Knights Heartbroken by Wakefield

Top seeded North Andover fell to Wakefield in the MIAA Division 2 North Semifinals.

North Andover's dream season came to a crashing halt last night at Woburn High School. The Knights were the top seed in the MIAA Division 2 North tournament and last night they fell to 5th seed Wakefield 47-45. In crunch time, North Andover got a huge defensive stop giving them one last chance to tie or win with 7.6 seconds left on the clock. North Andover's play was foiled and just like that, a state championship contender was sent home. "Unless you win the state tournament, it's a sudden and abrupt ending," said Knights head coach Mike McVeigh. North Andover will be graduating five seniors including its two captains. Colby Smith, Zach Karalis, Jimmy Warden, John Miller, and Mike Moroney will all be moving on. "The seniors through fifth …

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The Knights Ahead

Field Hockey Showdown Tomorrow

Check out the weekly schedule for North Andover High's varsity teams.

Tomorrow afternoon the Knights field hockey team will face its toughest test of the season.  Visiting NAHS on Wednesday will be the 6-0 Golden Warriors of Andover who are reigning state champions and winners of their last 30 games. In six wins this season, the Warriors have yet to give up a goal. North Andover shouldn't be afraid as they are also undefeated with a 4-0-2 record this season. The Knights beat Triton 6-0 yesterday afternoon.  Later this week, the football team visits Newburyport. The 7pm game will feature the 2-1 looking to crush Newburyport as they did last year.  Here's a look at the complete weekly schedule for all of North Andover's varsity teams: Tuesday, Sept. 27 Wednesday, Sept. 28 Thursday, Sept. 29 Friday, Sept. 30

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Knights Beat Grey Ghosts to Improve to 2-1

Friday night saw North Andover football get over .500 for the first time this season.

The weather was ugly early on for the home opener on Westford Academy's new field, but the play was even uglier as North Andover took home a 21-6 win over the Grey Ghosts on Friday night. Outside of the 69 yard breakout run from John Iannone on North Andover's first offensive touch of the ball on the night and Brandon Walsh's 25 yard first down dash to keep what would become a scoring drive alive, the Scarlet Knights' evening was punctuated by a slow, continuous and unassuming approach, contrasted with Westford's continuing early game woes. North Andover would score on two of their first three drives, with Walsh's first down earning him a shot at a four yard scamper into the end zone a few plays later, followed by a 23 yard pass from Walsh…

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Knights Top Westford Academy

North Andover football improved to 2-1 with the win.

With a 21-6 victory over Westford Academy last night, the North Andover Scarlet Knights football team improved to 2-1 on the season. Senior quarterback Brandon Walsh got the scoring underway with a four yard touchdown run in the first quarter to make it 7-0.  Walsh finished the game with 81 rushing yards from 13 attempts. Passing he ball, he completed 13 of 22 passess for 178 yards. In the second, Tom Moody caught a 23 yard pass from Walsh to give the Knights a two touchdown advantage going into halftime. The Knights got a third touchdown in the third quarter when Dan Laorenza and Walsh connected for a 41 yard touchdown making it 21-0. Westford quarterback Troy Faretra tossed a 27 yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter making it 21-6. …

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The O-Zone

Volleyball Team Triumphs Over Billerica

The golf, cross country, and volleyball teams are all in action today.

Girls Volleyball The Knights volleyball team picked up its second win of the season with a hard fought 3-2 victory against Billerica yesterday. The win improves North Andover to 2-1 on the young season.  Yesterday Julie Issenberg led the way with six kills. Kaylee Labrinos had a huge impact with 29 digs in the match. Erin Cox also had a big game with 17 assists and three aces. Billerica took the first set 25-18, and North Andover came back to take the second set 25-12. Billerica jumped back out in front with a third set win, but the Knights responded to win the fourth. North Andover got the win with a 15-10 victory in the fifth set.  Girls Soccer After jumping out of the gate with a 2-0 record, the Knights suffered their first loss of the …

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Knights Fall to Andover for Sixth Straight Year

The Knights had had a late lead but could not overcome the Warriors.

At two points in the game last night, the Knights were in phenomenal position to come up with a win. Unfortunately, they could not finish the job and ended up falling to Andover for the sixth consecutive year. This time around the Warriors came away with a 30-20 win. “At this point in the season they weren’t as good as us,” said Andover’s star running back Andrew Coke.  “We still respect them as a team, but we went into this one thinking we were the better team,” he continued. The season opener started with elation as the Knights jumped ahead 7-0 in the first quarter. The North Andover kickoff team got the 2011 season underway by kicking the ball deep, forcing a fumble, and recovering the ball deep in Andover territory. That was the first …

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The O-Zone

Walsh, Knights Poised for Another Season

The NAHS football team battles Andover tomorrow night in the 2011 season opener.

Welcome to the eighth and final installment of our Scarlet Knights fall sports season preview. Today we look at the North Andover High School football team. After opening the 2010 regular season with a loss at Andover, the Knights ripped off ten straight wins before falling to Concord-Carlisle in the playoffs. Tomorrow night, the Knights will try to get a win against their rivals from Andover for the first time since 2005. The action gets underway tomorrow at 7pm with Walsh Stadium playing host. Admission for students and senior citizens is $5. The admission fee for adults is $7 while children under five can attend for free. Last year’s squad had an epic run throughout the regular season with big wins over Wilmington, Pentucket and …

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The Knights Ahead

Fall Teams Begin Regular Seasons This Week

Take a look at the weekly varsity schedule for the Scarlet Knights.

Before long, the leaves will begin to change colors, and the sun will set earlier, but it is already time for the NAHS fall teams to battle other schools from around eastern Massachusetts. The golf team starts its season on Tuesday as does the girls soccer team. Wednesday will be an action packed day with the boys and girls cross country teams running against Triton. The field hockey team will host Manchester Essex and the volleyball team hosts Tewksbury. Thursday features the boys golf team at home against Pentucket. That will be at the North Andover Country Club. The boys soccer team travels to Haverhill and the girls host Haverhill.  Friday will be an exciting day as the field hockey team plays at Masco, but the marquee event of the …

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The O-Zone

Field Hockey Knights Back in Action Today

North Andover hosts defending state champs Andover today in its first preseason game.

Welcome to the sixth installment of our Scarlet Knights fall sports season preview. Today we look at the North Andover High School field hockey team. Last year’s squad went into the MIAA Division 1 North playoffs with high hopes, a good record, and a favorable seed. The Knights finished up the regular season with an 11-4-4 record, using a win against Amesbury to clinch its spot in the tourney. With the number five seed, the Knights faced off against Newton North and got upset 3-2 in the first round. The heartbreaking moment came in double overtime when Newton North’s Bobby Grimshaw scored his second goal of the game. The team is expected to remain strong in the 2011 season as the solid nucleus of young and proven talent remains. The …

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The O-Zone

Girls Cross Country Team Looks to Improve

North Andover lost its best runner Olivia Marshall to graduation.

Welcome to the fifth installment of our Scarlet Knights fall sports season preview. Today we look at the North Andover High School girls cross country team. Head coach Rich DelleChiaie and the Knights are coming off a pretty average season in 2010. North Andover’s regular season was 6-6. The squad did better on their own turf going 4-2 in North Andover and 2-4 at away meets. The Knights did have some strong finishers at the MIAA Division 2 East Championships at Franklin Park in Boston last fall. North Andover as a team finished 9th with 272 points, a considerable distance behind Mansfield (191). Olivia Marshall finished in 9th place overall in the 5k competition with a time of 19:59. Katelyn Thomas had the Knights’ next best finish with a …

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