By Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
On a rainy Friday night at Alumni Field the Westford Academy Varsity Football team kicked off their season against the Chelmsford Lions and were defeated 40-26.
Although they lost, the Ghosts can be nothing but hopeful after the game illuminated several positive points for the season to come. The main point was senior Justin Mount, who was commanding the game before leaving with leg cramps while the game was deadlocked in a 18-18 tie in the third quarter.
Mount was all over the field, playing quarterback, wide receiver, cornerback, punter and kicker. He amassed 179 yards rushing as well as four touchdowns.
The start of the game was exciting and competitive, with Chelmsford taking an early first quarter 10-0 lead. Mount, however, responded immeaditely with an explosive 80 yard touchdown. Later, in the third quarter, Mount broke loose again, streaking for a 69 yard touchdown to tie the game at 18-18.
The game was close, and the crowd was wild, performing a perfect blackout, as well as various wild chants and a flawless “roller coaster” cheer.
Despite their terrific start, the team lost steam directly after Mount’s injury, with the offensive line looking exhausted, they allowed a sack and a blocked punt on their final drive with 7:31 to go in the fourth quarter.
The blocked punt was the worst mistake, which leaded to a 5 yard Jeff D’Auria touchdown, giving the Lions a 33-26 lead, from which they never looked back. D’Auria was a nightmare for the Ghost’s defense, scoring four touchdowns of his own on 107 rushing yards.
“Us giving Chelmsford the ball inside our twenty yard line twice in the third quarter really killed us.” said junior linebacker Alex Antes.
Chelmsford added in one last touchdown with less than two minutes remaining via a 1 yard run by D’Auria.
The game showed a myriad of young players including Luc Lebleu, who filled in for Mount in the third, as well as sophomore Brett Fitzgerald, who got some time as wide receiver. These younger players make it clear the Ghosts have a lot of depth and will be able to compete all year.
