Pelham seeking perfection
No. 3 St. Thomas vs. No. 1 Pelham
•Team records: St. Thomas is 8-2 overall, 7-2 in Division V. Pelham is 10-0 overall, 9-0 in Division V.
•Regular-season result: Pelham won, 17-3, in Dover.
•Noteworthy: This matchup will feature two of the best running backs in the division: Pelham's Bruce Vieira and St. Thomas' Zach Merrigan. ... Vieira rushed for 99 yards and scored two touchdowns in Pelham's 28-6 victory over fourth-seeded Kearsarge in Saturday's Division V semifinals. He also made seven tackles in that contest. ... St. Thomas reached the championship game by beating second-seeded Trinity, 21-15, in the semifinals. The Saints scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in that victory. St. Thomas quarterback Jack MacNevin completed 8-of-15 passes for 110 yards against Trinity. It was the 100th victory for St. Thomas since Rod Wotton became the program's head coach in 1996. Wotton, the winningest coach in New England high school football history, will enter the championship game with a 331-9-3 record, and will be trying to collect his 22nd state championship. Wotton guided St. Thomas to the Division IV championship in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2006. He also won 17 state title when he was the head coach at Marshwood High School in Elitot, Maine. ... Pelham, which beat Gilford in last year's Division V championship game, will enter this contest with a 21-game winning streak. ... St. Thomas has a 10-1 edge in the all-time series against Pelham. The Pythons collected their only victory against the Saints earlier this season. St. Thomas quarterback Jack MacNevin did not play in that game because of an ankle injury. It was a 3-3 contest until Pelham quarterback Joe DeAngelo scored on a 32-yard run with 4:02 to play. The TD came one play after an Andrew Keegan interception. Vieira added a 16-yard touchdown run with 2:46 to play. He finished the game with 99 yards rushing on 25 carries. ... Merrigan rushed for 104 yards on 18 carries against Pelham, but was held to 2 yards on four carries in the second half.
