Top Games from 2008: No. 7
(No. 7)
Keene 18, Bishop Guertin 14
October 24
There's smart, and then there's football smart. Keene's Colby Wilkinson proved that he's a student of the game after his team had a 22-yard field goal attempt blocked late in the fourth quarter of this contest. Wilkinson scooped up the loose ball and returned it to Bishop Guertin's 1-yard line. That set up Ray Boulay's 1-yard touchdown run -- his third TD of the game -- with 2:17 to play that helped the Blackbirds post a four-point victory.
Wilkinson's 12-yard run came while many BG players were celebrating the blocked field goal that mometarily preserved the Cardinals' two-point lead. Boulay finished the game with 126 yards on 26 carries.
BG played without quarterback Andy Vailas, who suffered a concussion in a loss to Billerica, Mass., the previous week. It was the first time BG had suffered back-to-back losses in five years.
Keene, which held BG to 79 yards rushing, build a 12-0 lead in the first quarter, but quarterback Steve Cuipia came off the bench to rescue the Cardinals. Cuipia replaced starter Tony Phillips and completed 5-of-11 passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
Andy Cunningham scored both BG touchdowns. He hauled in a 19-yard TD pass from Cuipia with 35 seconds left in the first half, and caught a 26-yard pass that helped give BG a 14-12 lead with 8:50 left in the third quarter.
Keene's second play from scrimmage produced Boulay's first TD -- a 53-yard run. Keene's second TD was set up when BG fumbled the ball away on its own 5-yard line. Boulay made it a 12-0 game when he scored on a 1-yard run.
Keene's game-winning drive included a 31-yard halfback pass from Boulay to Mike Tateosian. Shortly thereafter, BG blocked a field goal attempt that Wilkinson turned into the play of the game.
(No. 8)
Souhegan 28, Portsmouth 21
October 3
In the game's first 28 minutes Souhegan looked like one of the best team's in the state. In the final 20 minutes, Souhegan wasn't even the best teams on the field.
The Sabers, who were playing without injured fullback/linebacker Steve Jellison, led 21-0 after quarterback D.J. Petropulos connected with split end Ben Stallman for a 73-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Souhegan increased its lead on Stephen Daigneau's 14-yard TD run with 7:40 left in the third.
That's when Portsmouth tore the running plays out of its playbook, and made it a 28-21 contest with 5:25 to play. Portsmouth moved the ball to Souhegan's 32-yard line on its final possession, but the game ended after Mike Fransoso's pass fell incomplete near the goal line.
Fransoso established a school record by attempting 50 passes in the loss. He completed 29 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Portsmouth's Mike Montville, a junior wide receiver, set the school record for receptions in a game by catching 17 passes for 152 yards and two TDs. Montville's second TD catch came with 5:25 to play.
The Clipppers also received a 4-yard touchdown run from tailback Gallagher Hogan.
Petropulos completed 12 of 20 pass attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Stallman hauled in both TD passes.
Souhegan, which improved its record to 5-0 with the victory, opened the scoring on a 1-yard run by running back Nick Chacos. Stallman caught six passes for 155 yards.
It turned out to be Portsmouth's only regular-season loss.
Exeter 21, Nashua South 20
September 6
It was a matchup much of the state wanted to see: One of the best teams from Division I taking on one of the top programs in Division II. The game didn't disappoint.
Division II Exeter trailed by 14 points early in the fourth quarter, but took the lead when halfback Jason Monroe hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Kukesh and then James Holler added the point-after kick with 2:59 to play.
Kukesh rushed for 92 yards, and completed 7-of-12 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. His 10-yard pass to Ben Callahan opened the scoring with 6.7 seconds left in the first quarter.
Nashua South running back/defensive back David Zocco was bothered by leg cramps and was limited to one carry in the second half. Zocco, who was named New Hampshire's Mr. Football earlier this month, gained 46 yards on nine carries. He scored Nashua South's first touchdown on a 23-yard run in the second quarter.
It was a 7-7 game at halftime, but South scored twice in the third quarter. The Panthers took the lead on a 21-yard option pass from Nick Haskell to Nick Frederickson with 7:15 to play in the quarter, and then added another touchdown when Nilsson Basora returned a fumble 32 yards with 6:01 left in the third.
The momentum turned in Exeter's favor when the Blue Hawks gained 25 yards on a fake punt on a fourth-and-nine play from their own 30-yard line late in the third quarter. Exeter halfback Robbie Kisiel scored on a 2-yard run 10 plays later.
One of the key plays on Exeter's final scoring drive was Kelleher's 18-yard run on a fourth-and-six play from Exeter's 42-yard line with six minutes to play.
Each team ended up advancing to the championship game in their respective division.
(No. 10)
Nashua South 21, Manchester Central 20
September 26
This was an early showdown between two of the top teams in the state. It was also the night David Zocco began to state his case as the best two-way player in New Hampshire.
Zocco carried the ball 30 times for 234 yards and two touchdowns in soggy conditions to highlight Nashua South's victory. Central led 20-14 with 4:51 to play when it failed to get a punt off on the slippery Stellos Stadium turf. Nashua South took over on Central's 35-yard line and scored the game-winning touchdown when sophomore quarterback Keith Farkas hooked up with Nick Haskell for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds remaining.
Central running back Michael Cavanaugh rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He scored on runs for 75 and 19 yards.
Two Zocco touchdowns handed Nashua South a 12-0 lead, but Central cut into its deficit when Jake Tremblay returned a kickoff 87 yards for a TD.
Cavanaugh's 75-yard TD run gave Central the lead, but Nashua South's Cam DiCecca put his team back in front by kicking a 35-yard field goal. Central regained the lead midway through the third quarter, when Cavanaugh scored his second touchdown one play after Nashua South fumbled the ball away on its own 19
Nashua South's final scoring drive lasted 10 plays. The key play was a fourth-and-1 run by Zocco with just over a minute to play.
Each team completed the regular season with a 7-1 record in Division I. This victory gave Nashua South the home-field advantage when the teams met again in the Division I semifinals. Nashua South won that contest, 24-9.
