But as much as the win was gratifying for Flaherty, he said it didn’t do him any favors for his health.
“I was so happy for the kids after the win, but I was drained,’’ he said. “You anticipate how hard it is to make decisions under pressure and how much your team is going to feed off your demeanor. You have to physically manage your body to think clearly in those moments, and towards the end it became difficult.’’
Junior tailback Peter Moutevelis had three rushing touchdowns during regulation to put the Tigers ahead, but a late score by Amesbury tied the game at 20 with the pending extra point to possibly win. Instead, a blocked PAT kept the contest knotted and forced overtime.
“I really expected to block that kick, as crazy as that sounds,’’ Flaherty said. “Louis Galanis came off the edge and made that play. At that point we realized we had outplayed them and could win if we executed, and that confidence never wavered the whole time.’’
The defense again made a game-saving play in the second overtime while tied at 26. After Ipswich failed to score, the Indians marched down to the 1-yard line and could have ended the game with a score. On a fourth-down run, Amesbury senior back Delante Castle was stuffed short of the goal line on an inside carry, a call Ipswich anticipated.
“We had them scouted up, the kids did the right thing, and bam, it worked,’’ Flaherty said. “That play gave us more confidence.’’
A Perry Mroz score and subsequent 2-point conversion gave Amesbury a 32-26 lead in the third overtime, but again Ipswich refused to quit as Moutevelis (32 carries, 143 yards) scored his fourth touchdown of the game and converted the 2-point conversion to force a fourth extra stanza.
