It's decision time for Souhegan football

MANCHESTER - The Souhegan High School football rotated almost evenly at the quarterback position Friday during its scrimmage against Salem at the Queen City Jamboree.

Head coach Mike Lochman hopes that isn't the case when the Sabers open the regular season Sept. 6 at Monadnock.

The preseason long battle between junior Isaac Nevrla and sophomore Mike Mancini will be decided before the first game, and Lochman believes the team will have confidence in whichever one is under center.

"I thought they both played about equally," Lochman said of Friday's scrimmage, which Salem won 20-7. "Isaac made a nice throw down here for the touchdown. There were a couple of other circumstances where he made some mistakes that we’re going to try to iron out. Same thing with Michael; he was pretty good at times, but he kind of hesitated on a throw that ended up getting picked.

"We’re still working with those two guys, but we’re certainly not going to be rotating two guys by Monadnock (on Friday). There’s always a chance, but it would not be my first, second or third choice to do that."

Souhegan also got some big yards from running backs Drew Prescott, Cameron Kinney and Casey Foulks. The Sabers' lone score came in the second quarter, when Nevrla hooked up with William Hart for a 37-yard score that capped a four-play, 58-yard drive.

After forcing a punt on Salem's next drive, the Sabers got the ball down to the Blue Devils' 23-yard line, but a Prescott fumble ended that possession.

"We still came out a little slow in the first couple of series, and that’s what we addressed at the end," Lochman said. "We talked to them about that we’re not a young team any more, we don’t have that excuse."

Souhegan might not be young, but they're short on experience, with Prescott the only returning two-way starter, and nine total seniors on the roster. The big thing the Sabers are looking for now is leadership.

"We’re encouraging anybody on the team who is a natural leader to take the reins at the appropriate times," Lochman said. "We’ve got the leadership, but they’re learning and trying to build confidence in themselves and knowing when they need to step up. It has been a process."