Londonderry football stayed focused to avoid a trap game against Windham

The Londonderry High School football team might have thought coach Jimmy Lauzon was going to be flying high last Monday when the Lancers met after their first win over Pinkerton since 2001.

That wasn't the case when the players saw Lauzon for the first time last week and there was a good reason why.

Coming off one of the program's biggest wins in recent memory, Londonderry had another big game looming against Bedford, the defending Division I champions. But before that, the Lancers had to make a trip to Windham.

"I think our guys probably thought I’d be in a really good mood coming in this week and I was quite the opposite," Lauzon said. "I was worried with the way this (Windham) game falls in between those two big games. I didn’t want them to be looking back or looking forward. I had to keep them focused and I think they got my message."

The Lancers (5-0) sure did, as they scored on every possession with the exception of a two-play drive that ended the game, and blew past the Jaguars 49-3. Londonderry had over four hundred yards of offense, held Windham (2-3) under 75 yards in each half, and excelled in every phase of the game.

Perhaps the only thing Lauzon had to get on his team about were the penalties, as Londonderry was flagged 10 times for 64 yards.

"We took too many penalties, especially in the first half, that extended drives for them," the coach said. "If we can cut down on that, I thought we played well overall.

"Our kids have been able to execute. It helps when you have good players. We’ve been running the same plays, they just haven’t been as explosive. We have somebody who is really good at every spot and we’ve been putting them in the right positions at the right times. It’s good players making plays."

Leading the way was quarterback Jake McEachern, who turned in a big day both passing and running with the football. The senior carried six times for 74 yards and two touchdowns and also was 12 of 15 passing for 247 yards and three touchdowns.

The big plays came right out of the gate. After the Londonderry defense forced a three-and-out to start the game, McEachern connected with Cole Keegan (five catches, 127 yards, touchdown) for a 66-yard gain.

On the Lancers' next possession, the Jaguars looked like they might get off the field, as Londonderry faced a third-and-5. But McEachern hit Eric Raze for a 20-yard completion to keep the drive going, and six plays later, he hit Tyler Kayo for an 8-yard score.

"I’ve been on him every week about resetting and he’s been good about that," Lauzon said. "A couple of times on the head set, I’m saying he should go here, he should go here, and he’s going to those places. We’re seeing the field the same way, which is important. He’s very prepared every week. The big moment never gets to him."

Londonderry's offense faced just five third-down situations all game, three of which came before it got into running time, and the Lancers converted all five of them, including 19-yard touchdown run by Dylan McEachern on a third-and-6 play at the end of the third quarter.

"Jimmy Lauzon is one of the best offensive minds, and you combine it with a great coaching staff and a bunch of kids who want to win so badly," Windham coach Jack Byrne said. "You can tell it means so much to those kids. They’re going to make a run. Their offensive is balanced. You don’t get that good without putting in a lot of hours."

Now Londonderry's focus can shift to Friday's game at Bedford, a matchup of two 5-0 teams that will likely determine the top seed in the North/South Cluster.

"It’s still just a Week 6 matchup and we’ve got to treat it that way and just keep trying to get into the playoffs," Lauzon said.