FRANKLIN — Andover looked to be in good position in the waning minutes of the first half against Franklin.
While the Golden Warriors trailed 7-3, they had just gained momentum after denying the Panthers on fourth-and-goal at the Andover 2-yard line.
However, the Panthers quickly turned up the pressure on defense, picking off Andover passes on consecutive drives – both of which led to scores. The suffocating defense proved the difference for the host Panthers, who forced six turnovers en route to a 34-10 win on opening night.
Owen Palmieri, who rushed 11 times for Franklin (1-0), made the first of his team’s five interceptions, bringing the Panthers to the Andover 43-yard line less than a minute after the Warriors’ goal-line stand.
After Nick Gordon cashed in on his first of two touchdown runs, Franklin’s defense went back to work. Three plays later, the Panthers turned another turnover into points when Austin Jordan ran back a 38-yard interception return for a score.
A big bright spot for the Warriors was junior running back Josh Ramos, who amassed 169 yards on 31 attempts as the usual Andover spread offense relied heavily on No. 3.
“He’s tough, he set us up for a couple of touchdowns that we didn’t convert,” said head coach E.J. Perry. “I expect that from him. I thought he might get 200 [yards] tonight, but we had to throw the ball more than we thought.”
Ramos scored the lone touchdown of the night for Andover, bringing the score to 21-10 in the third quarter. The Panthers, however, erased any thoughts of a Warrior comeback with a pair of rushing touchdowns in the final 11 minutes.
Another highlight in the loss was a booming 43-yard field goal by Seamus Florio.
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Football, 09/07/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
