RallyNorth.net

Fri, Aug 31, 2007 07:00 PM @ Londonderry

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Manchester Central	6	6	6	0	18
Londonderry	0	20	0	7	27

Theodosi, Griffin impressive in Londonderry win

Saturday, September, 01 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

LONDONDERRY, N.H. | The question rang out louder the Lancer marching band's massive horn section.

Who is this guy?

New Hampshire football fans, say hello to Ryan Griffin. You'll be seeing him a lot this season.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior transfer from New Hampton Prep introduced himself with a flourish last night. He rushed for 108 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Londonderry to a 27-18 win over Manchester Central in front of a rain-thinned crowd at Lancer Park.

"He can pass, he can run, he's fast, he's strong, he can catch," said senior running back Alexander Theodosi, who rushed for 209 yards on 29 carries. "He can do it all."

The all-around back | Griffin threw a single (incomplete) pass and broke up two passes on defense | showed power and flair early on, busting up the middle then down the sideline for a 54-yard TD at 11:22 in the second quarter to put his team on the board. A few yards from the end zone, he dove and somersaulted to paydirt.

The decision earned him a crowd roar and an unsportsman-like conduct penalty.

"I tried to sell it like (the defender) was going to catch me," Griffin said. "But I mean I can't complain. I had to do it."

Theodosi, whose 1-yard TD run capped a 20-6 second-quarter run, shrugged but managed a smile when addressing the flip.

"I was a little upset when he did that," Theodosi said. "I knew he was going to do it too. I saw him right before. But it didn't matter."

In the end, Griffin's contributions outweighed the penalty. His 6-yard score and Cody Byrd's PAT at 7:36 in the fourth quarter gave the Lancers a nine-point cushion.

"(Players like Griffin) don't come around too often," Londonderry coach Tom Sawyer said. "Especially the skilled ones.

"The kid can sky. He'll end up being the best high school basketball player in the state of New Hampshire. You heard it here first."

By the end of the evening, the student section started a "We've got Griffin chant."

The Little Green found that out quickly. When asked if Central knew what to expect with him, the confident Griffin smiled.

"No. Absolutely not," he said. "They didn't know what hit them."

Odds and ends Brandon Edgerly and Scott Worth each had an INT for Londonderry. ... Griffin on Theodosi, who finished with a career high in rushing: "Alex has been a great teammate. Big yardage (for him) and a big win." ... The win was extra sweet for the Lancers, who fell to the Little Green 22-21 in the season opener last year.