Top Games From 2007: No. 7
(#7) PINKERTON 22, LONDONDERRY 14
September 29
This game was billed as a battle between Division I heavyweights and it kept fans in attendance to the very end. Pinkerton led 14-0 midway through the third quarter and was inside Londonderry's 10-yard line when the momentum shifted. Pinkerton fumbled on an option play and Londonderry's Ryan Griffin took advantage by scooping up the loose ball and carrying it 85 yards for a touchdown that helped cut Pinkerton's lead in half. The Astros still had a seven-point advantage late in the fourth, but the Lancers put together a nine-play, 76-yard scoring drive. The drive ended when quarterback Craig Enos tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Alex Theodhosi with 40 seconds to play. Cody Byrd's extra point made it a 14-14- contest. The Lancers seemed to have an edge heading into overtime, especially since Pinkerton placekicker Shawn Clukey broke a bone in his foot earlier in the game. The Astros took the lead on Bobby Datillo's 1-yard run, and Eric Guinto found the end zone on the two-point conversion. Londonderry attempted for passes on its possession, but the fourth was intercepted by Tom Olivier in the end zone and punctuated Pinkerton's victory. Theodhosi entered the contest with 790 yards rushing (7.2 yards per carry) in four games, but was held to 50 yards on 18 carries. It was likely the final contest between Pinkerton's Brian O'Reilly and Londonderry's Tom Sawyer, coaches whose teams have faced one another since 1983. Sawyer stepped down from his coaching position after the season.
(#8) PELHAM 13, GILFORD 12
November 2
It was the regular-season's game of the year in Division V. Pelham and Gilford were both unbeaten when they met in Pelham during the regular season's final weekend. Sophomore quarterback Jeseph DeAngelo completed a 58-yard touchdown pass to running back Tyler Gant and ran for a 66-yard TD on the opening play in the third quarter. Bruce Vieira's PAT kick following DeAngelo's touchdown run gave the Pythons a 13-12 lead. Gilford quarterback Colby Athanas tossed two TD passes in the game. His 5-yard touchdown pass to Joshua McCutcheon made it a 6-6 contest in the second quarter. Gilford was within a point when Athanas hooked up with McCutcheon for a 15-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, but Ricky Rocha batted down the pass on the two-point conversion attempt. Each of Gilford's final three offensive possessions ended with an interception (DeAngelo, Joshua Luciano and Vieira). The victory earned Pelham the No. 1 seed for the Division V playoffs, which meant the Pythons were at home when these teams met again in the Division V championship game.
(#9) KEARSARGE 21, STEVENS 20
September 7
It was late in the fourth quarter, and things didn't look good for Kearsarge. Stevens grabbed a 20-14 lead earlier in the quarter when wide receiver Josh Duford hauled in a 45-yard touchdown pass from his brother, Nate. Now the Cardinals had the ball back and were threatening to score again. That's when everything started to go Kearsarge's way. First, Ian Lavertue stripped the football away from Lucas Jones and Kearsarge took over on its own 27-yard line with 4:16 to play. Then the Cougars put together a nine-play scoring drive, capped by Chris Corey's 5-yard TD run on fourth down. Brendan Donahue's point-after kick gave Kearsarge a one-point lead with 42 seconds to play. Corey rushed for 111 yards on 17 carries in the game. Kearsarge also received a 108-yard rushing performance from D. J. Hodgdon. The victory came early in the season, and proved valuable. Kearsarge (7-2) ended up earning the No. 3 seed for the Division IV playoffs. Stevens (5-4) did not qualify for postseason play.
(#10) EXETER 28, BISHOP GUERTIN 21
October 13
Perhaps best known as Exeter-BG I. The Blue Hawks trailed 21-14 after three quarters, but found the end zone twice in the game's final 12 minutes. Exeter quarterback Andrew Kukesh hooked up with tight end Andrew Monroe for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 10:13 to play, but Sean Coleman's PAT kick hit the left upright and fell to the turf. leaving BG with a 21-20 lead. BG failed to pick up a first down on the ensuing possession, and, following a punt, Exeter took over on its own 31-yard line with 8:02 remaining. The Blue Hawks needed 14 plays to move the ball 69 yards. Halfback Brett McAllister scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run with 1:50 to play. McAllister also picked up 4 yards on a fourth-and-two play to keep the drive alive. BG, which entered the game as the only unbeaten team in Division II, failed to cross midfield on its final possession. McAllister scored three TDs in the game, one of which came when he intercepted a Ryan Burgess pass and returned it 35 yards for the game's first TD. He also had a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:25 left in the first half. Burgess (27-yard run), tailback Matt Cyr (9-yard run) and split end Pat Daley (37-yard run) scored for BG, which suffered its second loss since the start of the 2004 season. The victory gave Exeter sole possession of first place in the Division II standings, The Blue Hawks remained in that position for the rest of the season and had the home-field edge when these teams met in the Division II championship game.
