The day started off overcast, with rain in the morning, but by game time the sun burned off the clouds and the field dried off for the Groton vs Middlesex showdown.
Both offenses took immediate advantage of the conditions as both teams scored on their first possession. MX opened the scoring on a 12 yard touchdown pass from Nick Andonian ’13 to Will Kreitler ‘13; Brendon Canavan ‘13 added the point after for a 7-0 lead. Groton came right back on their offensive possession to score on a 4 yard run but their try at a two conversion was no good. Score 7-6 MX. The MX kick-off return team wasted little time in answering the Groton score as Hasani Figueroa ’14 returned the kick 86 yard for the touchdown, the kick was missed and the score at the end of the first quarter left MX in the lead 13-6.
Groton’s run game caused some early problems for the MX defense as they opened the second quarter with a 7 yard touchdown run, the kick was good and the score was tied 13-13. Credit has to go to the MX defensive unit, linemen Brendon Canavan, Ben Canniff ’15, Austin May ’13 and linebackers Charlie Owen ’14, James Burr ’15, George Morris ’15, Rob Zawada ’13 and Sam Carlin ‘15, who had the athletic poise figure out Groton’s running game. The defense would account for three fumble recoveries by Will Kreitler, Rob Zawada and Austin May stopping Groton drives and the kick-off team would account for another by Nick Colangelo ’14. MX would find its offensive rhythm again and score two more touchdowns before the half. George Morris scored on a 47 yard pass from Andonian, and Will Kreitler would score again on a 42 yard pass from Andonian giving MX the lead at halftime 27-13.
Groton continued to move the ball effectively in the second half but was unable to score. MX would score the final touchdown of the game in the third quarter, on a 27 yard scoring pass from Andonian to Drew Coash ’14. The point after kick was good by Jack Lyne ’16, making the final score 34-13.
Next game will be against St. Sebastian’s this coming Saturday at Middlesex on Parents' Weekend.
