Winnacunnet carves up Timberlane
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
PLAISTOW -- You probably wouldn't get an argument if you called Exeter (8-0) and Bishop Guertin (6-0)the class of Division II, but the best of the rest? That's up for debate.
Winnacunnet certainly looked the part Friday night, when it trampled Timberlane 40-14.
Junior running backs Brett Taylor and Mike Trainor each scored two touchdowns for the Warriors, who held Timberlane to 79 yards of net offense. The Owls gained 54 of those 79 yards on their final possession.
"It was our best game of the season, that's for sure," Winnacunnet coach Ron Auffant said. "We played our best four quarters of football.
"We're peaking. I think we're starting to play our best football right now."
Winnacunnet improved its record to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in Division II with the victory. The Warriors will qualify for the playoffs as either the No. 3 or the No. 4 seed if it can beat Merrimack and Spaulding in their final two regular-season games.
"When you draw it up during the week you don't necessarily expect this happening," Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald said. "They're a good football team. They gave us fits on defense.
"They're playing good football right now and they seem to have a favorable schedule down the stretch."
Timberlane, which dropped to 3-5 overall and 3-3 in Division II, was still feeling the effects of last Saturday's 28-0 loss to Exeter. Quarterback Nate Lawrence and wide receiver Jarred Diorio each suffered an ankle injury in that loss and neither played against Winnacunnet.
The Warriors led 27-7 at halftime and stretched the lead to 40-7 when Jason Busfield scored on a 1-yard run and Ben Fee added the point-after kick with 8:05 to play.
Trainor's TDs came on two 1-yard runs. Taylor scored on a 17-yard run in the first quarter and a 2-yard run in the second.
Quarterback Steve Cronan scored Winnacunnet's other touchdown on an 18-yard run with 3:01 remaining in the third quarter. Cronan carried 13 times for 87 yards and also completed 9 of 15 passes for 82 yards.
Timberlane was held under 100 yards of net offense for the second time in as many weeks. The Owls gained 92 yards in the Exeter loss.
The Owls scored on a 97-yard kickoff return by Nick Lawrence and a 6-yard run by Lawrence.
"Reaching the playoffs has been a goal of ours all season," Fitzgerald said. "We have to get better to do that."
The Winnacunnet offense ran 60 plays -- 20 more than Timberlane -- for 382 yards.
"If we play like we did tonight we should be in good shape (for the playoffs)," Auffant said. "I like our chances."
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
WIN--Trainor 1 run (Fee kick), 8:35.
TIM--Lawrence 87 kickoff return (Evan kick), 8:23
WIN--Taylor 17-run (kick failed), 5:59.
Second Quarter
WIN--Taylor 2 run (Fee kick), 9:35.
WIN--Trainor 1 run (Fee kick), 4:37.
Third Quarter
WIN--Cronan 18 run (kick failed), 3:01.
Fourth Quarter
WIN--Busfield 1 run (Fee kick), 8:05.
TIM--Lawrence 6 run (Evan kick), 1:31.
