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# On the Gridiron: McQuarrie leading the way for John Stark football
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/gridiron-mcquarrie-leading-way-john-stark-football/
- Published: 2016-09-06T13:45:58.000Z
- Updated: 2016-09-06T13:45:58.000Z
- Description: One play on Saturday seemed to encompass a lot of the things Drew McQuarrie is capable of doing. With the John Stark High School football team driving in the fourth quarter, the senior quarterback took the snap, and after surveying his options, he decided to take off. McQuarrie got outside, ran over
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Fall Sports, Division II, football, John Stark, On the Gridiron, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

One play on Saturday seemed to encompass a lot of the things Drew McQuarrie is capable of doing.

With the John Stark High School football team driving in the fourth quarter, the senior quarterback took the snap, and after surveying his options, he decided to take off.

McQuarrie got outside, ran over a couple members of the Souhegan defense and kept his balance as he tight-roped the sideline on the way to the end zone.

The 19-yard rushing score was the third of the day for McQuarrie, and the second of the fourth quarter in a 35-14 win over the Sabers. The first was another long run - from 28 yards out - where the quarterback made a couple of players miss and was just able to dive across the goal line.

"He's a football player, he loves everything about it," John Stark coach Rod McQuarrie, Drew's father, said. "He's not afraid to put his head down and bull through, and he's always been that way. He feeds off the guys he's been playing with forever."

The Generals follow the quarterback's lead as well, so much so that Rod McQuarrie was worried earlier in the week when noticed that Drew was feeling a little bit of pressure.

"I talked to him," the coach said of his son, who has verbally committed to Boston College. "I think he was feeling a little bit of pressure during the week and I said to him 'listen, go play.'

"He's been playing with some of these guys for eight years. Guys that aren't getting talked about that he's throwing to or blocking for him, if you feel pressure, they're going to feel pressure. Go play, have fun, and whatever is going to happen is going to happen. We go how he goes."

John Stark goes on the road for the first time this season when it plays at Gilford-Belmont on Saturday.

### How you finish

The two team's that have played for the last two Division II championships found themselves in similar situations on Saturday.

Windham led Hollis Brookline 21-8 at halftime of their season-opener, but it could have been closer if not for a few breaks that went the Jaguars way. The Cavaliers took the opening kickoff down to the Windham 5-yard line before losing a fumble, and HB had the ball at the Windham 1 when time ran out in the half.

The Jaguars scored the only points of the third quarter and the first touchdown of the fourth to take a 33-8 lead, and walked away with a 40-14 win.

St. Thomas, the defending champion, took even longer to put away Sanborn, going into the fourth quarter with a 14-6 lead. But two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Shawn Dekorne, a sophomore making his first start at quarterback, helped lead the Saints to a 21-point quarter and a 35-6 win over the Indians.

The two teams will meet on Oct. 1 in Windham.

### Welcome to D2

Three teams played their first games as members of Division II last week, going 2-1.

Bow picked up right where it left off in D3, dominating Pembroke for a 42-0 win in which the Falcons' defense held the Spartans to just 46 yards.

Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton played its first varsity game against Manchester West and routed the Blue Knights, 34-0\. The Redhawks scored the program's first touchdown by returning the opening kickoff for a score.

Gilford-Belmont didn't have as good of a weekend, falling to Kennett 43-22.