Warriors Set for Semifinal Showdown

For the first time in 35 years, the Andover Golden Warriors will partake in playoff football when they travel to Manning Field in Lynn for the Division 1 semifinals against undefeated Everett.

Everett, a perennial force in Eastern Mass. High School Football, is 11-0.

"They're a little bit ripe to be beaten," said Andover head coach E.J. Perry.

Perry is in his first year coaching the Golden Warriors and has surpassed expectations, going 8-3 throughout the regular season.

"That was my goal, to get them to the playoffs," said Perry. "You know it probably was a little bit ahead on the time table," he admitted.

is led by junior Andrew Coke, arguably the best high school football player in the state.

Coke leads Division 1 with a remarkable 29 touchdowns and 190 points scored on the season.

"Coaches did everything they can to prepare us," said Coke. "Now it's going to be on us to execute."

Coach Perry is familiar with Everett's coach and personnel.

Perry, when he was the coach for Malden Catholic, coached against Everett's head coach John DiBiaso.

DiBiaso's son Jonathan is the team's quarterback and leads the division with 38 touchdown passes on the season.

Perry expects Everett to challenge Andover in the passing game.

"They used to be a run team but now he's got his son at quarterback so they're going to try to throw," he said.

Andover did not appear to be playoff bound after starting the season 4-3.

"A lot of people sold us down the river when we went to 4-3," Perry said.

Since then, Andover went on a four game winning streak culminating in a 19-7 to clinch the Merrimack Valley (Large) Conference and a berth in the playoffs.

The four game winning streak included wins against Dracut, Billerica, Lowell, and Central Catholic.

The Warriors' game against Lowell on Nov. 12 will go down in history as one of the most exciting games ever played as it ended in an 88-82 win for Andover and took eight overtime periods to decide a victor.

Andover's Andrew Coke had eight touchdowns in the game including the game winner.

"To beat Lowell, that touchdown sticks out the most to me," said Coke.

The winner of Tuesday night's game will advance to the Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 4 where the winning team will win the highest honor awarded to any high school team in all of Massachusetts.

On the other side of the bracket New Bedford and St. Johns Prep play each other at 5p.m at Taunton High School tomorrow, with the winner advancing to play either Andover or Everett.

So after a wait of three and a half decades, Andover residents will be overcome with football fever when their Golden Warriors take the field  in Lynn at 7:45p.m.

For Perry, Coke, the rest of the Andover squad and residents it will certainly be a big night.

"They're all big nights," said Perry.