Goffstown football finds way to get Duval going on offense

Andrew Duval felt a sense of urgency leading up to the Goffstown High School football team's game last Saturday against Bedford.

The Grizzlies senior had touched the ball just once on offense the week before, when the team lost to Winnacunnet in the final seconds, and whether it was necessary or not, he felt the need to make the most of every opportunity he got.

So when Goffstown's offense took the field for the first time, and Duval lined up in the backfield, he delivered.

On his first three touches - all rushing attempts - Duval picked up 49 yards and three first downs. And when quarterback Charlie Keith threw his first pass attempt to Duval in the second quarter, the playmaker took the short completion 28 yards for a touchdown.

"I was very eager to get the ball," Duval said. "I had some things to make up for for last week (against Winnacunnet). I didn’t do much last week. When I got the ball, I felt like I need to do that."

Duval's only other reception was also a score, a 38-yard catch-and-run where he hauled in a short pass on the right side of the field and cut back through the middle of the Bedford defense for the touchdown. That made it 21-7 Goffstown less than three minutes into the second half, and that ended up as the final score.

"We designed to get him the ball more," Goffstown coach Justin Hufft said. "Bedford did their best to take him away and he made some plays where there was not much and Andrew just kind of does his thing."

With Duval in the backfield, the Grizzlies had more options on how to get him the ball and what he can do with it, and they alternated whether he was next to Keith or split wide to one side.

"It’s a different look and he gets the ball on different types of plays and can go in different directions," Hufft said. "When he lines up on one side as a receiver, it kind of declares (where he goes)."

The move also meant that Bedford's defense had something else to consider when Duval lined up in the backfield.

"Even more of a big key is his ability to run the ball," Bedford coach Derek Stank said. "His position in the backfield dictates what they do, at least the tendencies we picked up, so we keyed on him a lot."

Duval finished with two catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns and five carries for another 53 yards, an average of 17 yards per touch. It doesn't sound like many opportunities, but with Duval also playing on defense and returning punts and kickoffs, it's about where Hufft feels he should be.

"He’s not a kid you can get the ball to 25 times a game and ask him to play defense and be successful," the coach said. "When they double and triple cover him, other stuff is open. He can be effective that way."

Against Bedford, that showed in Keith's performance, as the quarterback threw for 146 yards and ran for 39 more. Carter Chouinard also had a pair of receptions for 71 yards, both of which set up touchdowns, and Jared Heidenreich had a 9-yard touchdown catch.

"I was really impressed with the way Charlie played," Hufft said. "His reads were spot on, good decisions, difficult plays, good throws early in the game. Once we can do that, it complements our run game."

The Grizzlies hope it can carry over into next week, as they take on Manchester Central in a game that could decided who wins the North Conference. The Little Green are averaging 41.5 points per game, while Goffstown has allowed just 66 all season.

"That’s a huge game for us," Duval said. "We’ve got to come out early and get on top, try to win the game. They pass a lot, their quarterback throws the ball well. We have to keep an eye on him and their receivers. I definitely saw some of the scores and was definitely surprised. They’re a high-scoring offense."