| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Londonderry | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Pinkerton | 7 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
Saturday, October, 01
By David Willis
Staff writer
DERRY — By late in the third quarter, when Ryan Coombs set up to return a punt, he knew the ball would not be coming his way.
“I think they learned their lesson and started kicking it out of bounds,” he said with a chuckle.
The dynamic Pinkerton senior ran two punts back for 70-plus yard touchdowns and caught a 76-yard touchdown pass from Chris St. Onge — on three straight times touching the ball — to lead the Astros to a 41-6 victory over archrival Londonderry in their annual Mack Plaque matchup yesterday afternoon.
“I’d say any kid that runs two punts for touchdowns,” said Astros coach Brian O’Reilly, “catches a long touchdown pass, plays defense and kicks deserves some credit.”
Pinkerton led just 7-6 with 4:49 to go in the half when Coombs struck first, catching a slant and running past the defense for the 76-yard score.
“We had worked on that play in practice and it finally went the way we wanted,” said Coombs. “Our team comes out a little slow, so anything that can happen fast is good.”
The Astros then held the Lancers to a three-and-out, and back came Coombs.
Fielding the punt at his 21-yard line, he picked up a block and flew 79 yards for the touchdown with 0:32 to go in the half. On Londonderry’s first punt of the second half, Coombs added his third score of the day, a 71-yard punt return in which he juked a defender just in front of the goal line.
“The wall (of blockers) was just perfect and I didn’t have to do much cutting at all,” said Coombs, who also scored a pair of touchdowns in a win over Salem last week. “I hadn’t been in the end zone much before this year, really the last few weeks. It’s been so fun.”
Coombs also made a stellar hit to jar the ball loose from a receiver with Londonderry marching, made five tackles and kicked five extra points.
“He’s the man,” said fullback/linebacker Kevin Davies. “He’s very versatile and can do anything we ask of him.”
Davies was once again a workhorse for the Astros, rushing for a game-high 121 yards and their first score of the day, with Emmitt Smith and St. Onge also each rushing for a score.
Pinkerton also tightened up on defense after allowing Londonderry to march up the field and take a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. Matt St. Onge led the Astros with eight tackles while Brandon Rogers and Andrew Curran each made six stops.
“We buckled down after that first drive,” said Davies. “We struggled, so we got everyone together and said, ‘Get to the ball and wrap up.’ We were much better after that.”
The win sets up a meeting of undefeateds on Thursday, with the Astros taking on fellow 5-0 Division 1 foe Exeter.
“We can’t wait,” said Coombs.
First Quarter
L — Michael Wiedenfeld 4 run (kick failed), 6:06
P — Kevin Davies 12 run (Ryan Coombs kick), 2:07
Second Quarter
P — Emmitt Smith 10 run (Coombs kick), 4:39
P — Coombs 76 pass from Chris St. Onge (kick failed), 2:02
P — Coombs 79 punt return (Coombs kick), 0:32
Third Quarter
P — Coombs 71 punt return (Coombs kick), 5:14
Fourth Quarter
P — St. Onge 4 run (Coombs kick), 10:38
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: P (40-282) — Kevin Davies 12-121, Emmitt Smith 9-57, Manny Latimore 7-50, Chris St. Onge 5-28, Jacob Burton 1-13, Brett Connal 3-12, Matt St. Onge 1-4, Nick Mazzola 1-0, Jake Lisauska 1-(-3); L (36-146) — Michael Wiedenfeld 16-58, Demetrious Hoggard 7-28, Kyle Graham 3-26, Aaron Gaudet 2-9, Vinnie Parilla 5-20, David Sharkey 3-5
PASSING: P — Chris St. Onge 1-2-0, 76; L — Dylan Cole 3-9-0, 31
RECEIVING: P — Ryan Coombs 1-76; L — Wiedenfeld 2-22, Parilla 1-9
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