Football rewind: Week 4

Tony Johnson expected it would take more than one player to replace injured running back Mike Kelly, and so far, the Bishop Guertin High School football coach has been right.

Playing their second full game without Kelly, the Cardinals got 186 yards rushing and touchdown from Alex Eaton in a 28-3 win over Merrimack in Division II action last Friday. Peter Fucci also caught five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown and Steve Cuipa, who missed last week's win with an injury, returned to complete 10-of-15 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Bishop Guertin (3-0 in division, 4-0 overall).

The Tomahakws (2-1, 3-1) got on the board first on a 32-yard field goal by Ty Costain in the first quarter. Merrimack held a 3-0 lead until 5:23 of the second, when Zach Mailloux went in from 1 yard out to give the Cardinals the lead. Bishop Guertin added two more scores with under two minutes to go in the first half to take the wind out of Merrimack's sails.

Brody Williams had 68 yards on the ground for Merrimack and Jackson King had 78 total yards on offense.

So what did we learn? The gap between the Division II elite and the other playoff contenders isn't as great this season as in recent years. The Cardinals have now won close games against Merrimack and Timberlane, two teams that will battle this Friday in Plaistow in a game that could eventually determine a playoff spot. Bishop Guertin will go outside the division and travel to face Catholic Memorial, also on Friday.

Nashua North 34, Manchester Central 14

For the third time in four games, Nashua North held a three-touchdown lead in the first half. But after giving up a late first-half touchdown, the Titans were able to hold off Manchester Central to move to 3-0 in Division I. North led 35-7 in the fourth quarter behind two touchdowns each by Andre Williams and Jahmar Gathright, and a 93-yard catch-and-run by Eric Muite. A week after not throwing a pass in the second half, quarterback Brandon Karkhanis had 165 yards passing and two touchdowns.

So what did we learn? North's opening-game loss to Winnacunnet is starting to look like an aberration after the Titans have convincingly knocked off Pinkerton and Central in back-to-back weeks. North has another big test on Friday, when it heads to Salem for a rematch of last year's championship game.

Nashua South 45, Manchester Memorial 28

Nashua South certainly made things interesting, getting out to a 31-7 lead at halftime and allowing Manchester Memorial to cut that down to 38-28 early in the fourth quarter. The Panthers opened and ended the scoring with big special teams plays - Derek Paradis returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a score and Keith Farkas turned a fake punt into a 79-yard run for South (1-1 in Division I, 2-2 overall). Armond McCrae also had three touchdowns to go with 189 yards of offense.

So what did we learn? The Panthers still appear to be figuring things out on defense, and fortunately, they have an offense that can put up points while that happens. South's offensive unit is as explosive as any in the state, and if the defense ever catches up, look out. The Panthers will host Concord on Friday at Stellos Stadium in a pivotal matchup for both teams.

Souhegan 36, Hollis/Brookline 15

Souhegan actually fell behind early in this one, and led by just seven points at halftime against Hollis/Brookline before putting the game away in the second half. The Sabers (3-0 in Division III, 4-0 overall) got 116 yards on the ground from Jason Doheny, 76 of which came on a second quarter touchdown run, and Chris Chininis and Eric Dwinell each had over 60 yards on the ground. H/B (1-1, 1-2) got touchdown runs from Brian Liamos (94 yards rushing) and Colin Pellerin (71).

So what did we learn? The Cavaliers are definitely a much improved team this season, having played close games against Merrimack and Souhegan to go with a blowout win over Pembroke in a game they should have won big. But H/B still has a way to go to be on Souhegan's level. As for the Sabers, that makes 10 wins in a row dating to last season, and Souhegan has gone 28-1 in its last 29 games.

Souhegan will host Manchester Central in a non-division game Friday while H/B will host Pelham on Saturday.

Milford 33, Con-Val 18

John Forte continued piling up the yards as Milford remained unbeaten in Division III (2-0, 2-2 overall). Forte has rushed for 647 yards in four games this season to lead the Spartans' running attack. Against Con-Val, the running back added 54 yards receiving and two touchdowns while Max Goudreau had a 3-yard scoring run and an 80-yard touchdown reception. The Spartans led 33-0 before Con-Val got all its points in the fourth quarter.

So what did we learn? For the fourth straight game, Milford moved the ball on the ground. The Spartans may have been under the radar at the start of the season, but they can really take a step into the spotlight with games against Portsmouth, Bedford and Souhegan in the next three weeks. Milford travels to face Portsmouth on Friday.

Bedford 41, Pembroke 0

Bedford posted its second consecutive shutout and for the third time this season, the Bulldogs (3-0 in Division III, 4-0 overall) scored more than 40 points. Bedford's defense has allowed just 20 points all season, but its come against four teams that are a combined 0-14.

So what did we learn? Not a lot, as Bedford has yet to play a team with a win this season. That changes this week, as Con-Val (1-2, 1-3) comes to town on Saturday. But the Cougars lone win is against division newcomer Pelham two weeks ago. Con-Val should pose a tougher threat than the previous two opponents, but Bedford's real test will come Oct. 8 at Milford.

Timberlane 35, Alvirne 7

After this loss, Alvirne might want to consider asking teams to just play one half of football this season. For the third straight game, the Broncos were in it at halftime - they trailed 13-7 for the second straight week - but went flat in the second half. In those three losses, Alvirne (0-3 Division II, 0-4 overall) has been outscored 50-7, including 22-0 against the Owls. A week after running for almost 300 yards, Timberlane's Nick Lawrence had 174 against the Broncos, while Alvirne's Jonathan Baldwin had 97 of his team's 147 yards on offense.

So what did we learn? A year after making it to the postseason, Alvirne's playoff hopes are all but dead. The Broncos aren't mathematically out of it in Division II, but to make it in, the likely couldn't lose more than four division games. However, Alvirne still has to play division-favorites Bishop Guertin and Winnacunnet. The Broncos go on the road to play Dover on Saturday.