Westford Academy Varsity Football fell short to Chelmsford High School 37-10 on Senior Night at the Trustees Field.

Right off the bat in the first quarter, WA’s offense was staggering.  Two false start penalties on the offense’s opening drive forced them off the field without moving the ball, handing the ball over to the Lions.

WA’s defense came up with a fourth down stop to regain possession of the ball, but junior running back Anthony Rudiman fumbled the ball on the first play of WA’s drive.  This turnover proved to be a costly one, as Chelmsford quarterback Kyle Wilder found Manny Marshall in the end zone for a touchdown a few plays later.  Chelmsford proceeded to convert a two-point conversion, taking an 8-0 lead with 5:36 remaining in the first quarter.

After a three-and-out by WA, Chelmsford’s offense took the field with momentum on their side. Marshall quickly added on to his impressive day by catching a deep touchdown pass due to a defensive breakdown by WA, making the score 15-0 in Chelmsford’s favor.

WA’s offense continued to struggle moving the chains, leading to a failed fourth down attempt to close the first quarter.

After a lackluster first quarter performance, the tide started to change for WA early in the second quarter.  WA’s defense got a stop and gave the ball back to WA, gaining the opportunity to put some points on the board.  An incredible 32-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Jake Cullen to senior wide receiver Kyle Doney on this drive got the ball rolling for WA, cutting the Chelmsford lead to 15-7.

Soon after however, a stadium-silencing deep touchdown pass late in the second quarter by Chelmsford killed WA’s momentum, giving the Lions a 23-7 halftime lead.

Out of the halftime break, WA continued to move the ball on the offensive end with Cullen leading a strong drive, highlighted by a deep pass to junior wide receiver Matty Haggan.  This jolt of offense led to junior kicker Peter Burdin kicking a field goal to cap off the drive, making the score 23-10.

Throughout the remainder of the third quarter, both defenses proved to be strong forces, preventing any points from being scored until the third quarter clock hit all zeros.

Despite a low scoring third quarter, Chelmsford got their offense going again with Wilder leading the way.  The Lions led an impressive drive down the field, and Wilder topped it off with a touchdown run, handing Chelmsford a monumental 30-10 lead.

Midway through the fourth quarter, WA quickly moved down the field again.  However, the drive was cut short after a controversial call by the referees on a fourth down pass attempt from Cullen to Doney, resulting in an uproar from the WA stands.  WA’s offense came off the field, handing the ball right back to Chelmsford.  The Lions ended up punching the ball into the end zone with under 3 minutes left to put 7 points on the board, adding to their lead of 37-10.

This Chelmsford touchdown brought an end to the scoring for the day, resulting in a Chelmsford 37-10 victory over WA.

Despite falling to Chelmsford, Cullen is looking to bounce back from the loss this week in practice.

“Obviously the game didn’t go our way, but we are reviewing everything we did wrong and improving every day.  [This is what makes] WA a better football program,” Cullen said.  “All we have to do now is move onto the next team.  It’s all about bouncing back.”

WA will look to do just that and get back in the win column on Friday, Oct. 29th away against Wayland.