RallyNorth.net

Pinkerton primed for playoffs

Friday, November, 04 By Jeff Hamrick

MANCHESTER — Having already clinched the home-field advantage that comes with being the top seed in the Division 1 playoffs, Pinkerton could have been excused for overlooking over matched Manchester Memorial.

Instead the Astros removed any doubt why they’re the overwhelming favorite to win a second consecutive state title, posting their third shutout of the season with a 41-0 victory over the Crusaders last night.

“We knew we had to have a good game under our belts going into the playoffs,” said senior running back Emmitt Smith, who ran for two scores and caught another. “We couldn’t go into the playoff slow, so we had to come out here and show we’re still the best team in the state. Hopefully, we can keep that string going in the playoffs.”

The Astros (9-1 overall, 8-0 Division 1) had possessions stymied by a fumble and interception in the first half, but even those mistakes weren’t enough to keep Pinkerton down for long.

Ryan Coombs, got the scoring started with a 51-yard punt return midway through the first, and then the Astros scored on each of their ensuing three possessions.

Manny Latimore scored on a 62-yard run then Smith got into the action, capping off a a 7-play drive with a 3-yard run. The Astros’ next two scores came on second-quarter passes from Chris St. Onge of 43 yards to Coombs and 28 to Smith, who finished off the night’s scoring with a 41-yard run early in the third.

“We just needed to take this game seriously,” Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly said. “Obviously not playoff intensity, but not allow them to take advantage of the fact that a lot of kids would be sitting back a little bit. We preached all week how we had to take this game seriously, and they did.”

Pinkerton, which allowed Memorial only 49 yards rushing on 32 carries and 131 total yards, play host to fourth-seeded Salem next Saturday. The Astros piled up 339 rushing yards in a 49-14 victory over the Blue Devils in Week 4.

“We’d be naive to think they’re not making adjustments to what we did,” Smith said. “Nobody likes to get beat like that. So, we know they’re looking at film, they’re going to get ready and they’re going to have a new game plan. So, we’re going to be ready like we lost to them the first time. It’s going to be a good game.”