Top Games From 2009: No. 2
(No. 2)
Milford 23, Souhegan 8
at Milford
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
It wasn't the most competitive contest and it didn't have a dramatic finish, but for pure shock value no game in 2009 compared to Milford's upset victory against Souhegan.
Many people -- fans, coaches and media members -- figured the score was incorrect when they first saw it. Once it became clear that Milford had won, questions were asked: "Did Petropulos play? Did Jellison play?"
Quarterback D.J. Petropulos and running back/linebacker Steven Jellison -- New Hampshire's Mr. Football for the 2009 season -- did play, but the Sabers were without some key parts. Two-way linemen Sean Cultrera, Colin Cray and Kyle Beaulieau all missed the game because of illness or injury.
Souhegan entered the game with a 5-0 record (4-0 in Division III) and had won its five previous games by an average of 32 points. Milford began the night with a 2-3 record and lost to Division IV Plymouth, 51-6, two weeks earlier.
The Spartans prevailed by using a clock-killing running game that kept the potent Souhegan offense on the sideline. Milford halfback Josh Ibarra led the way by rushing for 242 yards and three touchdowns.
"They played their hearts out and they won this football game," Souhegan coach Mike Beliveau said. "They set the tone right away in the trenches. The time of possession was unbelievable."
It was Milford's first victory over Souhegan since Souhegan opened in 1992. It was also the only loss Souhegan suffered all season. The Sabers gained some revenge by beating Milford in the Division III semifinals, and one week later topped Portsmouth in the Division III championship game.
Coming Friday: Top Game No. 1
(No. 3)
SALEM 35, TIMBERLANE 34
at Timberlane
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
Although this was a game that featured two of the best running backs in the state, it was a defensive play that handed Salem a one-point victory.
After Salem's Max Jacques and Timberlane's Derek Furey dueled throughout regulation and overtime, the game ended when Salem's Darren Brown blocked a point-after-kick attempt in OT that allowed the Blue Devils to remain unbeaten (6-0 overall, 4-0 in Division I).
Jacques rushed for 215 yards and five touchdowns. Furey gained 205 yards, rushed for three TDs and tossed a TD pass.
Timberlane's Ryan Lynch blocked a 27-yard field goal near the end of regulation that left the scored tied, 28-28, and sent the non-league game to overtime.
Salem had a 35-28 lead after Jacques scored on a 5-yard run and Chris Saulnier added the PAT on the first possession in overtime.
Timberlane answered with a 7-yard TD pass from Furey to Jared Diorio, but Brown blocked the kick that ended Timberlane's bid for an upset. The loss dropped Timberlane's record to 3-3 overall (3-1 in Division II).
The Owls trailed 13-7 until Diorio caught a 65-yard TD pass from Nate Lawrence and then added the PAT with two minutes left in the first half. Furey's 29-yard run in the third quarter helped stretch the lead to 21-13, but Salem pulled even when Jacques scored from a yard away and Kyle Henrick caught a pass from quarterback Matt Cannone on the two-point converstion attempt.
Jacques and Furey each scored a TD in the fourth quarter. Jacques found the end zone on a 31-yard run with 8:47 left, and Furey scored on a 29-yard run with 6:49 to play. Diorio's PAT tied the contest and punctuated the scoring in regulation.
(No. 4)
PORTSMOUTH 47, GOFFSTOWN 44
at Portsmouth
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
Those who attended this Division III game at Portsmouth High School were treated to a great comeback, and then another comeback after that.
Portsmouth assumed a 41-36 lead midway through the final quarter, but Goffstown drove 68 yards and took a 44-41 lead on quarterback Doug MacIntosh's 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:20 to play.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, that was more than enough time for quarterback Nate Jones and split end Mike Montville to work their magic. Jones connected with Montville for a 23-yard gain on a third-and-10 play, and one play later Montville hauled in a 37-yard TD pass from Jones that gave the Clippers a 47-44 advantage.
"Great players make great plays, and both players have proven to be great players," Portsmouth coach Bill Murphy said.
There were still 51 seconds to play when Portsmouth scored its final TD, but Christian DiCesare sealed the victory when he intercepted a MacIntosh pass on Goffstown's final possession.
Jones completed 12 of 26 pass attempts for 276 yards and three TDs in the victory. Two of his touchdown passes went to Montville, who made six receptions for 112 yards.
Portsmouth's comeback overshadowed a great performance by Goffstown running back Jake Staffiere, who rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns. Staffiere gained 163 yards in the first half, when Goffstown built a 29-15 lead.
(No. 5)
INTER-LAKES 6, WINNISQUAM 0
at Inter-Lakes
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
Winnisquam had little trouble scoring during the 2009 season -- the Bears scored at least 28 points in eight games -- but couldn't produce a touchdown when it needed one the most.
The Inter-Lakes' defense was the top storyline in the 2009 Division VI championship game, as the Lakes held Winnisquam to 21 yards of offense in the first half en route to a 6-0 victory.
Top-seeded Inter-Lakes, which finished with an 11-0 record in Division VI, won a state title in its second season of varsity competition. second-seeded Winnisquam finished 9-2. Its other loss was a 21-14 setback against Inter-Lakes during the regular season.
The Inter-Lakes TD punctuated a 14-play, 78-yard drive. Running back Kevin Brady scored the game's only touchdown on a 9-yard run on the second quarter's first play. Brady, who rushed for 146 yards on 33 carries, carried 10 times for 60 yards during the drive.
Winnisquam's best scoring opportunity came in the third quarter when it drove to the Inter-Lakes 9-yard line, but the Bears failed to convert on fourth down.
Winnisquam's Pat Sanborn rushed for 102 yards in the loss.
"To win 6-0, that's a hard-fought game," Brady said. "We're lucky six points did it for us."
(No. 6)
DOVER 20, WINNACUNNET 19
at Dover
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
It was halftime of Dover's third game of the season and this much seemed certain: In an hour or so, Dover's record would be 0-3.
The Green Wave trailed Winnacunnet 19-6 and since Winnacunnet had won its two previous games, a comeback appeared unlikely.
Dover cut into its deficit on a 5-yard pass from quarterback Colin Carville to tight end Nick Corbett on its first possesion of the second half. Following a Winnacunnet punt, Dover drove 83 yards for a touchdown that pulled the Green Wave within a point. Carville scored the TD on a 7-yard run, and the Dover coaching staff elected to attempt a two-point coversion.
Halfback Justion Dube ran in the conversion, which gave Dover a 20-19 lead -- its first lead of the season -- with 4:36 to play. The Dover defense did what it had to to preserve the victory.
"They outplayed us in the second half," Winnacunnet coach Ron Auffant said. "They played with more heart than we did in the second half. They wanted it more."
Winnacunnet, which advancted to the Division II championship game, grabbed a 13-0 lead on Jason Busfield's 1-yard run and an 81-yard touchdown pass from Steve Cronan to Harry Knowles.
Dover made it a 13-6 game when Carville hooked up with Ricardo Tavares for a 14-yard TD pass with 3:44 left in the half, but Winnacunnet responded with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Cronan to Knowles to make a 19-6 at the half.
Dover possessed the ball for nearly 18 minutes in the second half.
(No. 7)
NASHUA NORTH 49, LONDONDERRY 48
At Nashua
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
This game will be remembered for two things: lots of offense, and the night Nashua North secured the first playoff berth in school history.
The Lancers had a 42-35 lead until North's Andre Williams scored with 43 seconds remaining in regulation. Anthony Guidice's point-after kick tied the contest and forced overtime.
Londonderry's Alex Lambert scored on a 1-yard run on the first possession of OT. The PAT failed, however, leaving Londonderry with a 48-42 lead.
North's overtime possession ended when Williams scored on a 6-yard run. Guidice's seventh PAT proved to be the difference.
The Lancers lost despite the fact that they had a 475-326 edge in total offense, and a 32:25-15:35 edge in time of possession.
Williams carried the ball 22 times for 99 yards and three touchdowns. North led 28-21 at halftime and 35-28 after three quarters.
Lambert scored four TDs for the Lancers, who had two players rush for more than 100 yards: Sean O'Gorman (15-169) and Joey McLaughlin (18-109).
The victory raised North's record to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in Division I.
(No. 8)
PELHAM 24, KEARSARGE 23
at Kearsarge
This game was all about Kearsarge's inability to stop Pelham quarterback Joe DeAngelo.
DeAngelo ran for two touchdowns, passed for another, ran in a two-point conversion and threw for two other two-point coversions in Pelham's one-point triumph. He also intercepted a pass near Pelham's goal line.
"One-point losses are not fun," Kearsarge coach Dennis Hoffman said.
Kearsarge had a 23-16 lead after Jake McCabe caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Doug Gregory and Adrian Whitcomb made the point-after kick with 10:27 to play, but Pelham responded with a 16-play 70-yard scoring drive that was punctuated with DeAngelo's second rushing TD -- a 3-yard burst with 4:01 to play. DeAngelo also ran for the two-point coversion that capped the scoring and handed the Pythons a one-point lead.
Kearsarge drove deep into Pelham territory on its final possesion, but Tim Schaffer sacked Gregory on a fourth-and-six play from the Pelham 21-yard line.
The victory improved Pelham's record to 4-2. Kearsarge dropped to 3-3.
DeAngelo opened the scoring with a 6-yard run in the first quarter, and helped Pelham build a 16-8 lead at halftime when he hooked up with Kevin Cheam for an 8-yard scoring pass in the second quarter.
Jenkins' 2-yard TD run plus Sam Morgan's conversion pass from Tom Prohl tied the contest in the third.
"We just came up short," Hoffman said. "They made plays at the end."
(No. 9)
PLYMOUTH 13, LACONIA 7
at Plymouth
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
The Bobcats won this contest -- their 50th consecutive victory -- with ground control. Plymouth didn't throw a pass in the contest and held Brian Bozek, Laconia's top running back, to 37 yards rushing on nine carries.
"The passing game was outstanding," Plymouth coach Chuck Lenahan said. "No incompletions and no interceptions."
Plymouth received two touchdowns from senior halfback Colin Hay, who scored on a 6-yard run with 4:16 left in the first half, and an 18-yard run with 4:58 to play in the third quarter.
Laconia created some suspense when quarterback Zach Corbin scored from a yard away with 1:07 left in the game, but the Bobcats pounced on the onside kick and celebrated after their closest game of the year.
Plymouth rushed for 193 yards on 47 attempts. Fullback Kyle McAulliffe led the way with 99 yards on 22 carries.
The victory improved Plymouth's record to 6-0 overall, 5-0 in Division IV. Laconia dropped to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in the division.
The teams met again in the Division IV championship game, where Plymouth prevailed 38-0. That victory stretched Plymouth winning streak to 55 games, which is currently the longest winning streak in the nation.
(No. 10)
BOW 17, PELHAM 14
at Pelham
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
Bow's second-half offensive performance was the story in this contest that featured two Division V playoff teams.
The Falcons trailed 14-7 at halftime, but controlled the ball for 19 minutes and 49 seconds in the final two quarters. Nevertheless, Pelham led 14-10 until the final minute, when Bow quarterback Austin Hill hooked up with tight end Tom Poitras for a 10-yard TD pass with 28 seconds to play. Bow led 17-14 after Poitras converted the point-after kick.
Poitras also made a 38-yard field goal with 3:38 left in the third quarter.
Pelham still had a chance to pull out the victory, but quarterback Joe DeAngelo tossed a long pass that fell incomplete in the end zone one play before he was sacked as time expired.
"Give Bow a lot of credit," Pelham coach Tom Babaian said. "Their players capitalized on all of our mistakes and did everything needed to get a win. Bottom line was they ate up a lot of clock and we just couldn't stop them."
DeAngelo passed for 148 yards and ran for 81 in the loss, which dropped Pelham's record to 2-2. The Pythons didn't lose again until they dropped a 32-18 decision to Bishop Brady in the semifinals.
DeAngelo ran for a touchdown and connected with Kevin Cheam for a 24-yard TD pass that helped Pelham build a 14-7 lead. Bow's other TD came on an 11-yard run by Atticus Swett with 2:39 left in the second quarter.
Bow ran 36 plays from scrimmage in the second half -- 24 more than Pelham.
The victory raised Bow's record to 4-0. The four victories came by a total of 14 points.
