Football rewind: Week 2

There were a number of missed opportunities that the Nashua High School South football team could have taken advantage of in Friday night's 23-14 loss to Pinkerton, but two standout larger than others.

Down a touchdown and facing a fourth-and-goal from Pinkerton’s 4, Nashua South coach Scott Knight had a decision to make.

With less than two minutes to go in the first half, the Panthers could try to punch it in and tie the game or they could line up for what would be about a 23-yard field goal. Knight opted to go for it, for two reasons.

One was field position. If the Panthers lined up for the kick and missed it, by rule, the Astros would have started from their own 20-yard line. Instead, South failed to convert and Pinkerton started from its own 8.

The second reason was because Knight was confident his team would have more opportunities to score.

“That stage of the game, I thought we’d score some points,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to be a 10-7 game. I felt good about it. I thought we could pop it in. We certainly could have kicked a field goal. At that stage, I wanted to get seven. You’ve gotta score down there. You can’t come up with nothing.”

South still battled back to take the lead in the final minute of the third quarter. After Keith Farkas' second rushing touchdown put the Panthers ahead 14-10, Chris Dennis sent another kickoff deep to the left corner of the field. But unlike the others, which were touchbacks, this one landed at the 1-yard line and was returned 99 yards by Manny Latimore.

"That was huge," Pinkerton coach Brian O'Reilly said. "Kick returns break your heart. It broke our heart last year in a playoff game. We struggled and got back in the game. South just worked and worked and worked. That’s a killer."

The Panthers will go out of the division to try to bounce back, when they travel to Lowell, Mass., on Saturday.

So what did we learn? This could have been a preview for the Division I playoffs and it could again be anybody's game. A few plays go differently here and there, and South is walking away with a win. But young or not, Pinkerton is a team to be reckoned with.

Bishop Guertin 21, Timberlane 6

The good news for Bishop Guertin is it got a road win in the Division II opener Friday. The bad news is, it might have cost the Cardinals a lot. Senior running back Mike Kelly left the game at the end of the first quarter with a foot injury. Kelly was taken from the field in an ambulance and as of early Saturday, there was still no word on whether Kelly's foot was broken or not. The Cardinals still prevailed, thanks to Steve Cuipa's 137 yards rushing and his 11-yard touchdown pass to Peter Fucci with 4:36 left in the game that made it a two-score lead.

The Cardinals will host Spaulding on Friday at Stellos Stadium.

So what did we learn? A week after hanging 48 points on Salem, Bishop Guertin scored just 14 with Kelly out of the game. While the Cardinals are still a formidable opponent without their top running, their offense perhaps isn't nearly as explosive.

Nashua North 27, Londonderry 7

This time, Nashua North was able to hold the lead, as for the second straight week, the Titans went up by a score of 21-0 in the first half. But unlike last week's overtime loss to Winnacunnet, North kept Londonderry out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, and by then, the Titans were well in control. Jahmar Gathright had over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown and Andre Williams had two scores for North (1-0 in Division I).

North will travel to Derry to face Pinkerton on Saturday.

So what did we learn? Hopefully that the second-half performance in Week 1 was not the real Nashua North football team. Against Londonderry, the Titans continued to take it to the Lancers despite leading 27-0 at one point. As for Londonderry, since opening a 19-0 lead in the third quarter against Souhegan, the Lancers have been outscored 61-7.

Bedford 20, Goffstown 14

The win gives the Bulldogs a 1-0 record in Division III, but it could also go a long way toward positioning for the postseason. Bedford will play its first road game of the year at Pelham on Friday.

Souhegan 23, Portsmouth 14

Since switching to the spread offense five years ago, Souhegan has been passing the ball a lot more. But there's been nothing like what happened Friday. Mike Luks completed 28 of his 43 pass attempts for 375 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It's not often that the Sabers are so one dimensional on offense - Souhegan had 20 yards rushing - but credit some of that to Portsmouth's defense. And despite the offensive output, the Sabers still turned the ball over inside the Clippers' 10-yard line three times.

Souhegan will have its home opener on Friday when it hosts Goffstown.

So what did we learn? Souhegan may not be on the same level as it was in the past two seasons, but it just might still be good enough to be in the running in Division III this year. And Luks is doing just fine replacing DJ Petropulos.

Keene 42, Alvirne 18

Just like last week's loss to Manchester Central, Alvirne was in this one in the first half. Despite spotting the Blackbirds a 14-0 lead, the Broncos closed the game to 14-12 in the first quarter, but by halftime, it was a 28-12 game. Sean Sipsey had 73 yards rushing for Alvirne (o-1 in Division II).

The Broncos will head to Merrimack on Friday.

So what did we learn? Alvirne still appears to have some work to do if it's going to return to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Milford 40, Pembroke 22

John Forte carried the load for Milford again, rushing 25 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns. Bud Theriault also threw for 117 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to Max Goudreau, who also had a 51-yard touchdown run. The Spartans (1-0 in Division III) scored 26 points in the second quarter to take care of business early.

Milford goes out of the division again on Friday when it hosts Tyngsboro, Mass.

So what did we learn? The Spartans can still beat the Spartans. Milford has never lost to Pembroke since it moved into Division III in 2004. Based on carries and yards, it sounds like Forte is going to be a bit of a workhorse for Milford.

Merrimack 31, Dover 28

Ty Costain kicked a 27-yard field with 4:54 to play and Merrimack stopped Dover on a fourth-and-1 to hand on for a Division II win. Brody Williams - who had an 80-yard touchdown run - and Chris Smith both eclipsed 100 yards rushing and each had a touchdown. Zach Harris threw for two scores, one to Jackson King and the other to Chase Distasio.

Merrimack has its home opener on Friday against Alvirne.

So what did we learn? The Tomahawks continue to be explosive on offense, led by Williams. Also, the Harris-to-Distasio touchdown was a 69-yard pass play that came off a flea flicker. Merrimack looks like a serious threat for one of those four playoff spots in Division II.