Football Looks to Make It Six Years in a Row

Win or go home.At 2:30 PM this Saturday, Big Red football will kick off their biggest game of the season against archrival Andover. Exeter/Andover is always a massive occasion, but for the first time in a while, both teams will have more than just pride on the line.Before the 2013 season began, the E/a storyline was about Exeter possibly triumphing over Big Blue for the sixth consecutive year for only the second time in the Phillips Rivalry’s history. Now, it is bigger than that. Making it six years in a row also gives the boys a strong bid for a spot in the Jack Etter Bowl against Brunswick and a shot at redemption after falling to Salisbury in the championship last season. Losing, on the other hand, gifts that precious bowl berth, and an undefeated regular season, to Andover.The loser misses their shot at a ring.Although Exeter was hoping that this weekend’s game would feature the conference’s two unbeaten titans, a one-touchdown loss at Avon last Saturday put an end to their dream of back-to-back perfect regular seasons. With Andover being the only undefeated team remaining, however, a win this weekend puts Big Red firmly back into championship contention.“It was a tough loss against Avon, but the season is far from over. We’ll move on quickly and make sure we’re ready for Saturday,” lower Joey Rothstein said.The boys went into the final quarter of last weekend’s matchup down 7-28, but the heart they showed to close the gap (the game finished 21-28) will encourage them. The team hopes to carry the momentum from Saturday’s final period of play into E/a weekend.“We played to our fullest potential in the last quarter,” lower Jeff MacArthur said. “Hopefully we can do that for the whole game against Andover.”Continuing their strong play from the tail end of their loss will be key for Big Red, as Andover’s team is built similarly to Avon’s, with talent stocked at quarterback and wideout, making the passing game a serious threat to Exeter’s defense. The boys will be confident, however. As they became more familiar with their opponent’s game plan, they were able to keep them off the board and triple their own score. The boys will look to use their experience against Avon to familiarize themselves with Big Blue’s system more quickly.“It took us three quarters to figure [Avon] out,” MacArthur said, “but we’ll be ready for Andover from the start.”Big Red’s championship hopes ride on it. On Saturday, fans in a packed Phelps Stadium will watch as Exeter looks to make it six years running, and Andover looks to turn the tables on the Phillips Rivalry. Oh, and in case you forgot, a shot at the championship is on the line.Win or go home.