Top Games From 2007: No. 1
(#1) EXETER 14, BISHOP GUERTIN 13
November 17
This contest had exactly what you want in a championship game: drama late in the fourth quarter. Bishop Guertin was in position to win its fourth consecutive Division II title after running back Mike Pettiglio scored on a 15-yard run that gave the Cardinals a 13-7 lead with 8:05 left in the game. The extra-point attempt was blocked, however, and that left the door open for the Blue Hawks. Exeter took over on its own 37-yard line and needed 13 plays to tie the game. Brett McAllister's second touchdown of the game came on a 3-yard run with 2:23 to play. Sean Coleman made the point-after kick that ended up being the winning margin. Exeter's scoring drive was aided by a pass interference penalty called on a fourth-and-nine play. The penalty gave the Blue Hawks a first down on BG's 23-yard line. BG began its final drive on its own 20-yard line. The drive ended when defensive end/linebacker Brad Kelly intercepted a Ryan Burgess pass with 1:32 remaining. Burgess opened the scoring with a 1-yard TD run on fourth down in the second quarter, but Exeter pulled even when McAllister caught a 26-yard TD pass from QB Andrew Kukesh with 39 seconds left in the first half. Exeter, which outgained BG 145-119 over the final two quarters, won its first state championship since 2003. It was BG's third loss since the start of the 2004 season, and all three losses came against Exeter.
(#2) DOVER 41, WINNACUNNET 40
October 12
There was plenty of action in this game, and much of it was crammed into the final two minutes. Winnacunnet grabbed a 34-26 lead when quarterback Ryan Cronan scored on a 25-yard run and Mike MacArthur kicked the extra point with 1:37 to play. The teams then combined to score 21 points in a 29-second span. Dover responded to Cronan's TD by scoring on its next offensive play from scrimmage. Quarterback Matt Kimball connected with running back Tyler Long on a double-reverse pass that covered 57 yards. Kimball ran in the two-point conversion, which made the score 34-34 with 1:15 remaining. Dover's Alex Temple recovered a fumble on the kickoff, and Dover scored on another one-play drive. This time Kimball found Matt Gambill for a 35-yard TD pass. Noah Kabbara's PAT kick gave the Green Wave a 41-34 lead with 1:01 left. Winnacunnet's Sam Auffant renturned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a TD that pulled the Warriors within a point with 46 seconds to play. After a penalty moved the ball closer to the goal line, Winnacunnet elected to go for two. Auffant, who rushed for 274 yards on 25 carries in the game, was stopped short of the end zone, however, preserving Dover's one-point victory.The Warriors rushed for 442 yards in the loss. The teams scored 53 points in the second half.
(#3) PLYMOUTH 11, SOUHEGAN 9
October 13
There wasn't a football fan in the state who didn't hear about the ending to this game. Both teams entered the contest unbeaten and Souhegan had a 9-8 lead when it was forced to punt from deep in its own end with less than 30 seconds to play. Plymouth's Nick Barnes signaled for a fair catch and caught the ball on Souhegan's 30-yard line. Plymouth then took advantage of a seldom-used rule that allowed the Bobcats to attempt a free kick. Kyle Underwood, who missed an extra-point attempt earlier in the game, made a 47-yard field goal that gave Plymouth a two-point lead with 16 seconds remaining. The victory extended Plymouth winning streak to 29 games and ended up earning the Bobcats home-field advantage throughout the Division III playoffs. Nick Barnes scored Plymouth's only touchdown. He found the end zone from 61 yards away on Plymouth first offensive play.Souhegan scored on a 32-yard field goal by Ben Lawrence and a 10-yard run by Steve Daigneau. Souhegan elected to take a safety late in the fourth quarter, which pulled Plymouth within one point and allowed the Bobcats to win the game on Underwood's free kick.
(#4) NASHUA SOUTH 35, LONDONDERRY 31
November 10
How many times have you seen a player rush for more than 300 yards in a losing effort? That's what happened to Londonderry running back Alex Theodhosi in this Division I semifinal against Nashua South. Every first-half possession in this contest resulted in a score, and the lead changed hands four times after halftime. Theodhosi rushed for 333 yards, but Nashua South countered with a 170-yard rushing effort from halfback David Zocco, who found the end zone three times. In addition, Nashua South quarterback Bill Ferriter completed each of his nine passes. Fourth-seeded Londonderry took a 29-27 lead when Theodhosi scored on a 58-yard run, but Nashua South responded on its ensuing possession, which ended with Zocco's third TD -- a 2-yard run -- with two minutes to play. Nashua South completed its scoring with a two-point conversion. After Nashua South elected to take a safety, Londonderry began its final possession at midfield with 56 seconds to play. The upset bid ended when the Lancers gained six yards in four plays and turned the ball over on downs. The victory earned Nashua South a spot in the Division I championship game. It was also Tom Sawyer's final game as Londonderry's head coach. Sawyer retired from coaching after the season.
(#5) WINNACUNNET 28, EXETER 26
September 22
This was a game that raised eyebrows throughout Division II, a league that many thought had two tiers: one that included Exeter and Bishop Guertin, and another that included everyone else. Winnacunnet scored a touchdown in each quarter and played just enough defense to pull off the upset, 28-26. The game's key sequence came late in the third quarter. Winnacunnet had a two-point lead and was facing a third-and-goal situation a foot from Exeter's goal line. The Exeter defense held on back-to-back plays however, and the Blue Hawks took over inside their 1-yard line. Two plays later Exeter quarterback Andrew Kukesh had the ball stripped away from him and Sebastian Oweifie fell on it in the end zone for a Winnacunnet touchdown. Halfback Brett McAllister (26 carries, 158 yards and fullback Gabe Bourgeois (20 carries, 154 yards) each scored twice for the Blue Hawks, who began their final drive on their own 22-yard line with 2:17 to play. Exeter failed to pick up a first down and turned the ball over on downs with 1:13 remaining. Winnacunnet quarterback Ryan Cronan was the game's No. 1 star. He rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He also blocked an extra-point attempt that would have made it a 14-14 game. It was Winnacunnet's first victory over Exeter since the 2002 season and, as things turned out, the Warriors wouldn't have qualified for the Division II playoffs without it.
(#6) GILFORD 30, BISHOP BRADY 24
November 10
Gilford's Eric Dean scored two touchdowns and may have prevented another in this Division V semifinal. Dean's second TD came on a 16-yard run with 8:48 to play and tied the contest, 24-24. Neither team scored again until Gilford quarterback Colby Athanas rumbled around left end and found the end zone from 7 yards away on the first possession of overtime. The TD came on a fourth-down play. The two-point conversion attempt failed, however, leaving the door open for third-seeded Bishop Brady to advance if it could score and add the conversion during its overtime possession. The Green Giants drove to the 6-yard line when quarterback Zach Chaisson completed a pass to split end Eric Freehand, who lost control of the ball after absorbing a hard hit. Dean pounced on the ball, which sealed the victory and earned second-seeded Gilford a spot in its first Division V championship game. Mike Smirnioudis had two touchdown runs for Bishop Brady. His second TD came on a 16-yard run and helped Bishop Brady build an 24-18 lead early in the third. The rest of the game belonged to Dean and the Golden Eagles.
(#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.
