Scarlet Knights' Report Cards: Football

Welcome to the third and final part of our series that looks back on the 2011 North Andover High School fall athletic season.

Today we look at the football team. Yesterday , and on Monday .

Football

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Calling this team average would be a crime, considering the amount of talent they have and the amount of games they won.

But one thing is for sure, this team did not live up to expectations in 2011.

With one of the best quarterback/running back tandems in the state, the Knights fell short of a playoff berth and went 8-3.

North Andover was hoping to improve after a playoff berth last year, but took a step back in the CAL/NEC conference.

The Knights did rip off eight wins in a row, but unfortunately that will get lost in the mix as the season both began and ended on extremely sour notes. North Andover started off the season losing a winnable, .

In what was essentially the CAL/NEC title game, the Knights faltered against Lynn English with the Walsh quarterback tandem, 24-13.

Then the season ended in heartbreak when .

Needing only two yards to clinch the game, North Andover elected to pass the ball on third down and run it on fourth in the waning minutes of the game. Both attempts were unsuccessful. Masco collected the ball and marched down the field for the winning score in North Andover’s last ever Cape Ann League game.

Things won’t get any easier from the Knights as they will move to the Merrimack Valley Conference next season and face tough opponents such as Central Catholic and Andover.