Westford Academy defeated Lowell 24-14 on Friday Nov. 14 at Trustees Field to advance to a 7-3 record on the season. WA dominated all aspects of the game from start to finish, including three touchdowns and a strong defense. 

WA secured a significant lead from the start: after just three minutes of play, running back Anthony Rudiman scored an opening drive touchdown, catapulting Westford to the lead. 

Fueled by the early advantage, WA also balanced a strong defense with Ryan Jacobsmeier leading the way on the defensive end in front of an animated WA crowd. While Lowell managed a touchdown in the first quarter, Rudiman put WA back in the lead 14-7 as the first quarter came to a close. 

WA’s momentum continued throughout the first half, shutting down Lowell’s offense drive after drive. Soon into the second quarter, Jake Cullen completed a passing touchdown, putting WA in the lead 21-7. WA’s defense continued to stand strong, handing the ball back to Cullen and the offense to try and add to their lead.

As the final seconds of the first half rolled off the clock, WA ended the first half with Marc Blanc’s key interception and Peter Burdin’s field goal, maintaining its lead 24-7. 

“It really gave us the momentum going into half,” Co-Captain Cole Stickel said.

Leaving the crowds in an uproar after halftime, WA’s defense continued to give Lowell’s offense very little breathing room. With no points being scored on both sides, the third quarter ended with Westford still up by 17 points. 

In the fourth quarter, Lowell stepped up its offensive game seeing WA’s continual dominance of the line of scrimmage, scoring another touchdown soon into the quarter. Coupled with a strong defense and straightforward planning, Head Coach Bruce Rich believes that the team’s implementations of practice drills to move the ball down the field aided in WA’s control of the scrimmage line. 

“The offense was able to run the football, which set the tone,”  Rich said. 

Bolstering their defense to usher a win, players such as Jacobsmeier, Stickel, and co-captain Damien DiGiovine successfully maintained the team’s lead until the end of the quarter. 

“Defensively, we set the edge so they were not able to get any big plays,” Rich said. Our tight ends did a great job blocking,”

When the clock hit all zeroes, WA won 24-14. In its final game, the team will close out its seasons with the annual Thanksgiving Day game on the road against its rival Acton-Boxborough.