Goffstown football comes back in second half to beat Pinkerton

GOFFSTOWN - After watching the Pinkerton Academy football team go down the field and score a touchdown in the final 95 seconds of the first half, there was a clear message being shared on the Goffstown sideline.

There was still a lot of football left.

Down 21-6 at halftime, the Grizzlies scored on their first three possession of the second half and returned an Astros fumble for a touchdown to take a two score lead. After Pinkerton closed within six points, Goffstown was able to hold on for a 35-29 win in the Division I opener for both teams.

"Third quarter was great," Goffstown coach Justin Hufft said. "Halftime, we tried to clean stuff up and make some adjustments. We just told the kids it was a long game. It was a long game the last time we played these guys. We knew they’d come out and fight until the last whistle which is what they did.

"Even going up two scores late, I knew it wasn’t over. The kids had to fight hard for it and I’m proud of the way they pushed through."

Goffstown (1-0) had 214 of its 298 yards in the second half, as quarterback Jarrett Henault was 8 of 16 for 171 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, with 118 of those yards and two scores coming after halftime. Sophomores Will Sasso (11 yards), Caden Perry (28) and Jonah Lopez (45) each caught a touchdown pass from Henault while Zach Picard had 92 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

The Grizzlies also won the turnover battle, 4-2, to help overcome a 400-yard day by Pinkerton's offense. The biggest one of the day came early in the fourth quarter, when Goffstown linebacker Brad Baxter got into the backfield before Astros quarterback Jeff Potvin could make the handoff to Jacob Albert.

Potvin lost the ball as he was hit by Baxter and it bounced right to Wilton Geissenhainer, who returned the fumble 72 yards for what ended up being the game winning score with 8:39 to play.

"Coach (Sean) Conley called the perfect stunt," Hufft said of the play. "We’d been holding off on that for most of the game. We called it right at the perfect time, we hit it, and Wilton was alert to be there for the scoop and score. He’s a senior who worked hard his three years here. Really proud of him."

Potvin finished the game 6 of 15 for 115 yards and two touchdowns and an interception, with scoring tosses to Connor Colburn and Michael Zabriskie of 43 and 27 yards, respectively. Zabriskie's grab came right before halftime to give Pinkerton a 15-point lead at the break.

Jake MacInnis led the Astros (0-1) with 143 yards on 15 carries and Albert had eight carries for 85 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown run that got Pinkerton within a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

But injuries plagued the Astros, particularly in the backfield, as eight different players recorded carries. Pinkerton lost MacInnis near the end of the game and senior Brady Day early.

"The shortened preseason, the shortest we’ve ever had, came back to bite us," Pinkerton coach Brian O'Reilly said. "We’re atrociously out of shape, we had injuries everywhere. In the third quarter, we’re down by a score and I turned around, and on the fourth down play, I didn’t have any of my starting running backs in the game.

"I had two freshmen in the backfield in the fourth quarter. I’ve never had two freshmen (in the backfield) before, and the game was on the line."

Pinkerton had a chance to tie or take the lead at the end, forcing Goffstown to punt with 1:37 left in the game. The Astros took over at their own 30 with no times and Potvin hit Colburn for 17 yards and Gavin Auger for 13 to get to the Goffstown 40.

But Potvin was sacked by Ryan Cote and had a pass dropped on second down. After a run picked up 9 yards to set up fourth-and-8, Potvin was pressured and threw over the middle, but no receiver was there and Pinkerton turned the ball over on downs with 31.3 seconds left.

"The last pass play to the phantom receiver in the middle of the field, that was actually a great throw by my quarterback," O'Reilly said. "There was supposed to be a kid slipping underneath and running that pattern, and he didn’t know. It was a perfect throw and had the kid known what to do, he would have sailed into the end zone for a touchdown."

When the ball hit the grass, the Grizzlies were finally able to breath a sigh of relief.

"It feels like every time they have the ball, you’re holding on for your life," Hufft said. "I think any time you can beat Pinkerton in football … it was intense. I grew up watching coach O’Reilly and going to Pinkerton games. They have a quite a reputation and they’ve earned it. Any time you can go out and compete with them, it’s something, and any time you can come out on top, it’s a special feeling."