RallyNorth.net

HAVERHILL — The momentum had completely shifted to the visitor’s sideline.

Resuming Saturday’s lightning-suspended game against Beverly High on Sunday morning, the Haverhill football team watched the visiting Panthers score on their first two possessions to tie the score with eight-and-a-half minutes to play.

Hillies head coach Tim O’Connor knew he had to do something, so he made a bold decision.

It worked to perfection.

Abandoning the team’s spread offense for a more traditional power attack, Haverhill marched 51 yards and ate up the clock before fullback Samie Al-Ziab plowed into the end zone from a yard out with 17.2 seconds remaining, giving his team a hard fought 28-21 win at Trinity Stadium.

“We thought we were a little more physical than them — up front and bigger, at least — so we said if we had to do it, we would,” O’Connor said of his team’s decision to go smashmouth. “It was time. We said ‘let’s line up and play some old school football.’ We have five seniors on the offensive line and if my seniors can’t win it, we don’t deserve it.”

Trailing 21-8 when play resumed yesterday, the Panthers needed five plays go 44 yards for a score as junior tailback Matt Madden plunged in from a yard out, his second TD of the game. Christian Miller’s 18-yard scoring jaunt off a trap tied the score on Beverly’s next possession, but it missed the extra point.

After the teams traded possessions, Haverhill took over with 3:45 to play and ran 13 straight plays to paydirt while converting two third downs and a 4th-and-1 from the BHS 3.

“Chewing up the clock; that was the plan,” said O’Connor. “We leaned on them a bit and got some big first downs.”

Al-Ziab carried eight times on the drive and finished with 69 yards on the ground. Backfield mate Ian Kessel added a game-high 91 yards on 20 carries.

Beverly, which trailed 21-0 midway through the third quarter Saturday, hurt itself with a dropped punt, a sure interception that fell out of a defensive back’s hands (both of which led to Haverhill touchdowns), two dropped passes, an interception and eight first half penalties. 

“This team is really good. They’re very physical,” Beverly head coach Dan Bauer said of the Hillies. “We’ll absolutely be better as a football team in the long run for having played this game.”