Central Catholic Beats Andover 42-24 in Merrimack Valley Game

Central Catholic defeated Andover 42-24 in a Merrimack Valley Conference football game in Andover on October 23, the Boston Herald reported.

The win moved Central Catholic to 4-3 and dropped Andover to 5-2 with one regular-season game remaining before the state tournament.

Andover led early on an 11-yard touchdown run by Ryan DeJesus and a 20-yard score by wildcat quarterback Kyle Olson. Central Catholic quarterback Caden Smith, a Bentley commit, completed 7 of 12 passes for 88 yards and ran for 87 yards with two total touchdowns, including a 12-yard scoring pass to Drew O'Keefe on fourth-and-2.

Two defensive scores swung the first half: Athaniel Urena returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown, and O'Keefe picked off a pitch and returned it 39 yards. Andover quarterback John Stadler tied the game at 21 with a 7-yard run before halftime.

Running back Cody Arsenault finished with 192 yards and two touchdowns, including a 30-yard score and a 50-yard run in the final minute. Urena sealed the result with an end-zone interception.

"It's a huge program win," Central Catholic coach John Dubzinski said, adding that the result positions the team well heading into the tournament.

Arsenault said he took on a larger role after the team's top running back, Amari Mills, was injured.

This story was first reported by Boston Herald.