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# Clippers crush Spartans to advance to title game
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/clippers-crush-spartans-to-advance-to-title-game/
- Published: 2010-11-13T06:47:03.000Z
- Updated: 2010-11-13T06:47:03.000Z
- Description: PORTSMOUTH – The Milford High School football team had injuries added to insult against Portsmouth Friday night and the results weren’t pretty.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division III-IV, Fall Sports, Division III, football, Milford, playoffs, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/mhsfball1112-mhsdef1.jpg "MHSfball1112 MHSdef1")

PORTSMOUTH – The Milford High School football team had injuries added to insult against Portsmouth Friday night and the results weren’t pretty.

The second-seeded Clippers scored their first touchdown just 56 seconds into the Division III semifinal game, and it didn’t get any better from there for the No. 3 Spartans, as they saw their season come to an end in a 51-3 loss.

Milford trailed 24-3 at the end of the first quarter and 37-3 at halftime, as the Spartans were outgained 272-65 and committed 11 penalties in the first 24 minutes of the game.

And if that wasn’t enough, Milford (6-3 in division, 6-5 overall) lost seniors John Forte and Max Goudreau to injury in the first half.

Forte was knocked out of the game in the first quarter on a big hit by Portsmouth’s Rick Holt, and left the field on a stretcher as a precaution. Goudreau took a shot on the elbow early in the second quarter and also did not return to the game.

“He’s good,” Milford coach Keith Jones said of Forte. “He came back (to the field). It was just a precautionary thing. We wanted to make sure he was OK. He had a concussion – that’s what I’m guessing.

“Right at the end of the first quarter Max took a helmet to the elbow and his arm went numb. We’re already short on athletes compared to them as it is, then we lose two. Now it’s just Band-Aids.”

While Forte and Goudreau have been the top offensive players for the Spartans this year, their loss was more immediately felt on defense. With Milford already playing uncharacteristically in an attempt to counter Portsmouth’s athleticism, things went from bad to worse.

“They forced us into doing things defensively that we don’t like to do,” Jones said. “It was like pick your poison. We tried to matchup with them man-to-man, but if we had played a zone, we would have been just outmatched in open space. The game plan early was to try to at least put the pressure on at the line of scrimmage so they’d have to get off jams and things like that. They’re gifted and they did a great job.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/mhsfball1112-mhs80-2.jpg "MHSfball1112 MHS80-2")

Milford caught a break on Portsmouth’s first play from scrimmage, as Aidan O’Leary was wide open when he dropped a pass from Quinn McCann. That didn’t matter much, as McCann went right back to O’Leary three plays later for a 57-yard touchdown. After Milford was called for two encroachment penalties on the extra point, Portsmouth went for two and got it to make it 8-0 with 11:04 still to play in the first quarter.

Forte thwarted Portsmouth’s next drive by intercepting McCann deep in Milford territory. But penalties moved the Spartans backward and on fourth down, the snap sailed over the head of Bud Theriault and went out of the end zone for a safety.

Billy Lane then put the Clippers up 17-0, scoring from 42 yards out on the next play from scrimmage after the free kick by Milford.

Forte gave the Spartans some life by returning the ensuing kickoff to the Portsmouth 20-yard line, but five plays later, the senior back was knocked out of the game. After a delay of over 30 minutes, Milford was forced to settle for a 24-yard field by Mark Hamilton to make it 17-3.

Portsmouth scored on its next three possessions to go up by 34 points at halftime, and the Clippers tacked on touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half.

McCann finished with 132 yards passing and four touchdowns, two of which went to O’Leary. The Portsmouth quarterback also ran for a score and Lane added 119 yards rushing and a touchdown on just five carries.

“They did a hell of a job and they deserved to win,” Jones said. “We couldn’t get anything going.”

Portsmouth will wait to find out who it will face in the Division III championship game on Nov. 13\. No. 1 Souhegan and No. 4 Hollis/Brookline will play in the other semifinal game on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Amherst.