Andover Central had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They really took it to the Wellington Crusaders for the full four quarters, racking up a 58-13 win. The Jaguars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by 24 points or more this season.
Andover Central had a senior duo take command as Maddox Archibald rushed for 188 yards and four touchdowns and Jace Jefferson threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.7% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave Jefferson a new career-high in rushing yards (23). Jace Adler was another key player, picking up 69 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Andover Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 241 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups.
Andover Central wouldn't let Wellington keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Andover Central can thank Palmer Brown and Jaylen Wilson for forcing both of them. Brown is on a roll when it comes to forced fumbles, as he's now earned at least one in the last three games he's played. Another thorn in Wellington's side was Gaige Hurley, who picked up two sacks and made five total tackles (2.5 for loss).
When it comes to explaining why Wellington lost on Friday, don't look at Dusty Bannister. Despite the final result, he threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns on only 17 passes.
Andover Central's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 40.0 points per game. As for Wellington, they moved to 8-3 with that loss, which also ended their eight-game winning streak.
Andover Central will play host again on Friday to welcome Buhler, where kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. Buhler will roll in looking for their seventh straight win, something Andover Central surely won't give up without a fight. Wellington does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
