METHUEN – In the latest installment of a long-running Thanksgiving showdown in which the outcome probably was determined two months earlier when the visitors were left scrambling to find a co-op to fill out numbers, this year’s biggest attraction centered around passing yards.
Wrapping up a senior season that began with him fighting off the lingering effects of mononucleosis, Methuen quarterback Drew Eason capped off an historical career Wednesday night as the ninth-most prolific MIAA quarterback in state history.
Eason quickly grabbed all 92 yards needed for the feat in the second quarter against an outmanned Dracut squad as the Rangers won their fifth straight Turkey Day match and sixth-straight overall against the Middies, 48-16.
The likely three-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star finished his career with 6,212 passing yards as Methuen went 25-8 and reached the Division 1 semifinals once and the quarterfinals twice during his tenure.
“To finish up the last one with a win is big,” Eason said. “(Assistant coach Ryan) Dugan came in the room today and said I’d quarterbacked (33) games which is pretty amazing. I feel like I’ve been here forever, but at the same time everything’s gone by so fast. But to finish off with a win is everything I could’ve wanted.”
Eason finished the game with touchdown tosses to Kian Greeley, Cam Moreira and Adrian Blake while completing eight of his 11 attempts for 120 yards. The three scoring passes upped his program record to 62.
“Finishing in the top 10 all time is pretty sick,” said Eason, who moved into ninth on an 11-yarder to Blake late in the second quarter. “Honestly, how many teams are there in Mass. and then how many quarterbacks are there every year? There’s got to be more than 10,000 quarterbacks in the state, so being in the top 10 is pretty sick.”
Eason had to wonder if and not when he’d get on the field as Dracut ran all 17 plays from scrimmage in the first quarter. That was because of Aaron Chiocca, who returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown before finding the end zone again after returning his first interception of the season 87 yards with 1:26 left in the period.
“I saw an opportunity,” Chiocca said of the game’s opening play. “It was my first time on kick return this season. So, I’m just enjoying the moment with the guys. It’s Thanksgiving and I’m having a good time. I’m blessed.”
Methuen (8-3) received second-half touchdown runs from Junior Lago (15) and Vinny Jimenez (18) to run away from a Dracut squad that had only 17 players in uniform.
But the night belonged to Eason, three years after it all started.
“By the time his sophomore year came around, he had matured a tremendous amount physically,” Methuen coach Tom Ryan said of Eason. “So, I knew we had something there because he had gotten bigger, faster, stronger.”
And once the youngster saw some action, the Ranger coach quickly realized what he had to look forward to.
“The second game against (perennial power) Marshfield his sophomore year on the first drive he didn’t play well,” said Ryan, who has won 10 of 11 Turkey Day games against Dracut since he arrived in 2013. “He came over to the sideline and I kind of barked at him a little bit, and then he threw for like 350 that night. That’s when I knew we had something special here. Instead of just having a really good quarterback, we had a special quarterback.”
Methuen 48, Dracut 16
Dracut (2-8) 0 0 8 8 – 16
Methuen (8-3) 14 20 7 7 — 48
First quarter
M – Aaron Chiocca 65 kick return (Omar Aboutoui kick) 11:45
M – Chiocca 87 interception return (Aboutoui kick) 1:26
Second quarter
M – Kian Greeley 3 pass from Drew Eason (Aboutoui kick) 9:16
M – Cam Moreira 19 pass from Eason (kick blocked) 8:49
M – Adrian Blake 5 pass from Eason (Aboutoui kick) 0:00
Third quarter
M – Junior Lago 15 run (Aboutoui kick) 10:05
D – Israel DeJesus 2 run (DeJesus rush)
Fourth quarter
M – Vinny Jimenez 18 run (Aboutoui kick)
D – Benjamin Boateng 23 pass from Ryan Cole (DeJesus rush)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Dracut (47-215) – DeJesus 43-210, Robert Truong 3-9, Ayvian Romero 1-(-4); Methuen (7-70) – Jimenez 2-27, Eason 1-22, Lago 1-15, Adam Harrington 1-8, Ali Kalle 2-(-2)
PASSING: Dracut – Cole 1-1-0, 23 yards, DeJesus 0-2-1; Methuen – Eason 8-11-0, 120
RECEIVING: Dracut – Boateng 1-23; Methuen – Greeley 2-24, Blake 2-16, Matt McCormick 1-31, Aiden O’Shaughnessey 1-16, Shane Eason 1-14