Varsity Insider: Looking back at Laconia
Editor's Note: Ben Stallman is a senior at Souhegan High School and a wide receiver/defensive back on the SHS football team. He entered the 2008 season with 60 career receptions, which is a school record. He also set the school record for receptions in a season when he caught 35 passes last year. Ben was named to the Division III All-State First Team following the 2007 season. His Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.
Last Friday, two teams met that were solid examples of success. Souhegan of Division III and Laconia of Division IV met in Laconia in what was talked about by some as the game of the week across the state, the battle between two of the most successful teams in their respective divisions.
Laconia was off to an undefeated season and boasted a 13-game win streak and a 17-game regular-season win streak, some of the longest in the state. Souhegan came in playing great football as well, also off to an undefeated season. This was to be the true measuring stick for both teams to see how their teams faired for the rest of the season.
The game started with a bang, though it happened for Laconia. Souhegan turned the opening kickoff over and Laconia manufactured three quick points from it. Later on the first quarter another turnover occurred and Laconia punched it in this time, putting Souhegan into an early 10-0 hole. However, as Coach Mike Beliveau put it "our team weathered the storm."
After the first quarter was over, the Souhegan defense rallied around each other and came out determined to shut down the Laconia offense, and did just that. The Sachems were held scoreless the rest of the half. During this time Souhegan really got its run game going with a handful of different running backs, using the T-formation offense and the spread offense to work its way downfield and punch in a touchdown in the second quarter.
Throughout the second half, Souhegan continued to firmly establish the run game, using its athletes up front to muscle out holes for the halfbacks to run through. Passes were mixed in, keeping Laconia off balance. Souhegan managed to score another touchdown on the ground to take its first lead of the game at 14-10. Laconia quickly answered back, this time using its aerial assault to find holes in the defense for a long touchdown connection, retaking the lead at 17-14.
That was the end of scoring for Laconia however; as Souhegan's defense stitched together the few holes in the secondary to take away the pass game that had been affective early for Laconia. Souhegan again battered away at Laconia with the run game, using its no-huddle offense to perfection. Another goal-line plunge brought the score to 21-17 Souhegan, and the Sabers never looked back, adding another touchdown late through the air to bring the final score to 26-17 Souhegan.
This game epitomized what inter-division games should be about: High-powered teams and great matchups that otherwise would not have a chance to be played out. You could not have asked for a better night and better battle. The weather was perfect and the competition was heated. This was a classic Friday night high school game, and it was played exactly how you would expect an old rivalry game to be played out, until every last second had ticked off that clock, and every last player had finally stepped off the playing field.
