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Denose heroics save Methuen

METHUEN — Both the Methuen and North Andover punters got the night off Friday.
And so, for that matter, did both defenses, at least for much of the 44 minutes of play.
But the offenses were in overdrive, combining for a whopping 918 total yards, led by a stupendous performance by Methuen quarterback Kendrick Denose.
With North Andover standouts Jukka Morales and Ryan Good knocked out of the game with injuries in the fourth quarter, Denose was the last star standing and the difference in a huge 35-34 Merrimack Valley Conference win for the resurgent Rangers.
With the victory, Methuen improved to 3-3, including 3-1 in the MVC. The Rangers are right in the playoff hunt pending a visit next week from Haverhill (also 3-3, 3-1).
Denose finished a spectacular night with 259 yards rushing on 29 carries, caught a throwback pass for 28 yards and completed 3 of 4 passes for 36 yards, thus accounting for 323 total yards.
“It’s about time people start recognizing what a great player he is,” said Methuen coach Tommy Ryan. “This has to go down as one of the all-time performances in Methuen history.”
One of Denose’s shorter runs was one of his most important when, late in the game, he scrambled for 11 yards to secure the final first down and deny the Knights a last gasp at coming back again.
The Knights had already come back once. Trailing 35-28 in the fourth quarter, with Morales and Good both out of the lineup, Seamus Lambert connected with Connor Walsh on a 70-yard bomb to bring North Andover within one point with 2:11 to play.
The Knights then elected to go for two points, but Bryce Smith and Trevor Abdallah combined to bring down Joe Samuelman to preserve the one-point lead.
“I would have gone for two at that point, too, because they couldn’t stop us,” said Ryan. “We kind of gambled on defense and it worked out.”
Until that run, Samuelman had been one of several pretty much unstoppable backs, rushing for 143 yards on seven carries and scoring on runs of 58 and 74 yards. Only the performance of Morales could top that for the Knights (3-3, 1-3).
Morales scored on a 73-yard run on the very first offensive play of the game and, on North Andover’s next possession, went 54 yards for a TD on his second carry. He finished with 185 yards on just seven carries before going down with a hamstring injury on the final play of the third quarter. His status for next week is uncertain.
For Methuen, Brian McAndrew complemented Denose with 110 yards rushing on 22 carries and he helped the Rangers run out the clock in the final two minutes.
“This was one of the best wins I’ve had here,” said Ryan. “But if we play defense like that, we’re not going to win many more games. We’ve got to do better than that.”
The same sentiment is probably shared by North Andover.