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Phillips Exeter continues mastery over Phillips

Saturday, November, 10 By Jeff Hamrick

ANDOVER — The nation's oldest prep football rivalry is turning a bit one-sided.

Phillips Exeter completed its perfect season yesterday afternoon, running away from host Phillips Andover 35-9. It was Exeter's fifth straight victory in the series that began in 1878. It's the longest winning streak in the 132-game history since Andover won six straight from 1987-92 and one year shy of Exeter's longest streak of six from 1913-1918.

Phillips Andover (2-5) took a 9-7 lead on a 35-yard Thomas Mullen field goal midway through the third quarter. But that was when Exeter (8-0) kicked things up a couple gears.

"Things broke down there in the middle of the third and kind of went south," Big Blue coach Leon Modeste said. "One minute (actually 65 seconds) in the third quarter changed everything. We had things going but we had some bad luck and a bad bounce. But you can only ask the kids to do so much. They gave us everything they had. "

Exeter began their run on a 48-yard scoring run by Andreas Robinson three plays after the field goal. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Matthew Greaves scooped up a Big Blue fumble and returned it for the touchdown that provided a 21-9 advantage with 3:50 left in the period.

Robinson, who finished with 188 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, gave Exeter a 7-0 lead midway through the first period. But Andover responded with a 5-yard scoring pass from Johannes Verhaegh to Lawrence Kemp with 15 seconds remaining in the first half.

A couple Big Blue receivers from Andover, Alex Kramer (5-51) and Will Clark (4-23) combined to grab nine of Verhaegh's 14 completions. Fellow Andoverite Tyler Marshall ran for a team-high 22 yards.

"It would've meant so much to beat those guys," Kramer said. "We've suffered a lot in the last four years, and it's real tough on the seniors not to have won an Exeter-Andover football game. But I couldn't have wanted to play with guys any better than I have."

Everett native Jonathan DiBiaso, who holds state records for most touchdown passes in a career (103) and season (44) took over the Exeter reins after the Big Blue's first-possession touchdown. Seeing his first action since separating a shoulder in the third game, the Dartmouth-bound, fifth-year senior did not attempt a pass.

"Actually, quite frankly, I was more afraid of Perkins," Modeste said. "Perkins is tremendous. I don't know why they took him out."