Big plays help Merrimack football cruise past Concord (video)

CONCORD - The big plays on offense haven't been there all the time this season for the Merrimack High School football team.

But they were Friday night against Concord.

The Tomahawks scored three touchdowns in the first half on plays of 69 yards or more, and the defense once again held an opponent to single digits, as Merrimack knocked off the Crimson Tide 39-7 in a Division I game at Memorial Field.

Ben Eichman provided two of the big plays for the Tomahawks, scoring on touchdown runs of 82 and 69 yards in the first half, and he finished the night with 198 yards on nine carries. Merrimack gained 386 of its 519 yards of offense on the ground, and in the first half, outgained Concord 384-84.

"They were a big step in the right direction," Eichman said. "We just kept moving on. The big plays hyped everybody up. We just kept scoring and came out with the W."

James Dowling was just 5 of 14 passing for 132 yards, 84 of which came on a touchdown pass to Garrett Murray late in the first quarter that gave Merrimack (6-1) a 14-0 lead. Dowling also rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown and Adam Thornton also scored, recovering a fumble by Dowling in the end zone.

Concord (4-3) finished with 158 yards of offense, with quarterback Zach Miles leading the way with 49 on the ground while going 6 of 18 for 67 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

"We battled and didn’t roll over, despite the score," Concord coach Eric Brown said. "The first half, they got three long (plays) and that last drive just took the wind out of our sails. Other than that, I thought we played well. We certainly struggled moving the ball. They’re fast defensively and they get after it, and we weren’t ready for it."

The Crimson Tide won the battle of field position early and after each side tried to convert fourth downs without success, Concord got the ball down to the Merrimack 28-yard line. After throwing incomplete on second and third down, Miles to tried to connect with Gage Piwowarczyk on fourth down, but the ball was tipped and intercepted by Merrimack's Zach Twardosky.

Two plays later, the Tomahawks offensive line opened up a huge hole for Eichman, and he raced 82 yards for a touchdown.

"They had been winning field position," Merrimack coach Kip Jacond. 'They were on this side of the field a lot. The pick was big, the run was bigger, just because it completely changed momentum for us. If there’s one kid I’d want to have go through there, it’d be Ben, just because of his vision and his speed."

On Merrimack's next possession, Dowling tried to hit Murray on a deep pass down the left sideline, but came up just short. The Tomahawks were forced to punt, but returned the favor to Concord, and on the first play, the connection worked, as Dowling hit Murray in stride and the senior went 84 yards for the score with 16.1 seconds left in the first quarter.

Eichman added his second touchdown midway through the second quarter, and Jared Dyer ran in the two-point conversion to make it 22-0.

"They’re a great defensive team, but our line set the blocks, and I just had to run," he said. "That’s my job. That’s how it all went down."

Merrimack ended the half with a six-play, 79-yard drive that ended when Dowling scrambled for 23 yards, but fumbled at the Concord 2-yard line. The ball bounced into the end zone and Thornton fell on it for the score and a 30-0 lead.

Dowling score on the first drive of the second half, capping an eight-play, 51-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Concord got on the board to open the fourth, as Miles hit Piwowarczyk for a 35-your touchdown pass with 10:19 left in the game.