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MALDEN — Methuen fell to Malden 20-7 last night. For the victors, David Freni scored two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Methuen fell to 1-2 while Malden, which had lost to Lawrence and Haverhill, improved to 1-2.

MALDEN — Same players, same uniforms. But in the second half, Haverhill was a different team. After a season-opening first half that won’t make any highlight reel, the Hillies turned things around in the final 22 minutes. Behind the poised direction of senior captain Isiah Ocasio, the offense righted itself and played error-free football. And since Haverhill’s defense already had an injury-impacted Malden attack diffused, the Hillies took a 12-0 verdict at MacDonald Stadium.

LAWRENCE — Victory had its price, as opening night took its toll on both Lawrence and Malden.

Losing three starting linebackers could have been disastrous had the Lancer defense not pieced together a pair of heroic fourth quarter defensive stands. Twice Lawrence turned away the Tornadoes inside the 20 to preserve the 13-7 win before about 400 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.