ANDOVER, MA – The regular season came to a close on Saturday with the winter edition of the nation's oldest prep rivalry. Andover posted a 4-1-1 record on the day, matching the record Big Blue achieved at Exeter during last winter's rivalry clash. Andover suffered only a single defeat —a narrow, overtime heartbreaker in boys' basketball. Andover’s impressive winter regular-season record and A-E success stand as a testament to the program's current strength. Boys' Swimming, Girls' Indoor Track, Boys' Squash, and Girls' Squash also earned varsity wins over Exeter this winter.
In the four A-E JV basketball and hockey contests held earlier this week, Andover earned victories in boys' basketball and hockey, as well as girls' hockey.
Girls' Ice Hockey was the day's first contest and certainly set the tone, with a blistering five-goal first period that left their opponents stunned and the Big Red fans silenced. The game ended with a 6–1 Big Blue victory. Andover enters the New England Elite Eight tournament as the #2 seed, hosting Tabor on Wednesday, March 4th in quarterfinal play at 3:30 PM.
Boys' Basketball was up next, and the game exhibited the intense atmosphere on the court and in the stands that typifies this rivalry. Andover emerged from a hard-fought battle to build a double-digit lead late in the second half, but Exeter kept the pressure on. A boisterous, packed house witnessed another hardwood classic as Exeter, the underdog on paper, mounted a furious comeback in the final minutes. This surge culminated in a three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation, forcing overtime. The Big Red rode that momentum through the extra period to secure a 91-85 win. Andover, the #2 seed in Class A, looks to bounce back in tournament quarterfinal play this Wednesday, March 4th, when it hosts Suffield. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 PM.
Andover Wrestling was dominant again on the mats this A-E, the second consecutive year in which the sport was part of the rivalry day with basketball and hockey. Big Blue captured victories in both the all gender varsity (54–24) and girls varsity (54–12) duals. Andover won 10 of the 14 matches in the all-gender varsity dual and earned 4 pins in the girls varsity dual. There were also 10 exhibition matches. Andover concluded another stellar season with a 14-2 dual meet record and outstanding performances at the Class A, New England, and National tournaments. (Recap)
One of the most resilient performances of the day came from Boys' Ice Hockey. Facing a two-goal deficit in the final period, Andover staged a disciplined rally, netting two late goals to tie the game 3–3 and force overtime. The rivals remained deadlocked after the extra session. The result was a bit anticlimactic, but in keeping with regular-season rules. Regardless, Harrison Rink was rocking a full house, and the crowd was treated to some great back-and-forth skating. Andover is the #3 seed in the New England Large School Tournament and will host St. Paul's on Wednesday, March 4th in quartefinal play at 6:40 PM.
Girls' Basketball ended the day on a high note for the still-energized Andover faithful who packed the gym. Andover displayed superior depth and execution, staying focused in a foul-plagued affair, and defeated Exeter, 62-50. The squad looks to ride the rivalry win momentum into the postseason. They earned the #4 seed in the New England Class A tourney and will host Milton in a quarterfinal on Wednesday, March 4th at 4 PM.
