Armstrong edges Andover 57-56 in a double-overtime high school football thriller

Armstrong (8-0) and Andover (6-2) went helmet to helmet Wednesday in a battle of football teams ranked in the top five of Class 5A.

Armstrong eked out a 57-56 victory in a double-overtime shootout as Jayden Vera Loza kicked the game-winning point after.

Loza ended a game of myriad twists and turns. Andover junior quarterback Joseph Mapson tossed an option pitch, then found himself giving chase to Armstrong’s Dylan Gilles, who tipped the ball and ran it in from 23 yards out.

Mapson recovered and threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter as Andover drew even 21-21 by halftime.

Armstrong’s Kevon Johnson ran for two first-half scores — and five overall — including an 82-yard dash on the Falcons’ opening drive.

Mapson connected with Brady Jenson for a 72-yard score as Andover took its first lead of the game, 28-21, with 10:45 left in the third quarter.

Armstrong didn’t wilt. Quarterback Dawson Franke dashed for a big gain, then ended the drive from 5 yards out, rolling right and feathering the ball to Gideon Breker for a short touchdown. The clock read 8:09 as the teams drew even once more at 28-all.

Wyatt Meyers restored Andover’s lead on a 2-yard sprint to the goal line. The Huskies held a 35-28 advantage that felt tentative given the back-and-forth nature of the game. Sure enough, Armstrong battled back.

Johnson tied the score from 6 yards out — his third scoring run of the night — and the Falcons tied it at 35 with 68 seconds left in the third quarter.

Johnson looked off to the races early in the fourth quarter, but a penalty nullified his 73-yard sprint to the end zone. He eventually ran in on fourth down for his fourth touchdown of the evening and his Falcons led 42-35 with 6:16 to play.

Mapson called his own number often on the ensuing drive, keeping the ball all the way until he capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Tied 42-42 with 2:05 to play, both teams refused to relent. Johnson’s 45-yard run kick-started Armstrong’s final drive. The run put him well past the 250-yard rushing mark. Then, Andover senior linebacker Kaleb Weikel intercepted a pass to force overtime.

Franke took control in the first overtime. First, he rolled left and hit teammate Eli Kuempel for a touchdown. Then Franke ran in a two-point conversion. Andover drew even to necessitate a second extra session.

Mapson was equal to the task. He threw a touchdown in the first overtime, then ran for a score to open the second extra session. His two-point conversion run, however, was stuffed. Johnson finished with his fifth touchdown run before Loza trotted on for the game-winning kick.