METHUEN – With the shot of an instant classic victory over perhaps Massachusetts’ most legendary football powerhouse at your fingertips, Methuen delivered a storybook finish.

And one of the most memorable victories in Rangers football history – three times – has been JP Muniz.

“We called a room that we hadn’t called in weeks,” Muniz said. “Drew (Eason) threw the ball where only I can catch it. I knew I had it 100%. Once I felt it in my hands, I knew I wasn’t letting go.

Eason’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Muniz put Methuen ahead with 3:55 to go, then Muniz intercepted a pair of passes in the dying moments to give the No.8 Rangers a 25- win. 22 on No.9 Everett on Friday night in the first round of the Division 1 tournament.

“It means a lot to all of us,” said Eason, whose mother and father graduated from Everett High School. “We came in as an underdog on our field and we emerged victorious. I heard stories from my parents about Everett, but they told me they were bleeding Methuen Blue now. It was amazing. “

The legendary Everett (8-1) entered the contest undefeated, but made it to Methuen (7-2) due to the strength of his schedule. With this victory, the Rangers advance to the quarter-finals of Division 1 and will go to favorite Franklin (8-0) on Friday at 7 p.m.

“We’ve been like all week, ‘Why not us?’ Rangers receiver / defensive back Alex Borrelli said. “People always seem to criticize us, but we did what we needed to do. We went out, played a great game and won. We overcame adversity and we did.

Everett took the lead with 1:28 left in the first quarter, but Methuen responded with a 20-yard field goal from Omar Aboutoui. The Rangers took the lead with 3:26 left before half-time when Eason joined Will McKinnon on a 55-yard touchdown and led 9-7 at the break.

The Crimson Tide regained the lead at just 0:54 in the third quarter, but Methuen retaliated with a 16-game drive that ate 8:15 of playing time and ended when Muniz dove into the end zone. goals for a 2-yard TD. Course.

But Everett came back with a touchdown four times in the fourth quarter to take a 22-16 lead.

“There were a few times where I thought we were ready to go all out, but the kids showed so much resilience,” said Methuen coach Tom Ryan. “It was a miraculous performance. We were undersized and understaffed, and our kids didn’t care.

Eason opened the next drive with a 14-yard finish to Braedan Carter and a 36-yard finish to Jason Silverio. After leaving the game for two games with a headshot, Eason faked a run and then saw Muniz open for the winning score with 3:55 to go.

“We’re putting on a fake running game, designed to be a jump pass to JP,” said Eason, who finished with 249 passing yards. “I thought I knocked him over a bit, so I was nervous. He came down and made a nice back shoulder grip. He made a huge game.

Muniz ended Everett’s possession with an interception. Then, after a turnaround from Methuen on the downs, intercepted another pass from Everett with 1:14 remaining to lock in the victory.

“It was just reading the quarterback and knowing where he was looking,” Muniz said. “That second interception was amazing, hearing the guys and the crowd screaming and clapping so loud was the best feeling.

Anesti Touma and Borrelli each added a sack, Shane Eason made a key tackle in the red zone and Muniz reversed a pass in the end zone in the second quarter.

“Everett is an amazing program, but we came out on top today,” said Muniz. “It’s amazing that we are moving forward. I’m already excited for next week. I’m ready.”

Methuen 25, Everett 22

Everett (8-1): 7 0 7 8 – 22

Methuen (7-2): 0 9 8 8 – 25

Division 1 First round

First shift

E – Jayden Clerveaux 62 run (Kevin Ruiz kick), 1:28

Second quarter

M – Omar Aboutoui 20 field goal, 9:04

M – Will McKinnon 55 assist from Drew Eason (race failure), 3:26

Third quarter

E – Course de Clerveaux 82 (Ruiz kick), 11:06

M – JP Muniz 2 (Jason Silverio run), 2:51

Fourth trimester

E – Course de Cam Mohamed 10 (rush de Clerveaux), 10:37

M – Muniz 12 Eason pass (Muniz rush), 3:55

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSH: Methuen (30-70) – JP Muniz 17-58, Drew Eason 11-7, Xander Silva 2-5; Everett (20-252) – Jayden Clerveaux 10-176, Richie Malloy 3-27, Cam Mohamed 3-29, Karmarri Ellerbe 4-20

PASSAGE: Methuen – Drew Eason 19-28-1, 249, Will McKinnon 1-1-0, 25, Jason Silverio 1-1-0, 5; Everett – Ellerbe 4-13-2, 41

RECEPTION: Methuen – McKinnon 2-70, Silverio 6-94, Braeden Carter 7-61, Muniz 2-27, Anesti Touma 3-19, Shane Eason 1-8; Everett – Ismaël Zamor 2-36, Fabieri Fabert 1-4, Mohamed 1-1

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