Bow football hoping to take advantage of second opportunity in D2 championship game
Paul Cohen remembers the aftermath of last year's Division II championship game like it happened last week.
The Bow High School football team gathered on the field at the University of New Hampshire after falling 27-24 to Plymouth on a late touchdown and Cohen asked the players who would be back in 2017 to think about where they'd like to be in a year.
Many of them pointed to the turf they on, while some said they wanted another shot at winning a championship, and one, Jack Corriveau, said he'd like to be in the same place against the same opponent.
So here the Falcons are, getting their wish, as they'll again face Plymouth for the D2 championship at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at UNH.
"It’s something that is truly awesome for a group of athletes," Cohen said. "Not many ever make it to a championship game, and the fact they can say they played in not one, but two consecutive, it’s something awesome and it means the world to them."
While Bow's path to the title game seemed improbable to some last season - the Falcons were the seventh seed and upset John Stark and Hanover on the road - this year's run to the championship may be even more so.
After losing to John Stark in the next-to-last regular season game, Bow was 5-2 and needed a lot of help to get into the playoffs. First thing was first, the Falcons needed a win over Lebanon in the finale, and they got one, beating the Raiders 40-7.
"Leading into that last game, I told them, you can’t control what goes on outside of here," Cohen said. "You have to control what goes on on our field. We must win and even if we do win, there is no guarantee."
This year, as the eighth seed, Bow (8-2) traveled to face No. 1 and undefeated Windham, and handed the Jaguars a 20-15 loss, winning on a touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Harkins to Mark Borak in the final minute of the game.
Like last season, the Falcons went to No. 4 Hanover for the semifinals, winning 19-7 over the previously unbeaten Marauders. Corriveau led the way in that one, rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown to go with a 9-yard touchdown reception from Harkins.
"No body thought we would do what we’ve done," Cohen said. "We prevailed by playing our game. Not to say we didn’t make mistakes, because we have. We’ve been working feverishly to address mistakes on both sides of the ball. My tagline to the team on Monday was I was still looking for it and they had one more shot to play that perfect game."
When Bow played Plymouth (10-0) during the regular season, the Falcons were far from perfect in a 42-26 loss. The game went into running time in the second half before Bow scored late to make the final a little closer.
Cohen was disappointed by the result, not because the Falcons came up short, but because of the way it happened.
"As demoralized as we were, I told them I’m not upset because we lost, I’m upset because we didn’t play the way we were capable of playing," Cohen said. "Had they given me everything, and we lost, there was nothing I can say. If you lose a game because you don’t play well, that’s what makes me annoyed.
"I asked them, do you want another shot, and unanimously, they said yes. That was a pivotal point for us. We’ve been much more efficient, much more balanced. I definitely think we’re a better team."
Corriveau has been a big part of that for Bow, leading the Falcons on both side of the ball.
"He has been a workhorse for us on offense," Cohen said. "Lots of schools have bruising running backs. We’ve always had that. You counter to that is a smaller, more elusive back. Corriveau has both of those capabilities, and you can’t coach that. It’s just a gift that he has. I know he’s giving everything he has."
While the Falcons realize what they're up against on Saturday, Cohen hopes that Bow can send this group of seniors out with a better lasting memory than a year ago.
"The irony is while you’re in the season, it’s the most important thing in your world," the coach said. "Once the season ends, it starts to fade and all you have left are memories. Hopefully fond memories. You don’t want them to look back at senior year and go ‘what if.’
"Unfortunately, our 2016 seniors have that, what if we had won. For this group, they’ve taken that to heart."
