RallyNorth.net

Fri, Sep 21, 2018 07:00 PM @ Londonderry

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Pinkerton	14	7	0	13	34
Londonderry	0	0	7	7	14

Pinkerton still the team to beat after statement win over Londonderry

Friday, September, 21 By Kyle Gaudette

LONDONDERRY - Pinkerton was mad. Pinkerton was fired up. Pinkerton felt disrespected.

And that's never good for its opponent.

The storyline heading into Friday night was simple.

Londonderry was looking for its first win over its archrival since 2001, and most (if not all) New Hampshire pundits - including The Eagle-Tribune - thought this would be the night the Lancers would break the streak.

"(Londonderry) thinks it's their year this year," said Pinkerton lineman and quad-captain Robbie Fahey.

Yeah, the Astros are a pretty confident bunch.

And Friday night, the entire state learned that it's unwise to pick against them.

Led by a dominating defense and a three-headed attack at running back, Pinkerton asserted itself as the top dog in Division 1 South with a convincing 34-14 win over Londonderry in the Mack Plaque headliner.

You knew the Astros (4-0) came to play when they took the opening drive 91 yards on 11 plays for a score. Gennaro Marra - one head of the three-headed monster - broke off a 32-yard TD, let out a scream and it was game on.

"I mean, everyone was saying we were going to lose," said Fahey. "Both the newspapers were betting against us. I mean, I just think we take it personal when everyone is against us. We just come out here and play football like we should."

On Londonderry's third offensive play, Evan Wilson undercut a receiver to come up with an interception. The Astros didn't convert on that drive, but on their next defensive possession Dylan Poulin recovered a fumble on Londonderry's second play.

Gannon Fast took it from there. His 7-yard TD run made it 14-0 near the end of the first quarter.

The Pinkerton defense, led by Fahey, Tom Moreau Jr. and Trent Leduc up front, stopped Londonderry on a key 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard-line. The Astros proceeded to end the half with a 15-play, 98-yard drive that ended with an Aiden Goujon 1-yard QB keeper to make it 21-0 at the break.

The Lancers just had 114 total yards at half.

"Our defense worked hard all week," said Fahey. "We had a good scout offense on them."

Londonderry (3-1) scored on the first drive of the second half when QB Evan Cormier hit Jeffrey Wiedenfeld for a 14-yard TD. But the Astros put the game away when speedster Avery Battle scored on a 3-yard rush on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 28-7.

A junior, the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Battle showed off his explosiveness Friday night. He finished with 72 yards on just eight carries, and left a handful of Londonderry defenders reaching for their ankles.

"Avery Battle was great tonight, too," said Pinkerton coach Brian O'Reilly. "Avery's got speed that people can't contend with."

Battle agrees.

"I'm the fastest kid out here," he laughed. "It feels great to beat Londonderry."

Fast led the way with 146 yards on 20 carries and two TDs, and Marra grinded out 87 yards on 10 carries and a score.

Pinkerton hosts Salem on Friday (7 p.m.) in another heavyweight battle.

For the Blue Devils' sake, I hope the pundits pick the Astros to win.

"We're No. 1 in the Power Poll," said O'Reilly. "We're undefeated. We've been in 11 out of the last 14 championships. The only thing we're missing this year was the lack of respect, which we finally saw today. Thank you very much members of the media that both picked us to lose.

"That was the one card I couldn't play up until today, and you better believe we played that card before the game."

 

 

Pinkerton 34, Londonderry 14

Pinkerton (4-0):     14 7 0 13 - 34

Londonderry (3-1):      0 0 7  7 - 14

First Quarter

P - Gennaro Marra 32 run (Brandon Roy kick), 8:15

P - Gannon Fast 7 run (Roy kick), 1:02

Second Quarter

P - Aiden Goujon 1 run (Roy kick), :10

Third Quarter

L - Jeffrey Wiedenfeld 14 pass from Evan Cormier (Cormier kick), 7:14

Fourth Quarter

P - Avery Battle 3 run (Roy kick), 11:55

P - Fast 45 run (kick blocked), 5:35

L - Alex Tsetsilas 46 pass from Cormier (Cormier kick), 4:03

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING: PINKERTON (48-344): Gannon Fast 20-146, Gennaro Marra 10-87, Avery Battle 8-72, Brady Day 3-26, Aiden Goujon 5-5, Jake MacInnis 1-5, Evan Wilson 1-3; LONDONDERRY (22-121): Evan Cormier 8-57, Jeffrey Wiedenfeld 10-44, Tyler Kayo 2-11, Jake Holland 1-5, Alex Tsetsilas 1-4

PASSING: P - Goujon 2-11-0, 38; L - Cormier 23-33-1, 218

RECEIVING: P - Marra 2-38; L - Tsetsilas 6-76, Cole Keegan 3-41, Kayo 3-35, Wiedenfeld 6-29; Holland 3-23, Zack Chau 1-7, Mason Marquis 1-7