Everything came together for Winnacunnet football on run to D1 title game

There was a feeling around the Winnacunnet High School football team that this season could be a good one.

While the Warriors had won just three of nine games in 2016, they had kept things close against some of the top teams in Division I, struggling to pull out close games or finish off teams that were on the ropes.

It was a unique situation for the players who are juniors and seniors this season, as they'd experienced a lot of success coming up through the ranks of football on the seacoast.

"We’ve had some pretty strong JV teams over the years," Winnacunnet coach Ron Auffant said. "As freshmen, they were good. They won on the lower levels, so we knew there was some talent here. We just had to put it together."

It's come together about as well as could have been imagined for the Warriors (11-0), as they'll try to complete the program's first perfect season Saturday at 6 p.m. against Pinkerton (10-1) in the D1 championship game at the University of New Hampshire.

After two games this season, the Warriors still weren't sure of what they had, having beaten Dover and Concord to open the year. With a three-game stretch against Bedford, Exeter and Goffstown following those first two games, Auffant figured the coaching staff would know a lot on the other side.

But when the Warriors knocked off Bedford, 20-8, in the first game of that run, there was a noticeable change among the players.

"When we beat Bedford, it was such a confidence builder," Auffant said. "We thought we might have something special here. Coming back and beating Goffstown the way we did (in the regular season) and then Bedford in the playoffs, it shows you the team deals with adversity well."

What stood out the most during that stretch was the team's defense, as the Warriors held Bedford, Exeter and Goffstown - teams that averaged a combined 31.8 points per game - to just 21 total points.

That Winnacunnet defense will face its toughest test of the season on Saturday against a Pinkerton team that features five or six different ball carriers who are a threat to score from anywhere on the field.

"If we don’t do a good job of containing them, if we let their backs get north and south, it could be a long game," Auffant said. "We have to be disciplined on defense. They use a lot of misdirection, get you going one way and come back another. It’s easily the best backfield we’ve seen this season. And they can pass, so there is play action and that can be a problem."

With Winnacunnet playing in its first title game since 2012, it will be playing at UNH for the first time. Auffant plans for the team to arrive before the end of the Division II so that the players can get a feel for the atmosphere.

"We’ll take it in and enjoy the atmosphere and acclimate ourselves instead of coming out last minute," he said. "I hope that helps some. It’ll be a different type of anxiety. When we play Exeter, it’s a big crowd, but not this big obviously. Everyone knows what we’re playing for."