RallyNorth.net

Sat, Nov 05, 2011 12:00 PM @ Kearsarge

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Windham	0	14	13	6	33
Kearsarge	0	6	14	7	27

Windham topples defending champ Kearsarge in semis

Wednesday, December, 14 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

HANOVER, N.H. — "We've got to finish, we've got to finish!"

That was the rallying cry on the Windham sideline in the Division 5 semifinals yesterday afternoon, and the Jaguars on the field heeded it almost perfectly in a dramatic 33-27 victory over defending state champion Kearsarge.

As a result, Windham — in only its second year of varsity football — can finish off a state championship next Saturday at No. 1-seed St. Thomas, which blew out Somersworth 50-15 yesterday.

"You're making history every step of the way," Windham coach Bill Raycraft told his excited squad afterward. Later, Raycraft added that, "To go to the championship game in Year 2 is unbelievable, but it's really not surprising. In (preseason) camp, we told them they could do it and we set that as our goal, to get there and win it."

Getting past Kearsarge, which had beaten Windham 28-14 during the regular season, wasn't easy, but a combination of gutsy play calling and some terrific individual performances made it possible.

Taking the play calling first:

ÔÇæ A fake punt in the second quarter, on a 4th and 6 at the 50-yard line, resulted in a 27-yard run by Kevin Cooney and led to the first TD of the game.

ÔÇæ Ahead 7-6 late in the first half, with time running out and a 3rd and 15 on Windham's 31, instead of taking the lead into halftime, quarterback Joe Lorenz pump faked a swing pass and then lofted a bomb to Danny Cannone, who grabbed it and completed the 69-yard play with 44 seconds left before intermission.

ÔÇæ With the score deadlocked 20-20, Windham opted against a sure field goal on a fourth-and-goal from the 5. Lorenz made the decision a smart one as he lofted a scoring pass into the end zone to Artem Aristov.

ÔÇæ Tied 27-27 with less than a minute to go, with a third and 8 on their own 24, instead of preparing for overtime, the Jaguars pulled a tricky counter draw play, which Cooney took 50 yards downfield.

Two plays later, Lorenz connected with Scott Priestley on a 23-yarder and the winning score.

"They were calculated risks, but the opportunities were there and I have a lot of confidence in my kids," said Raycraft.

Lorenz couldn't have been happier.

"I love it (play calling)," said the junior quarterback. "Coach called all the right plays ... he coached a great game."

But it also required those individual efforts, as well as a collective one:

ÔÇæ Lorenz was superb through the air (9 for 12, 152 yards), showing great accuracy and poise. On the final pass to Priestley, he held the ball while scrambling and waited patiently for Priestley to transition from a swing pass to more of a downfield pass.

Defensively, Lorenz also had an interception and made a key tackle on a Kearsarge 2-point conversion try.

— Cooney had a monster second half, scoring on a 71-yard run in the third quarter, and finishing with 208 yards on 21 carries, this after being hounded in the first half in wake of gaining 185 yards in the first game against Kearsarge.

"It seemed like they had four guys on me," said Cooney. "But I was up for it. When coach called that (draw), my heart stopped, I was so excited. I'm just glad I could keep going."

ÔÇæ Although he had only the one grab, Aristov's TD catch was a terrific one as he took the ball away from a defender before securing it.

ÔÇæ The entire Windham defense held Kearsarge to 141 yards rushing and 224 total yards while intercepting two passes. The front line of Cooney, Aristov, David Critchton and Pat Stap were immense.

"We told them they could do this," said Raycraft. "(in preseason), we even gave them shirts with the date of the championship game. But we don't want to just go there — we want to win it."