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Phillips makes it four straight over Exeter

ANDOVER — Just three plays into the game and Phillips already had its game plan thrown out the window against arch-rival Phillips Exeter.

Quarterback Will Sirmon, who got the starting job a few weeks ago, went down with an injury, forcing the youngest player on the roster to step in under center.

In its time of need, Phillips looked to its only sophomore, Colton Fahey of North Andover, to captain the ship, and he delivered. Feahey went 7 of 10 passing for 55 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 25 yards on nine carries to help Phillips keep Phillips Exeter winless with a 16-7 victory Saturday afternoon.

Perhaps Fahey’s best stat of the day however, was his zero turnovers.

“Will going down early changed the game plan right off the bat,” said Phillips coach Leon Modeste. “But Colton came in as the only sophomore on the team and did a great job. He really stepped up for us today.”

While Fahey stayed composed under center, Phillips (3-5) knew it would need a great performance from its defense to help the young buck out.

Led by 14 tackles from junior linebacker Adam Cohen, Phillips smothered Exeter, allowing only six points and forcing two fumbles. Senior dual-captain Jack Legler made eight tackles and came up with a fumble, and big 6-foot-3, 240-pound linemen John O’Brien made five tackles and had a sack.

Offensively, Phillips got on the board in the first quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Alex Apgar. Nearing halftime, Fahey hit Andrew Antonucci for an 18-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-0 at the break.

Exeter scored early in the fourth to make it a one-score game, but T.J. Urbanik capped off his 105 yards on 21 carries day with a 2-yard TD burst to put the game away late.

After losing to Exeter five years in a row, Phillips has now beat its storied rivals four straight times. 

“The guys were really fired up,” said Modeste. “Its always great to beat Exeter, no matter how your year is going. Everyone really got into it and it was just a great win.”