Souhegan reaches semis
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
Souhegan High School was the New Hampshire team that experienced the most success at the St. Anselm College 7-on-7 shootout Saturday. The Sabers, who have several skill players returning from last year's Division III championship team, reached the semifinal round, where they were eliminated following a 38-28 loss to North Andover, Mass.
Swampscott, Mass. won the title by beating North Andover, 26-22, in the championship game. Swampscott sealed the victory by intercepting a pass in the end zone with 19 seconds to play.
Nine of the 12 teams in attendance were from outside New Hampshire. Souhegan, Trinity and Goffstown represented the Granite State.
"The concept is pretty new in our state," Souhegan coach Mike Beliveau said. "UNH just started it and it's the second year they've done it here. I think people will come when word gets out."
The tournament field included seven other teams from Massachusetts: Lynn English, Lynnfield, Whittier, Rockland, Methuen, Melrose and Salem.
"A lot of (Massachusetts) teams are involved in a weekly league on a Sunday night or a Saturday," St. Anselm head coach Pat Murphy said. "I'd like to have something like that. It would help football in the state too.
"We want the New Hamsphire teams. We want to build a relationship with them."
Trinity was the other New Hampshire team that advanced to the championship bracket. North Andover beat Trinity, 26-8, in the quarterfinals.
Beliveau, who has also entered his team in the Granite State 7-on-7 event at the University of New Hampshire (June 27), said these tournaments are beneficial for several reasons, the obvious one being improved timing between the quarterbacks and receivers.
"We also get to evaluate who can play man-to-man defense in the secondary, and what big guys can play in space," Beliveau said. "I also get to see which guys came to compete and want to reach the championship game, and which guys got tired and wanted to go home. I got to see that."
Murphy said the event benefits the St. Anselm football program in several ways as well.
"It's a little bit of a fundraiser, but mainly we want to expose as many kids as possible to St. Anselm College," he said. "I really feel we have the best facilities in the league."
