IT'S A THRILLER: Football Tops Cushing in Miracle Comeback
With two minutes remaining in the game, post-graduate Mike Eberle gets ready for the onside kick, the only option remaining for Big Red. The crowd goes silent as the ball hops toward the sideline. On its last hop, it kicks up, sailing out of bounds, but still in the air. At the last second, senior JT Thompson leaps out of play and tips the ball back into the field and into the hands of upper Harrison Money, who secures possession for the game-winning drive to take down Cushing Academy 34-30 in Big Red’s second win. The team’s record now stands at 2-4, with a two-game win streak.
The game started out rough, with Exeter down 30-15 at the half. However, in a game that lower Timothy Han described as “one of the most exhilarating games I’ve ever seen in my life,” the team rallied at halftime and came back with a fired-up offense, scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half.
“It had everything you want out of a game: great offense, great defensive stops, a great comeback and a nail-biting win,” Han said. “Even when we were down at halftime, everyone still believed we would win, and the seniors really showed up and leaned on each other to seize that win.”
Many players were key to the win, especially on the offensive line. Seniors Jeff MacArthur, Billy Baker and Mykel Miller all had an exceptional second halves, setting a strong tone by coming hard off the ball every down and physically dominating their opponent.
In addition, senior JT Thompson initiated several key plays throughout the game, including a touchdown on the first drive. Even some of the younger players stepped up this week. Lower Andrew Atsalis hauled in a 67-yard catch on 3rd and 15 during the second quarter to set up a five-yard touchdown run from post-graduate Peter Cahill two plays later.
Like Han, upper Andreas Moe praised the players for their hard work and especially high-caliber performance during the game. After its first win last week, the team came in with high spirits, determined to capitalize on the opportunity to turn its season around.
“I’ve never seen our team as motivated as last Saturday,” Moe said. “Even when we were down after the first half, our players kept on fighting hard and pumping up each other with encouraging words, talking about how we could turn the game around. As a result, we did just that in one of the most exciting games I’ve ever watched.”
However, despite the thrilling win, the team still has more challenges to overcome moving forward. Big Red will play its last game before E/a next Saturday in an away game at Avon Old Farms. Looking to face Andover on a three-game win streak, the team will work extra hard in practice during the upcoming week.
“We still need to work on starting out games stronger, but the seniors and the team work hard every week to improve, and we’re seeing real effects,” Han said. “From day one, the mantra has been just to get better every single day and to fight for each other. Obviously, it was a huge win and everyone is really excited, but at the same time we’ve fought hard to the finish every week. It’s encouraging to see the results finally show these last two weeks, and we will keep on pushing so that continues to happen.”
Moe expressed confidence in the future of the team. He looks forward to the upcoming matches and believes his teammates do as well.
“We started off the season rough but have slowly gotten better and better,” he said. “If we continue to follow this pattern, and work hard day after day, I can definitely see us winning our last two games. Andover better look out; we’re eager to get revenge for last year.”
Senior Mykel Miller also commented on the team’s ability to win the next two games, recovering the team’s win from a 0-4 start to 4-4, an impressive feat.
“I believe that we can win out the rest of the season, but right now we are all focused on Avon,” Miller said. “They are a good team, but if we get healthy and play well, we can get the W.”
Big Red’s game with Avon Old Farms is this Saturday, Nov. 7, a 6:00 away game.