob Oppenheim returned from a bout with mononucleosis to shoot a medalist 37, leading Andover (12-0-1) over Billerica, 195-223. Andover then beat Haverhill behind Christian Sempere’s 37. …
Brian Schutter set a new course record as Pinkerton cross country swept Concord and Bishop Guertin. … Led by twin sisters Cristie A. and Cristie E. Galindez, Lawrence beat Dracut, 26-36. … Timberlane’s Matt St. Germaine avenged a loss to Winnacunnet’s Colin Ingram to win the Timberlane Invitational.
30 years ago last week: Lovett boots Bishop Guertin
Rain and cold were a great equalizer as 3-1 Timberlane battled 0-4 Bishop Guertin, but a 30-yard field goal from Eric Lovett made the difference as the Owls emerged victorious, 10-7. …
Tony Kataxinos and Nick Tsouknakis paired up for all of the goals, leading Haverhill to its first win, 3-0 over Greater Lawrence. … Two goals each from Jay Borin and Bob Magnusson led Sanborn past Farmington, 6-0. …
Beth Storey’s second-half goal broke up a halftime tie and led Sanborn to a 2-1 field hockey victory over Derryfield. …
50 years ago last week: Kent holds off Traister
Greg Kent edged Haverhill sophomore Dick Traister by eight seconds to help visiting Lawrence pull out a 26-29 cross country victory. In their next meet at Winnekenni Park, Central Catholic’s Jack Moffat blazed over the 2.7-mile course in a record-breaking 13:17 — 30 seconds faster than the old mark — to lead the Raiders past the Hillies, 19-40.
Hurricane Daisy dropped up to eight inches of rain on the Merrimack Valley. Haverhill was rained out of two football games, neither of which could be rescheduled. …
Sanborn Seminary, a team with 10 juniors and one freshman in its starting lineup and no seniors on its 40-man roster, braved the deluge and ran its winning streak to four games by beating Plymouth, 32-8. Mike Edwards had two touchdowns and a pair of 2-point conversions. Win No. 5 came against previously unbeaten Franklin, 26-0, Larry Underhill ran an interception back 37 yards to the end zone and threw for Sanborn’s final TD. … Haverhill’s Pat Conway scored a touchdown in Phillips Exeter’s 24-0 rout of the UNH freshman team, then scored twice in a 14-0 victory over Mt. Hermon. …
Two TD runs from Mike Poirier led Central Catholic to its first victory of the year, 16-0 over St. Sebastian’s of Newton. … Dick Spofford caught a touchdown pass from Tom McBrierty, the only score in Georgetown’s 6-0 win over Essex Aggie. … A 32-yard breakaway run from Brian Thacker in the game’s final minute was the difference in Pinkerton’s 12-8 win over Exeter. … An 8-yard toss from Jim Taft to Bill Zarbolias with 49 seconds left allowed Haverhill to escape Waltham with a 14-8 victory. … Two TDs from newly-installed fullback Jeff Otis kept Pentucket unbeaten with a 24-12 decision over Hamilton-Wenham.
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