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Cervizzi caps Brooks' sterling season with 220 yards

Saturday, November, 15 By Jeff Hamrick

Chris Cervizzi's top rushing performances:
Att.    Yards    Opponent
34    *288    Nobles
39    237    Groton
31    220    St. George's
34    220    Westminster
*-Marks the area's top single-game mark of the season

NORTH ANDOVER — Given a rare opportunity to play one more game, Brooks made the most of its extra week.

Earning a postseason berth for the first time since 2009 — a loss to Pingree that kicked off a miserable four-year stretch — Brooks ran over Westminster 31-28 for a Sean Brennan Bowl victory yesterday. The game marked third-place finishers from the Independent School League (Brooks) and the Colonial Football League.

And as he has most of the season, it was Chris Cervizzi doing the bulk of the damage for the Green and White (7-2).

The senior from North Reading gained at least 10 yards on six of his 34 carries and finished with 220 yards and four scores.

"However we found a way to win didn't matter to me," said Cervizzi, the area leader with 1,496 yards. "This is the best feeling in the world. We've worked so hard this summer and this fall. And each game we've played our hearts out.

"I can't put it into words to be able to play a bowl game at home in our final game. The past three years have been real tough, and winning this is something else."

It was the fourth time this season Cervizzi has surpassed 200 yards. He scored on runs of 11, 8 (with 10:45 left in the third that gave Brooks the lead for good at 17-12), 3 and 24 yards.

Leading the way for Cervizzi once again was an offensive line that features locals Nolan LeBlanc, a left tackle from Andover, Jake Gottfried and Owen Rosenberger, a left guard and right tackle, respectively, from North Andover.

Also contributing on offense was Andrew Hulshult, a kicker from Salem, N.H., who kicked off the afternoon's scoring with a 36-yard field goal — his third of the season — and added four extra points.

LeBlanc and Gottfried also anchored a strong defensive front that held Westminster (6-3) to 64 yards on 19 rushing attempts and 123 total yards.

"We had to shut down the run," said Nick Konovalchik, a defensive back who finished off Westminster's final possession with a blitzing strip-sack and also recovered the fumble. "We had to play good all-around defense."

Finishing with its best record since the same 7-2 mark of 2009 after losing 28 of its previous 32 should provide Brooks a solid foundation. The turn-around campaign in Foley's second year leading the program, should invigorate the returning players, providing motivation for continued success.

"We're going to build on the satisfaction of having a good season this year," said Konovalchik, a sophomore from North Andover who also had a couple of acrobatic catches among his game-high six receptions that netted 92 yards. "We went to a bowl game for the first time in a long time, so we have to come back hot next year. We'll be gunning for the (ISL) title."

One of the bright spots for Westminster was two-way starting lineman Corey Jean-Jacques of Haverhill, who recorded a 13-yard sack on Brooks QB K.J. Moore.

But the day belonged to a rejuvenated Brooks squad.

"The senior class has been real impressive," Foley said. "They went through a tough couple years and the kids were able to stick with it. But you could feel it last year that we were on the right track. For them to experience this year has been a great reward for them because they certainly deserved it after the work they put in."