> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Alvirne football shuts down Merrimack for third straight win - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/alvirne-football-shuts-down-merrimack-for-third-straight-win/ - Published: 2014-09-27T17:01:57.000Z - Updated: 2014-09-27T17:01:57.000Z - Description: MERRIMACK - Jack Mahoney had several reasons to give when asked how the Alvirne High School football team was able to pull out a 13-7 win Friday night over Merrimack. - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Fall Sports, Alvirne, Division I, football, Merrimack, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 ![Alvirne's Jack Mahoney fights off a tackle as he picks up yards during Friday's game against Merrimack.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/jmalvmerfball092614-a5-4.jpg) Alvirne's Jack Mahoney fights off a tackle as he picks up yards during Friday's game against Merrimack. MERRIMACK - Jack Mahoney had several reasons to give when asked how the Alvirne High School football team was able to pull out a 13-7 win Friday night over Merrimack. "Danny Brown is a great quarterback and we have some of the best wideouts in the state in Andrew Stevens and George Notini," Mahoney said. "We've got a great fullback in Ethan Rainville and a great line up front. Our coaches did a great job scouting them. They watched hours of video. Mike Roberts did a great job, he had a couple of picks, and we just did a great job on defense." ![Merrimack's Justin Grassini gets rid of the ball as teammate Joe Giampietro tries to block Alvirne's Harold Leete.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/jmalvmerfball092614-m15-2.jpg) Merrimack's Justin Grassini gets rid of the ball as teammate Joe Giampietro tries to block Alvirne's Harold Leete. And it didn't hurt that the Broncos had Mahoney, as the senior rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries, and also had an interception, as Alvirne (3-1) won its third straight game. After scoring 81 points in previous two games, the Broncos were shutout in the second half, but held Merrimack (2-2) to just 159 on offense. "We didn't play our best game," Alvirne coach Tim Walsh said. "We executed when we had to. Merrimack is a good team. It was a physical game and both sides made some mistakes. We just made fewer, I guess. We came up with a big play when we had to and got the first down to seal it at the end." Rainville added 25 yards and a touchdown in six carries as Alvirne rushed for 228 yards on a night when it had troubles throwing the football. Brown was just 3 of 11 for 14 yards through the air, but the Broncos defense made up for whatever lack of offense there might have been. "We got beat up physically," Merrimack coach Dante Laurendi said. "We lost the battle on the lines. Their line controlled our line and we didn't do a good job protecting our quarterback. We couldn't get any rhythm going offensively. "Their defense did a great job keeping us out of sync. They brought some pressure and we didn't do a good job of physically picking it up. Guys were going to the right spots, but guys were just physically beating us." Merrimack's Justin Grassini was 19 of 37 passing for 152 yards and a touchdown, but also threw two interceptions, including one on the Tomahawks' final drive. For the second straight week, Grassini was forced from the game with an injury in the second half, but this time, the sophomore returned after sitting out a drive. "It tells me he wants to compete," Laurendi said. "It was a frustrating night for him, but he’s a competitor whether things are going good or bad." The Broncos were able to get some pressure on Grassini, forcing him into some bad throws, which was something Walsh had hoped they could do. "We were able to get some pressure on him, we were planning on doing that," the coach said. "We thought maybe because he’s a sophomore, maybe we could rattle him a little bit. He got hurt and showed some toughness coming back in the game. It's a different team when he's in there." ![Alvirne's Tyler Janko tries to bring down Merrimack's Tyler DeNeill.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/jmalvmerfball092614-m5-2.jpg) Alvirne's Tyler Janko tries to bring down Merrimack's Tyler DeNeill. Mahoney put Alvirne on the board with a 2-yard touchdown run on its second drive, but Merrimack blocked the extra point to keep it 6-0 with 6:37 left in the first quarter. The Tomahawks answered with their best drive of the first half, putting together a 12-play possession that got them down to the Alvirne 23\. But two shots by Grassini toward the end zone were incomplete and Merrimack turned the ball over on downs. Rainville made it 13-0 by scoring on a 15-yard run on the second play of the second quarter and that's where it stood at halftime. Merrimack opened the second half with a 12-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Grassini to Andy DeGregorio (eight catches, 62 yards) and cut the Alvirne lead to 13-7 with 8:26 left in the third quarter. The teams traded punts and turnovers for most of the second half, but Merrimack still had a shot when it got the ball back at its own 20-yard line with 2:22 to play. Grassini hit DeGregorio for gains of 3 and 11 yards, respectively, to give the Tomahawks a first down at their 33, but a deep ball intended for Ryan Barry was intercepted by Roberts (two interceptions) to end the threat. Merrimack has a short week, as it will face Nashua North on Thursday at Stellos Stadium, while Alvirne returns home to host Salem on Friday.