The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

Ghosts get sacked on opening night

By Kyle Auger
Co-Editor-in-Cheif

On a dark Friday night September 7th, Alumni Field was filled energy, and the spectators were abuzz. It was time for football. The first game for the varsity team and they were slated to play against the Lowell Cardinals, yet ended up suffering a tough 21-0 loss.

It was clear the team had not played a real opponent at game speed yet. In the first quarter Lowell struck early with a 5 yard touchdown run and a 30 yard toss, and before the crowd was fully piled in the Ghosts were down 14-0. The crowd was silent before they could roar, and it looked like the 9th ranked Cardinals would dominate the Ghosts when the first quarter clock dwindled down with the same score.

However, WA quickly showed life when the defense caused a fumble in Lowell’s own red zone. Despite this surge, the Ghosts’ offensive struggle quickly rose to the attention of all, as they failed to score on the ground or through the air, turning the ball over on the doorstep. Suddenly, Lowell took the momentum from the stop to start to drive for a majority of the second quarter. With 5 minutes left in the second quarter the defense recorded two consecutive sacks but once again they failed to capitalize.

It seemed the scoring issues stemmed from the offensive line, with new quarterback Luke Moran scrambling away from defenders almost all game. Once again, the Ghosts were knocking in the red zone, after a long Moran run, and was stuffed twice on the 2 yard line, causing a turnover on downs.

Although the offense never really got going, their defense quickly toughened, allowing no points after the first half. But when a team consistently gets stopped at the goal line, their frustration comes to the surface, and some easy plays are mishandled, including a dropped interception in the end zone.

As the crowd’s energy dwindled it seemed the Ghosts were not going to conjure up late-game magic. The Cardinals powerful running attack wore down the tired Ghosts’ defense as the clock mercifully struck zero, and Alumni field went quiet with disappointment. Yet the season is still young, and with all their new personnel, this season promises to be at least entertaining.

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