By Ryan Barry
NEFJ Correspondent

NORTH ANDOVER – A foggy Duane Stadium was the setting for the 2024 Merrimack Warriors Spring Football Game set between the “blue” and “white” teams on Thursday night.

While the format was anything but a traditional game, the Warriors got a chance to learn more about who their team will be under first year head coach Mike Gennetti.

Gennetti, a longtime assistant under former coach Dan Curran (now at Holy Cross), was overall pleased with the effort his team displayed in front of a surprisingly solid crowd despite the conditions.

“I thought the guys did a great job,” said Gennetti. “For us, the expectations are to continue to improve, and today I thought we did that.”

The evening started like most regular season games go during warm-ups, with positional work slowly opening up to competition drills between different groups.

Before getting into two 15-minute quarters of full 11-on-11 play, the team ran through different scenarios like overtime rules set from the 25-yard line, the two minute drill, as well as offensive possessions starting from their own five-yard line.

Throughout the night there were plenty of moments that stood out, so in step with our typical “four down previews” done in the fall, here are the four most memorable notes from the game:

First Down: Quarterbacks, quarterbacks, quarterbacks

Last season saw the position in flux throughout a 5-6 campaign that despite their record, had them on the doorstep of an NEC title. Gavin McCusker battled injuries throughout the season and was replaced by Malakai Anthony come the end of November.

Both had plenty of opportunities tonight to show what they were capable of. McCusker looked solid enough and seemed to get the first opportunities on each drill throughout the evening, though did struggle to move the ball at times. With high turnover on the offensive line, his slower moments could just be a symptom of a group in flux.

Anthony’s highlight of the night came from a quick slant throw during the two minute drills that resulted in a 60+ yard touchdown. He made a few nifty plays with his feet, as well as showed off his willingness to throw the deep ball with a try during the quarters period that was broken up.

The newest face to the quarterback room made a solid impression. Ayden Pereira, a Maine transfer and former Central Catholic standout, made his debut for the Warriors and looked solid throughout the evening. After a rocky start in situational drills, he was the first quarterback to lead a full touchdown drive in the quarters format. Pereira used a combination of his arm and legs to move the ball down the field.

The fourth name off the quarterback sheet, Justin Lewis, made arguably the best throw of the evening, and even led a scoring drive. Hitting wide receiver Jalen McDonald in stride just before the sideline, the 50 or 55-yard pass landed perfectly in his hands.

Luckily for Gennetti, there is plenty of time to decide who will be the Warriors QB when they travel to Air Force to start their 2024 campaign, but until then, he’ll have some decisions to make for a room that has a few solid options.

Second Down: Talent at the skill positions

Losing Tyvone Edmonds Jr. at running back to the transfer portal felt inevitable with his NEC Offensive Player of the Year and 1,247 rushing yard campaign.

Despite the loss, Gennetti landed Jermaine Corbett from Stonehill, who rushed for 885 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. Corbett, with many similar traits as Edmonds Jr., is about as perfect a replacement as you can find.

In his first game donning the blue and gold he was far less impactful than fans would hope for, but that’s to be expected in a spring game. The defensive line seemed ready for him on several plays, though his quickness and elusiveness to pick up extra yards was on full display. Similar to McCusker having issues with time, Corbett may be behind a line still trying to find their groove to create rushing lanes.

At receiver, the return of Donovan Wadley cannot be understated, nor can his speed that shined during one on one drills against defensive backs in the early portion of practices. He’s incredibly fast in open space once he breaks free, and was impressive to watch get open at the line.

Receiver Seth Sweitzer will be looking to take another step forward this season after his first season in North Andover. He had a few catches and showed his toughness during the quarters period in particular that showed promise for next season.

Third Down: North Shore Beef

Defense typically finds a way to outlast teams in spring football games due to their familiarity with the schemes being run by their offensive counterparts.

The Warriors front seven in particular had a solid game getting pressure on the quarterbacks and limiting the impact of running backs.

While they did struggle at times when plays broke down for quarterbacks to take off, as well as on a few QB run designed plays, they held their own and worked the wet conditions to their advantage.

One player in particular, Malek Sabri, stood out on a few plays. During the overtime segment when offenses would start at the 25-yard line, Anthony brought his team within five yards of the goaline looking to punch in a score. Sabri, who already has earned his bachelor’s degree at Merrimack and is currently pursuing his masters, made a crucial “sack” on Anthony after reading a designed run play well.

Utilizing veterans like Sabri will be key to maintaining a defense that led the NEC in rushing defense in 2023.

Fourth Down: Batting and swatting

The Merrimack secondary also performed well during a 2023 campaign that saw them finish second in the NEC in passing yards allowed.

One of the biggest reasons for that finish was Wes Matthews, who found himself all over the field tonight making plays and getting in the faces of opposing receivers. His name was called on several occasions for making tackles all throughout the secondary.

Tre Jordan, another impactful player, had an excellent pass breakup during the quarters portion as well. The advantage probably had to go to members of the secondary early on in the one on one drills against wide receivers, with them getting the most of their quarterback/wide receiver counterparts on a few more occasions.

While there wasn’t an interception recorded, which is always a good thing for the offense, no doubt in the slippery conditions the secondary would’ve loved to get at least one.