Football Topples Deerfield in First Win

Big Red football traveled to Deerfield last Saturday, pulling off an exciting 21-13 win, their first victory of the season. With students and parents lining the home side of the stadium, Exeter had been eager to pull off an upset at Deerfield’s family weekend. The boys did just this, dominating throughout the game and showing signs of hope for the rest of the season as they broke their losing streak, setting their record at 1-4.

According to lower Hans Fotta, the Big Red football team views Deerfield as their second rival. After pulling their first win last season against Deerfield last year, the players were confident going into the match, showing an energy level unparalleled in their previous games. Senior JT Thompson described the team's high morale as a key factor for the first win.

“Coming off a difficult first half of the season, the team rallied this week looking to turn the season around,” Thompson said. “We were all pumped up and ready to do whatever it took to win the game.”

He added that the team received lots of  support from the sideline as dedicated fans made the long trip to Deerfield and stayed engaged and amped throughout the game.

“We came out knowing we needed to play our best to win. We had some adversity, but we fought defensively and capitalized offensively. The offensive line got a great push on a big Deerfield line, with JT and Brycen making clutch catches late in the game. Our defensive front also stopped Deerfield from using their best asset in the run game.”

Fotta agreed, describing the exciting sideline atmosphere as an element slightly lacking in previous games. According to him, the fans were absorbed by the game, making lots of noise and boasting posters to show their support for Big Red. “With support like this, we will definitely be bringing plenty of energy to the upcoming games,” he added.

Fired up, the team’s offensive line performed especially well during the game, with several key players such as senior quarterback Peter Cahill excelling. Cahill threw over 200 yards, threw a passing TD and a rushing for a ground TD. According to Thompson, the defense also played an important role in the game, led by senior and captain Jeff MacArthur, who “consistently lays his heart on the line every day and leads with his dominant play.” Exeter football also had several students playing through injuries and a couple younger kids stepping up to make big plays. Thompson described the game as a “total team effort.”

“The line really stepped it up on both sides of the ball,” he said. “The defense came up with a huge stop on Deerfield’s final drive of the game. All around, the game was a lot of fun and it was great to get in the wins column with a W against Deerfield on their parents’ weekend.”

Similarly, MacArthur praised both the team’s offense and defense for coming out strong and capitalizing on key plays.

“We came out knowing we needed to play our best to win,” he said. “We had some adversity, but we fought defensively and capitalized offensively. The offensive line got a great push on a big Deerfield line, with JT and Brycen making clutch catches late in the game. Our defensive front also stopped Deerfield from using their best asset in the run game.”

However, despite the big win, there were still areas in which the team could improve. Big Red faced several costly penalties during the match and missed several assignments on the defensive side. Yet while there will always be mistakes, through watching film and practicing hard over the next week the team will look to diminish the number of them as they move forward.

Indeed, the team now has big expectations for their game against Cushing Academy next Saturday. According to MacArthur, the team seems to finally be playing at its full potential and should have a strong chance of pulling off its first home win. Despite lacking in manpower, the players have worked endlessly to perfect their execution and hope to see it pay off for the second week in a row.

Like MacArthur, Thompson expressed excitement for the next game. He believes the team may have just reached a turning point in their season.

“We are looking to beat Cushing next week and get a win at home in front of our fans,” he said. “We want to turn the season around and rattle off some wins before the big Exeter vs. Andover game.” at 3:30pm.