Bedford football gets ugly win over Merrimack
BEDFORD – The Bedford High School football team will be at home when the Division II playoffs start next weekend, thanks to a 33-8 win Friday over Merrimack.
BEDFORD – The Bedford High School football team will be at home when the Division II playoffs start next weekend, thanks to a 33-8 win Friday over Merrimack.
But if the Bulldogs have any carry over from Friday, it might be a short trip to the postseason.
Bedford struggled with Merrimack’s defensive pressure in the first half, as the Tomahawks recorded four sacks and intercepted Bedford quarterback James Caparell twice. The ’Hawks also blocked a punt, but Merrimack couldn’t capitalize on any of those opportunities, as Bedford’s defense held when the field got short.
“We’ve shown all year that our defense can bend but not break,” Bedford coach Kurt Hines said. “It was lackluster. We were up by three scores (at halftime), but we possibly should have been up by more.”
Caparell finished the night 15 of 22 passing for 237 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The quarterback also ran for two touchdowns, but had minus-7 yards on the ground thanks to Merrimack’s four sacks. Brian Collins (five catches, 81 yards) and Dylan York (163 total yards) both caught a touchdown pass for Bedford (7-1 in Division II, 8-1 overall).
Merrimack (0-8, 0-10) got 150 yards passing and a touchdown from Ryan Stevens, but the ’Hawks turned the ball over four times and struggled to get anything going on the ground. Merrimack had just 12 yards rushing on 31 carries.
“The game plan was to play aggressive style of defense and get after the quarterback,” Merrimack coach Joe Battista said. “I thought we did that. The coverage was outstanding. I feel the defense has really been bringing it the last few weeks. We’ve got to solve the offensive problems and get the ball in the end zone when the opportunity presents itself.”
One of those opportunities came early, as Caparell was intercepted by Ben Dipalermo on Bedford’s first offensive play. Merrimack got the ball at the Bedford 26-yard line, and converted a fourth down, but couldn’t get closer than the 12 and turned the ball over on downs.
The Bulldogs answered with two straight touchdowns, as Caparell found Collins for a 4-yard score, and then the senior ran it in from 1 yard out to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter.
But then Merrimack cranked up the defensive pressure, sacking Caparell on back-to-back plays on Bedford’s next drive. Facing fourth-and-21, Collins dropped back to punt, but his kick was blocked by Marc Roy and Merrimack took over at Bedford’s 19.
The ’Hawks again kept the drive going by converting a fourth down, and got another first down on a defensive pass interference, but on second-and-goal from the 3, Dipalermo fumbled and Bedford recovered.
Bedford’s Michael Vailas added a 17-yard interception return for a touchdown before halftime and the Bulldogs led 20-0 at the break.
“We started slow, but the guys played good football,” Hines said. “They were bringing a lot of heat with linebackers. We realized we had to make adjustments and hit the short passes a lot sooner.”
Merrimack forced Bedford to go three-and-out to open the second half, and the ’Hawks responded with a 14-play drive, converting two fourth downs on the possession. Merrimack had a first down at Bedford’s 21, but the drive stalled and the ’Hawks turned the ball over on downs.
Bedford came right back on its next drive, scoring on a 15-yard run by Caparell, and after a Merrimack turnover, York took a short pass from Caparell and turned it into a 49-yard touchdown pass to make it 33-0 early in the fourth quarter.
The ’Hawks got on the board with 22 seconds left, as Stevens hit Connor Whelan (seven catches, 94 yards) for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Merrimack will be off for more than two weeks, as it prepares for its Thanksgiving Day game against Souhegan.
Bedford will be the No. 2 seed in the Division II playoffs and will host No. 3 Keene in the semifinals on Nov. 10 at 1 p.m.
“(Merrimack) was bringing a lot of pressure, so that was a good thing for us to look at and break down,” Hines said. “We have to make sure that (Caparell), especially going against Keene, he can’t hold on to it too long. He’s got to get rid of it quick.”
