RallyNorth.net

Fri, Sep 07, 2007 07:30 PM @ Manchester Memorial

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Salem	6	22	6	8	42
Manchester Memorial	0	0	0	7	7

Salem rolls to second straight lopsided win

Saturday, September, 08 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

MANCHESTER, N.H. | Two weeks, two early knockouts.

Still seeking a challenge, the Salem High football team smothered host Manchester Memorial, 42-7, before about 700 fans at Chabot-McDonough Stadium.

The game-time temperatures, still near 80 degrees with high humidity, made for potential cramping and fatigue problems. Salem's starters wouldn't have to worry, building a 28-0 lead at the intermission and marching 78 yards for a fifth TD on the opening drive of the second half.

The Blue Devil regulars would unbuckle the chin straps for good with 6:48 left in the third quarter, holding a 34-0 advantage.

"We have good linemen, they work hard and open holes," said Salem quarterback Hal Landers, who ran the first unit to perfection as it chewed up 331 yards of offense on 39 plays (8.5 yards per play) in its 30 minutes of work. "The running game was there and the play-action pass was there, too. Just about anything we wanted was there."

Shane McMahon had the hot hand with 10 carries for 125 yards and a pair of TDs. Kevin Sledge and bruiser Jimmy Stewart put it into cruise control early but combined for 92 yards and a pair of TDs on 18 carries.

"If we keep playing defense like that, we're going to be OK," beamed Salem coach Jack Gati.

Memorial's spread attack, complete with swing pass after swing pass, was stifled by swarm tackling by the Blue Devils linebackers, led by Chris Sousa (6 tackles) and Jharid Pratt (7 tackles).

Memorial's lone highlight, a 72-yard dash from his own 3 by Ben Copp, was more of a product of Salem's gambling defense. Landers tracked Copp down and time ran out on the Crusaders at the Salem 23.

Take away the one run and the Salem starters held the home club to just 32 yards of offense on 21 first-half plays.

"We played a basic cover-three (three defensive backs playing deep) and just shut them down the whole way," said Landers.

For the second straight week, the defensive linemen | Shane Mattogno, Shawn Stoodley and Mitchell Baldwin | wreaked havoc.

Gati substituted liberally the rest of the way, and junior Kyle Kenney cleaned up on the ground, rolling up 83 yards on 7 tries with a 44-yard TD burst.

There was some bad news on the Blue Devils front as senior Nicholas Cavallo, according to Gati, spent the night in the hospital. The coach, citing school policy, wouldn't comment on the nature of the ailment, only that he was hospitalized.

Cavallo is an important two-way player and the Blue Devils' top place-kicker. A trio of Salem kickers missed three different PAT tries and had a fourth one compromised on a botched snap. Gati will continue searching for a replacement.

Salem next tangles with Londonderry at home on Friday night.