This game proved to be exactly what we thought it would be- an all out war in the trenches. Special note has to be given to all our up-front players, on both sides of the ball, whose gritty performance made the game such a nail-biter.
The MX defense set the tone for the game with a scoreless first quarter. Linemen- Brendon Canavan ’13, Ben Canniff ’15, Austin May ’13 along with linebackers- Charlie Owen ’14, Rob Zawada ’13, George Morris ’15, James Burr ’15, and Sam Carlin ’15 played inspired, tough-nosed defense throughout the game. Thayer finally broke through in the second quarter on a 6 yard run to take the lead 7-0. The MX offense answered on their next series driving the ball down the field on an effective combination of runs and passes, with Hasani Figueroa running it in from the two. MX went for the 2 point conversion which was good on a pass from QB Nick Andonian ’13 to wide receiver Nick Widen ’13 to take the lead 8-7. The remainder of the half was played between the 20’s, with Thayer finally getting close enough to kick a field goal and take a 10-8 lead into halftime.
The score remained the same through the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter the MX offense again started to click, credit has to go to the offensive line- Ben Canniff ’15, Steve Zawada ’15, Walker Griggs ’15, Rob Zawada ’13, Will Baxter ’15 and Brendan Canavan ’13 for not only their pass protection but for opening holes for fullback George Morris ’15 and tailback Hasani Figueroa ’14, who both rushed for their season high in yardage in this game. Figueroa again scored on a four yard run and Andonian connected with Widen for an MX lead 16-10. Thayer continued to pound the ball and on their last drive added some effective passing to tie the score at 16-16. The point after was no good and the teams headed into overtime.
ISL overtime consists of both teams having up to two offensive series starting from the 10 yard line and having to go for 2 points after all touchdowns. In the first overtime series MX scored on a nifty 6 yard scramble by QB Nick Andonian but the 2 point conversion was no good. On Thayer’s series they also scored on a 4 yard run but also missed the conversion attempt leaving the score 22-22 and heading into the second and final overtime frame. This time Thayer scored first on a 2 yard run and converted on the points after to take a 30-22 lead. MX came right back on their first play from scrimmage scoring on a 10 yard pass from Andonian to Widen. It all came down to the conversion which, unfortunately, was no good making the final score Thayer 30 and MX 28.
It’s always tough to find the silver lining in a loss, but on this day it was easy. All our young players finally came of age and along with our veterans played tough, inspired football on both the offensive as well as the defensive side of the ball.
The team’s next game is Friday against Roxbury Latin.
