Londonderry football stays focused, rolls past Alvirne (video)

LONDONDERRY - Jimmy Lauzon worries about complacency every year going into the game after Mack Plaque weekend.

How will the Londonderry High School football team respond after playing its biggest rival in front of the largest crowd it may see all year?

The Lancers did their best to let their coach relax as soon as possible, as Londonderry scored on its third offensive play, then added a touchdown on defense and on special teams, on the way to a 51-0 win over Alvirne on Saturday in a Division I South Conference game.

Drew Heenan, who was filling in again at quarterback for Aidan Washington, helped lead the Lancers (5-0) by completing 4 of 8 passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns, and the junior added 55 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

"The focus coming into this week was just execute, each and every play," Heenan said. "Plain and simple, don’t try to do too much, just do your job. The outcome will be the outcome, I guess.

"Coach Lauzon does a great job preparing every one of us. Wash (Washington) has been a great mentor for me all throughout my high school career and we play baseball together, too, so he’s a really good friend of mine. Every practice, every day, we’re just trying to make each other better in every way."

Colby Ramshaw and Kyle McPhail each had a touchdown reception, while Ramshaw also blocked a punt that was recovered by Andrew Soucy for a touchdown in the second quarter. Riley Boles added a 35-yard interception return for a score and Jake Schena (59 yards) and Devin Ortiz also rushed for touchdowns.

Londonderry also picked up two points when a bad snap on a punt by Alvirne (0-4) sailed into the end zone, and although Alvin Thumi recovered it, he had to fall on the ball for a Lancers safety.

"We were a little worried about complacency," Lauzon said. "We’re coming off Pinkerton and any time you play anyone other than Pinkerton, especially the week after, there could be some complacency. It was a Saturday game, which is tough to get up for. You go from playing in front of roughly six thousand (fans) to about six hundred, there’s a big drop off.

"Our guys, we were on them all week about that. They seemed pretty locked in. They played a great first half in all three phases. Defensively, we were locked in. Special teams came up big. Offensively, we didn’t get a ton of reps, but we did what we needed to do."

The Lancers also got to empty the bench in the second half, as 12 different players recorded a rushing attempt and Conor Williams and Camden Brutus rotated at quarterback while Heenan watched from the sideline after halftime.

"We have a junior with a little experience at quarterback,:" Lauzon said. "We have a sophomore (Schena) at running back. We wanted to see them play a full half of football to get them more experience as we move forward. I’m happy with the results, that’s all that matters."

The Broncos struggled to move the ball all game, picking up just two first down in the first half and gaining just 26 yards on the day.

Jacob Bradshaw was 2 of 9 for 21 yards and two interceptions while Zachary Peters had one pass attempt in the second half that was intercepted. Bryant Montgomery had 31 yards on 15 carries.

After forcing a three-and-out by Alvirne, Londonderry needed just three plays to score, as Schena got his three carries of the game on the first drive and took the final one 45 yards for a touchdown. Four plays later, Boles jumped in front of a Broncos' receiver to pick off a pass by Bradshaw and returned it 35 yards to make it 14- 0 Lancers.

Alvirne had to punt again on its next possession, but the snap went over the head of Thumi and as four Lancers closed in, he fell on the ball in the end zone.

Londonderry couldn't do anything after the free kick, but Anthony Salcito returned Alvirne's next punt to the Broncos' 33-yard line. Two plays later, Heenan scored from 25 yards out.

"The offensive line, it was blocked perfectly," Heenan said of the play. "As Coach Lauzon would say, it was a yellow-brick road. There was no one there. It was perfect. Great blocking."

The Lancers sacked Bradshaw twice on the Broncos' next possession, and this time when Alvirne lined up to punt, Ramshaw broke through for the block. Soucy picked up the ball near the goal line and was tackled forward into the end zone for the score and a 30-0 lead.

"On the first punt, I didn’t have an open spot, so I didn’t know how successful the second one would be," Ramshaw said. "The spot opened up, so I went for it, kept my hands low and came up with the block."

On Londonderry's next possession, the senior tight end hauled in a 19-yard pass from Heenan, and with 51 seconds left in the first half, Heenan found McPhail for a 33-yard touchdown that made it 44-0 going into the break.