RallyNorth.net

Londonderry steamrolls overmatched Trinity

Saturday, October, 13 By Ryan Lambert
Staff writer

New Hampshire's Division 1 contenders had better take notice. Londonderry is building steam.

With massive senior back Ryan Griffin returning to 100 percent health after battling nagging injuries all season, the Lancers have a pair of feature backs in he and Alex Theodhosi who strike fear into the hearts of linemen and linebackers all over the state.

The pair combined for 266 yards on 22 carries, with all but four of those touches in the first half, as Londonderry pummelled independent Trinity 56-6. The Lancers have won their last two games by a combined score of 97-12.

"It's fantastic (to have Griffin back to full health) because then you have him and Theo to worry about," said Lancers coach Tom Sawyer, whose team improved to 5-2. "It's not a one-back offense any more, there are two and three backs to deal with because we have a couple wingbacks that are pretty quick, too."

Theodhosi (112 yards on 10 carries, giving him 1,043 on the year) and Griffin (154 on 12) combined to engineer scores on each of the Lancers' first four possessions in the first half.

The first three were runs by Theodhosi and the fourth was a 37-yard run by quarterback Craig Enos. A key downfield block from the 6-6, 230-pound Griffin gave Enos all the breathing room he needed to find the end zone.

"We did things right and didn't make any mistakes," Theodhosi said simply. "We knew we could run against this team and did it well."

Almost completely unnoticed in the game was the fact that Theodhosi reached 1,000 yards on the ground for the season with an 11-yard run with just under 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.

"Oh, it's good for him (to get to 1,000)," said Sawyer. "That's something he'll always remember and be able to tell his kids one day. I think Theo will probably break the (single-season rushing record of 1,419, set by Steve Miller in 1999) if he stays on track.

"Alex is Alex," he added with a laugh. "That's the best way to put it. He's footloose and fancy-free. He's a real smart kid, too, he's an Ivy League-type of kid. I don't think Alex even thought about (passing 1,000)."

Theodhosi seemed less impressed with the feat.

"It's nice to get 1,000," he said with a shrug, "but first things first, you want to get the win and make sure it's in the bag."

Theodhosi made sure of that when he ran a punt back 71 yards to give the Lancers a 34-0 halftime lead. Griffin only needed four consecutive touches in the second half, runs of 3, 16, 47, and 5 yards, to find the end zone for his lone score. After that, Sawyer pulled all his starters.