GILFORD 44, EPPING-NEWMARKET 42
at Epping

Both teams learned something about finishing strong in this Division VI contest.

Gilford, the No. 1 seed for the Division VI playoffs, led 38-13 at halftime, but had to hold of a furious second-half rally to preserve the victory.

Gilford seemed to be in control when James Seager scored on a 1-yard run that gave the Golden Eagles a 44-28 advantage with 10:11 to play, but Epping-Newmarket made sure the crowd didn't leave early when it answered with a 15-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Dan Espo capped the drive with a 5-yard TD run, and when quarterback Mike Seaman hooked up with Bernie Hutchinson for the 2-point conversion Gilford's lead was reduced to eight points.

Things became more interesting when Epping-Newmarket's Greg Osgood recovered the onside kick, and Seaman scored on a 1-yard run seven plays later. The TD made it a 44-42 game with 1:13 to play.

Gilford came up big on the game's most important play, however, as Espo was stopped 1-yard short of the goal line on the two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the contest.

Epping-Newmarket's second-half comeback overshadowed a dominating first-half performance by Gilford's Brendan Murphy, who scored five touchdowns in the first two quarters. Four of Murphy's TDs came on Gilford's first five plays.

Seaman completed 12 of 14 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. He also rushed for two TDs.

Coming Tuesday: Top Game No. 9.