Complete game by Alvirne leads to D1 playoff win over Concord (video)

HUDSON - The first half of Saturday's Division I preliminary-round game might have been a little bit of déjà vu for Matt Lee.

The Alvirne High School football coach felt like he was watching a replay of his team's regular-season meeting with Concord, and that was good news for the Broncos.

No. 8 Alvirne scored on all three of its possessions in the first half, kept No. 9 Concord in check on defense, and won field position with its special teams, on the way to a 33-10 victory. It's the first D1 playoff win for the Broncos and just their second ever playoff home game, and the win puts them in the quarterfinals, where Alvirne will go to No. 1 Bedford next weekend.

Mike Landmesser ran for 161 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Broncos' offense while the defense took away Concord's passing game and kept it out of the end zone until late in the third quarter. Shawn Boudreau put three of his four kickoffs in the first half into the end zone for a touchback to help Alvirne (7-3) control field position.

"We played a complete game," Lee said. "We came out sharp. I think we scored on all three possessions in the first half. It seemed a lot like the first matchup, not a lot of possessions in the first half. It was pretty complete."

Charlie Crawford also ran for 75 yards and was 8 of 9 passing for 162 yards and a touchdown, which came on the opening drive of the second half. Crawford connected with Ryan Rocheleau, who had two catches for 55 yards, on a 33-yard scoring toss.

"We sputtered at times, and when you’re playing a team like this, that can’t really happen," Concord coach Jim Corkum said. "They’re a really good team. I’ve got nothing but the upmost respect for Coach Lee and his program and what he’s done here. They’ve got some fire power and we knew what we were up against. Unfortunately, we just didn’t make enough plays to come out with a win."

Tim Fahnbulleh led the Crimson Tide (4-5) with 124 yards on the ground and a touchdown, scoring on a 32-yard run with 1:06 left in the third quarter.

But Concord struggled to move the ball otherwise, gaining just 210 yards on offense. Quarterback Colby Nyhan was 3 of 9 for 48 yards, but two of those completions were on the final drive of the game.

"They played their defensive ends in these wide techniques and they’d bring some pressure every once in a while," Corkum said. "With our running back support on protection, you kind of have to pick and choose where you’re going to go, leaving one guy one-on-one on the outside rush. It did make some of our passing game a little more difficult.

"I was pretty happy with how we ran the ball (Saturday), but you get yourself down a couple of scores, it’s hard to continue to just churn out yards on the ground and expect to come back, especially when we’re not stopping them."

After forcing Concord to go three-and-out to start the game, Alvirne went on a seven-play, 53-yard drive, capped by a 13-yard touchdown run by Landmesser.

The Crimson Tide picked up a couple of first downs on their next possession, but turned the ball over on downs near midfield. This time, the Broncos needed eight plays to go 54 yards, with Landmesser scoring from seven yards out for a 14-0 lead with 9:07 left in the second quarter.

Concord again picked up a pair of first downs, but the offense stalled near midfield again. This time, the Crimson Tide punted, but the ball went into the end zone for a touchback.

Alvirne went on another eight-play drive, this time covering 80 yards, ending with Landmesser's third touchdown, this time from three yards out.

"You’re not going to win a playoff game without any rushing yards, it doesn't matter who you are playing," Lee said. "Mike did a good job and the offensive line was better. When we’re balanced, we’re pretty good."

Concord's Colin Savard was able to return the ensuing kickoff to the 30, and a 29-yard run by Fahnbulleh helped set up a 34-yard field goal by Nyhan as time expired in the first half to make it 20-3.

But Alvirne scored on its first two drives to open the second half to put the game away before the end of the third quarter.

"It felt like they went to their bread and butter, what’s gotten them here," Corkum said. "They’ve got some kids who it’s going to take more than one guy to bring them down. They do a really good job keeping teams off balance."