Big plays help lift Londonderry football over Nashua North

LONDONDERRY - As two 2-0 teams clashed in Londonderry, it was one final explosive play that lifted the Londonderry High School football team over Nashua North 26-21.

That big final play was a 74-yard kick return by Lancer halfback Connor Dubois, who put the Lancers at the doorstep after a North defensive touchdown late in the fourth.

The game had a clear crescendo as it started off low scoring in the first half. The games scoring opened on long Londonderry drive where the Lancers (3-0) had two fake punts. The first forced North to use up a timeout, and the second fake punt was a successful indirect snap to the up-back.

The drive was capped off by a 16-yard TD run by Londonderry quarterback Michael McAlister, his first of four on the night. McAlister credited his offensive line for his success after his second four-touchdown game of the year.

“I couldn’t score without my line blocking for me, and we couldn’t win this game without our defense that got a big stop when we needed it," the senior said.

Less than a minute after the first touchdown, the Titans countered with a 53-yard touchdown pass from Mike Loveless to Austin Ouellette. These two connected six times for 139 yards, and the score gave North a 7-6 in the first, which the Titans (2-1) held until halftime.

The only other scoring opportunities in the first half were a Londonderry missed field goal, and both teams had plays that just missed being certain touchdowns.

On the opening drive of the second half, Londonderry scored on McAlister’s second touchdown run, this one from 34 yards out on an option play. The other offensive weapon for the Lancers was sophomore Jeffrey Wiedenfel,d who tallied 117 yards.

The action really got started with 5:38 left in the game, where McAlister had his third touchdown on a 44-yard touchdown run, pushing the score to 20-6.

But on the ensuing drive, Loveless and Ouellette connected again on a deep play, with work horse back RJ Jenkins, who finished the game with 79 yards, pushing in the ball across from the 1-yard line. This made the score 20-14 Londonderry with 4:47 remaining.

North elected to kick deep on the ensuing kickoff, trusting in the defense, according to coach Dante Laurendi.

“We didn’t even discuss decision to kick away,” the North coach said.

That decision paid off when a few plays later defensive linemen Steve Larkin took a fumble into the end zone, giving North a 21-20 lead with 3:05 left.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Dubois had the long return giving Londonderry great field position for McAlister’s final touchdown.

North was able to mount a solid final drive, but with 32 seconds left, Jacob Dionne intercepted a third-down play sealing the victory at 26-21

“This was a great win and I am proud of my seniors for fighting," Londonderry coach Jimmy Lauzon said. "All week I worked really hard to make sure we didn’t look ahead to Pinkerton, but if there is a chance for that matchup to be between two 2-0 teams, that is exciting.”

Both teams will take on rivals on Friday, with North facing Nashua South (1-2), and Londonderry traveling to Pinkerton (2-0).