Goffstown football clinches North Conference with win over Bishop Guertin

GOFFSTOWN - Justin Hufft took a moment following Saturday's game to let what his Goffstown High School football team's win over Bishop Guertin meant.

The Grizzlies (8-0), who are the final unbeaten team in Division I, clinched not only first place in the North Conference, but also grabbed home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the postseason with their 35-29 win over the Cardinals.

"I never thought that Goffstown would be at this level, and it's kind of a cool thing," Hufft said. "We were able to make some points off turnovers and we made a couple of mistakes ourselves. They scored off some of them, and they certainly moved the ball on us, but we were able to keep them out of the end zone a couple of times in our territory."

Pat Leahy returned a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown and Connor Bourque opened the second half with a 75-yard kickoff return for a score as Goffstown managed to slow Bishop Guertin (5-3) down just enough to hold on for the win.

The game may have been costly for both sides, as both starting quarterbacks left early with injuries.

Goffstown quarterback Casey Gervais came out for a series in the first half, but returned before leaving after scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:02 left in the third that made it 35-21. Hufft wasn't sure what the injury was, but Gervais was limping after the touchdown but was walking the sideline.

The injury bug might have hit harder for the Cardinals, who lost JT Hiscoe in the fourth quarter, when he was sacked by Tim Comeau and appeared to roll his left ankle.

Bishop Guertin got a scare later in the game, when Dylan Fagan caught a pass from Sam Raitt over the middle and took a hard hit to the back. Fagan remained on the ground and an ambulance was called, but Cardinals coach Jeff Moore believed it was a precaution; Fagan was reportedly discharged from the hospital Saturday night.

"He was moving, he just had a sensitive spot in the back of his neck," said Moore. "It was precautionary, we hope. He's alert, he wasn't unconscious our anything."

Hiscoe finished the game going 16 of 31 passing for 212 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and the Cardinals threw for 258 yards, but only 98 of that came after halftime. Fagan caught seven passes for 112 yards and a score and Jackson Housman added 102 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Goffstown struggled at times to move the ball through the air, but got a big day on the ground, rushing for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Bourque had 148 yards and a touchdown while Gervais added 85 yards and two scores.

"They're tough to stop and we had some stuff we were trying to do to take away what they do well," Moore said. "At times, we executed and at times we didn't. They're a tempo team, so they're hard to prepare for. They go fast like us. That hurt us a little."

The Cardinals got on the board first on their second drive, finding the end zone on Hiscoe's 8-yard touchdown pass to Fagan. But Goffstown answered right back on a 3-yard touchdown run by Bourque, which was set up by his 42-yard run the play before.

Bishop Guertin drove down to the Grizzlies' 21-yard line on its next drive, but Hiscoe's pass to Nick Lorden on fourth-and-eight was broken up by Zach Comeau. Goffstown went on a 10-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard scoring run by Gervais to make it 14-7 with 10:23 left in the second quarter.

After a big kickoff return by Housman, and a facemask penalty on Goffstown, the Cardinals started at the Grizzlies' 39-yard line. A pass for nine yards and a run by Housman for four gave Bishop Guertin a first down at the 26, but the snap soared way over Hiscoe's head.

The quarterback was the first one to the ball, but slipped as he tried to fall on it, and Leahy came in, scooped up the ball, avoided Hiscoe's outstretched arms and raced to the end zone.

"It was big," Hufft said. "It put us in front by a couple of scores and they were marching. They made a mistake and we were able to capitalize. We work on scooping and scoring, and he had a couple of our players around him with no Guertin players around him. Instead of falling on it, he scooped it."

The Cardinals were able to close the gap before halftime, as Hiscoe found Lorden for a 9-yard touchdown, but the Grizzlies extended the lead on the opening kickoff of the second half.

The ball bounced to Andrew Duval (two interceptions), who fielded it and handed it to Justin Warner, who was standing on the 25-yard line. Warner then handed the ball Bourque, and he raced down the right sideline.

"Take those two plays away, we win," Moore said of the fumble and the kickoff. "We've got to play cleaner. We can't have those mistakes we made against a really good team."

Bishop Guertin needed just four plays to respond, thanks in part to a 46-yard catch-and-run by Sarveen Shafian-Raad. Housman scored on a 2-yard run and Hiscoe hit Lorden for the two-point conversion, making it 28-21.

The Cardinals forced a punt, but couldn't pick up a first down of their own and kicked the ball back to the Grizzlies. But Duval tried to field the punt on the bounce, mishandling it, and Bishop Guertin's Michael Allanach fell on it, giving the Cardinals a first down at the Goffstown 31.

On the first play, Hiscoe hit Lorden for a touchdown, but the Cardinals' receiver was called for pass interference, and Bishop Guertin eventually turned the ball over on downs.

Goffstown took advantage, going on a 14-play, 71-yard drive that including converting two fourth downs. Gervais scored on a 5-yard run with 1:02 left in the third, but came up limping after the play and didn't return.

Two series later, Hiscoe left the game after the sack by Comeau forced a punt, and Raitt helped lead Bishop Guertin on a 14-play, 79-yard drive. Raitt scored from four yards out and the Cardinals elected to go for two, down 35-27 with 1:32 to play.

Raitt's pass on the conversion was broken up, but Goffstown was flagged for pass interference, and on the second try, Raitt hit Housman to make it a six-point game.

But Carter Cormier recovered the onside kick for Goffstowna and the Grizzlies took a couple of knees to run out the clock.

While the win clinches the North Conference for Goffstown, Bishop Guertin will have to wait another week to wrap up the West. The Cardinals take on Nashua South on Friday, while Goffstown goes to Manchester Memorial.