Andover wears down Central
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ANDOVER — Andover’s defense was on the verge of being worn down after participating in 39 of 55 first-half plays.
By the end of the next quarter, it was Andover Central’s defense that was spent.
The Trojans erased a one-point halftime deficit by using its versatile running game to overpower Central and win 25-13 in a Class 4A first-round playoff game at District Stadium. Andover travels to Topeka Hayden for Saturday’s second round.
Andover erased the ballcontrol discrepancy by being on offense for 20 of the first 28 plays after halftime. Ben Croitoru led a group of running backs with 153 yards and a touchdown.
“We were on the field (defensively) the whole first half because we were impatient offensively,” Andover coach Mike Lee said. “In the second half, we wanted to
play the game that our kids are comfortable with.”
Though Central dominated possession in the first have, the Jaguars didn’t have much to show for it. Their only points were produced on a 17-play, 90-yard drive that lasted more than seven minutes.
It ended in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Landon Huslig to Taylor lock to give Central a 7-6 lead.
Central’s strong passing game was offset by an ineffective rushing attack that was, limited to 101 yards on 40 carries. The Jaguars were hurt by a lack of balance.
“We play fast and we wanted to fly to the ball,” Andover linebacker Caleb Windholz said. “We don’t let up. Even when we make little mistakes, we play through them.”
Andover’s first drive of the second half helped the Trojans finally establish their running game, which produced 24 yards in the first half.
Croitoru rushed for 39 yards on the 68-yard drive, besting his first-half total by four. Blake Gumeringer scored the first of his two touchdowns, a one-yarder, to give Andover the lead for good.
“We talked about that at halftime — ‘Let’s do our old stuff, let’s go old school, and let’s pound on these guys,’æ” Lee said. “It’s stuff our kids have done thousands of times and they have a lot of confidence in it.”
Central was worn down by Andover’s speed, which enabled the Trojans to rush for 246 yards.
It was the same story for Andover’s defense, which held up against a bigger opponent by quickly filling running holes and limiting Huslig before Huslig went over
200 yards on the final drive.
“That’s their strength, is speed and athleticism,” Central coach Tom Audley said. “We tried to come at them a little bit and they were doing a good job of cutting our tackles down and playing lower. I don’t think we did anything to get any momentum going early in the third quarter and we played from behind the 8-ball ”
Andover Central (4-6) 0 7 0 6 — 13
Andover (9-1) 6 0 12 7 — 25
A—Malone 41 pass from Hansen (kick failed)
AC—Lock 39 pass from Huslig (Warchuck kick)
A—Gumeringer 1 run (run failed)
A—Gumeringer 3 run (run failed)
A—Croitoru 8 run (Tyler kick)
AC—Huslig 1 run (pass failed)
Individual Statistics
Rushing—Andover Central, Phillippi 17-42, Rockett 10-28, Miller 3-15, Huslig 10-14, Broadhead 1-2; Andover, Croitoru 27-153, Concello 5-44, Windholz 4-39, Jones 3-17, Gumeringer 5-10, Hansen 3-(-17).
Passing—Andover Central, Huslig 14-26-201-0; Andover, Hansen 4-10-113-1.
Receiving—Andover Central, G. Tremblay 6-82, Phillippi 3-21, Lock 2-63, Warchuck 2-26, Clements 1-9; Andover, Goldberg 2-39, Malone 1-41, Windholz 1-32.