Harrison (16-for-25 passing, 237 yards; 73 rushing yards) rushed for two scores and passed for another to tight end Jake Burns to give Tewksbury an 18-14 lead early in the fourth before Seth Ly hit Ryan Conley to give Lowell a 21-18 lead with 4:55 remaining.
“It was a crazy back-and-forth game from the get-go,” said Aylward. “I wish it was a little bit easier, but getting the [200th win] that way, it was special.”
Aylward (’87) was quick to share the accomplishment with fellow alumni and assistant coaches Brian Hickey, Paul Norton, Steve Kasprzak, Tommy and Mark Bradley, and Paul Saunders, many of whom have been by his side for each win.
Widely regarded as one of the best head coaches in the state, Aylward has turned undersized and undermanned teams into Super Bowl contenders by preaching and teaching toughness on both sides of the line.
Tewksbury’s latest cast of unsung heroes includes two-way linemen Victor Muyanja and Brady Schofield, and shutdown cornerback Sean Callahan, who ran a “rub” at receiver to free up Christopher for the winning touchdown. Leading tackler Jack Lightfoot won a state title as a 113-pound wrestler last winter and fellow linebacker Nicky DeSisto is a three-time wrestling state champion in three different weight classes.
“These aren’t big guys, but they play so much bigger than what they are,” said Aylward. “Those guys are the epitome of Tewksbury kids. Small, but tough as nails . . . And you’re not winning any games without good line coaches. [Hickey and Norton] have had to do it with undersized guys through the years.”
The Redmen have lost to Duxbury in consecutive Division 4 state semifinals, but returned nine defensive starters and an experienced group of skill players led by Sullivan, a Division 3 basketball prospect. Per Aylward, Sullivan (10 receptions, 200 yards, 2 TDs this season) is always in the right spot and ready to make a big play when Tewksbury needs one.
“We’ve got a great culture,” Sullivan said. “Everyone wants to come to work every day and get better. Coach A is a big example of that. He’s been in Tewksbury his whole life. I think he’d do anything for the town and we’ve got 11 guys on both sides of the ball that would too.”
▪ Beverly and Wakefield combined for 865 yards and 81 points with Beverly prevailing, 41-40, in a wild shootout Friday, the fourth-highest scoring game in Beverly’s 135-year history. Prior to the last two games, Beverly senior receiver Floyd White had never caught a touchdown. Now he’s the first in program history to record four scores in consecutive games after going for 139 yards and four touchdowns, plus a 40-yard pass on a fake punt in the win. Senior quarterback Danny Pierce finished 7 of 9 for 210 yards with six total touchdowns . . . Manchester Essex outlasted Triton, 38-32, behind a huge game from senior Zach Hurd, who passed for 126 yards and a touchdown and added 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns on offense, and effectively sealed the game with a tipped ball on a safety blitz that was intercepted by sophomore lineman Blake Leschinsky.
▪ The MIAA released the first power ratings of the season prior to Friday’s games. St. John’s Prep (3-0) leads D1, Lincoln-Sudbury (3-0) sat atop D2 before winning Friday, King Philip (4-0) paces D3, Tewksbury (3-0) and Scituate (3-0) are locked in a close battle atop D4, and D5 finalists Foxborough (3-1) and Shawsheen (4-0) have close ratings in that division.
▪ Freddy Torcasio passed for 213 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for a score to lead Newton North, 35-14, over Newton South in the first regular-season meeting between city rivals . . . Archbishop Williams is 3-0 for the first time since 2015 with freshman quarterback Hudson Garrity leading the way . . . Canton (4-0) continued its strong start by leaning on its defense in a 21-6 win over Holliston, securing three interceptions while holding the visiting Panthers under 150 total yards . . . Gustavo Varela had a massive game for Greater Lawrence with 324 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and a pair of 2-point conversions in a 35-26 win over Norton.
Friday, No. 4 King Philip at No. 5 Natick, (6 p.m.) — This a true heavyweight matchup featuring some of the best defensive players in the state. King Philip survived a scare at Foxborough while Natick hit the gas to win at Milford Friday.
Friday, No. 3 Xaverian at No. 7 Central Catholic, (7 p.m.) — The Raiders defense came up clutch Saturday to score a 20-19 win over Bishop Hendricken (R.I.) and will look to maintain that momentum with the two-time defending D1 champs visiting Friday.
Friday, No. 6 Scituate at Plymouth South, (7 p.m.) — Pushed to the brink by Norwell before their bye week, Scituate faces a tough Patriot Fisher test against Plymouth South and senior quarterback Tim Durocher.
Friday, Methuen at No. 12 Andover, (7 p.m.) — New coach Jay Fielding has the Golden Warriors (3-0) flying to start the season and ready to take on another MVC power.
Saturday, No. 8 BC High at No. 9 Bishop Feehan, (1 p.m.) — After opening the season with a loss at Xaverian, Bishop Feehan has looked strong in three straight wins. The Shamrocks get a second crack at a Catholic Conference contender in this Saturday showdown.
Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.
