RallyNorth.net

Pinkerton knocks off Salem in classic

Saturday, November, 13 By Hector Longo

DERRY, N.H. — Asked to name the play call on his state-semifinal winning touchdown run, Pinkerton Academy's Emmitt Smith laughed, "I don't know, counter sweep something."

Not that Smith doesn't know the Astros' playbook, it's just that the 12-yard TD run with 21 seconds left in yesterday's Division 1 semi against rival Salem was pretty much drawn up in the huddle, only seconds before.

"It was a new play, but a variation of an older play," noted the designer and winning coach, Pinkerton's Brian O'Reilly after his top-seeded Astros slayed defending champion Salem, 21-14. "We ran something similar in the day."

The wingback counter around left end caught Salem off guard and crunching seal blocks by receivers Luke Somers and Cam Cote allowed Smith to speed to the pylon and punch the Astros kick to the state title game. Saturday (12 noon) here at Pinkerton, the Astros will host No. 2 Nashua North (a 49-35 winner over Nashua South yesterday) in the championship game.

"With those blocks, I could have walked in really," said Smith, who finished with 61 yards on 14 carries.
The score ended a brutally physical thriller that saw Salem grab a pair of seven-point leads, only to have the Astros respond.

"Both defenses played great, but they just made one or two big plays, and that was the difference," said Salem coach Jack Gati.

None was bigger than linebacker sandwich on Salem's incomparable Max Jacques, forcing just his fourth fumble of the year (on 215 rushes), which Astro Ryan Coombs pounced on at the Pinkerton 46 with 3:26 left to play and the score knotted at 14-14.

Helped by a Salem personal foul, Pinkerton moved to the Devils 34 but seemed stalled after a loss and than a 5-yard penalty set up a 4th and 16 with under a minute left.

O'Reilly took a shot on a sophomore, the same sophomore he had let have it mercilessly on the sidelines after a couple earlier missed throws, QB Chris St. Onge.

St. Onge (3 for 12, 67 yards) worked with Coombs on the pump and go and lofted a brilliant sideline ball that the junior soared for and plucked at the top of his leap, stopping the clock with a first down at the 15.

"I'm a little unfair. I'm am in his face, because I treat him like a varsity veteran," said O'Reilly. "Sometimes I have to remind myself he's only a sophomore. He made some bad decisions early on, but Chris is going to be for the next two years, our go-to guy on offense. He threw that ball on fourth down exactly where we asked him to. It was a great job." 

Two plays later, Smith dashed home, ending a day which saw Salem dominate the football with a 31:38-16:22 edge in time of possession.

There were no Blue Devils' home runs, just lots of chain-moving singles that pushed Pinkerton to the brink.
"For our defense, those long drives are killers," said Smith. "We want the football. When teams do that, it can be demoralizing. It says a lot to overcome it."

Pinkerton accomplished that feat by swarming linebackers to the football, requiring that Jacques (31-156) and running mate Jerickson Fedrick (18-62) pay a physical toll for every yard.

Like the regular season win, Pinkerton cashed in on special teams as well, from an unlikely source.
After Salem had grabbed the 7-0 lead with a minute left to halftime, Astro reserve Andrew Curran — an up man on the return team — pulled in the short pooch kick and rumbled 40 yards to the Salem 32. The play allowed Pinkerton to grab momentum back before halftime by knotting the score eight plays later on Kevin Davies' TD dive.

"That's the first kick return he's had in his life," joked Smith. "He'll remember it forever. That was awesome, and to get that score was huge."

The teams exchange scores in the third, setting up the wild final sequence.

Pinkerton now has to prep for high-flying North, the only Division 1 team to solve the Astros (33-7) in the regular season.

Smith and the Astros will worry about that some starting this week. For now, it's time to ride the crest of a huge win.

"We're consistent, we pound the ball, and that's why we're going for a state championship," said Smith confidently.