EASTHAMPTON — Even before Phillips Exeter Academy took a single snap in Saturday’s NEPSAC Jack Etter Bowl, the Big Red were playing with a slight disadvantage.

The team spent much of the morning taking end of semester exams, then boarded a bus for a 2½-hour junket to Sawyer Field on the campus of the Williston Northampton School. In addition, the Big Red were about to embark on their toughest challenge to date, facing unbeaten and offensive-minded Salisbury School.