Londonderry football takes care of business with win over Windham

WINDHAM - Jimmy Lauzon isn't quite sure how he'd classify Jake McEachern.

Is he a passing quarterback who can run? Is he a runner who can also make plays with his arm?

After five games, what the Londonderry High School football coach does know about McEachern is that he's pretty good.

McEachern had a hand in five touchdowns and over three hundred total yards Saturday for the Lancers, as the offense was unstoppable throughout in a 49-3 win over Windham in a Division I South Conference game.

Londonderry scored on every possession, except for a two-play drive to end the game, as the Lancers (5-0) outgained Windham 318-60 in the first half and finished with 442 yards on the day. McEachern led the way, going 12 of 15 passing for 247 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 74 yards and two scores on six carries.

"I was a little surprised," Lauzon said of the outcome. "They’re really good defensively. They gave us some favorable looks at times and we took advantage of it. Didn’t expect to be as explosive as we were. We caught them at the right time and we were able to execute really well at times."

Jeff Wiedenfield added a rushing touchdown to go with 54 yards on 13 carries, while Cole Keegan had five catches for 127 yards and a score. Alex Tsetsilas (four catches, 75 yards) and Tyler Kayo (two catches, 25 yards) also had a touchdown reception apiece.

"The linemen were creating holes and the receivers got open," McEachern said of the Lancers' success. "I’m just trying to find their weaknesses and drive it down for a touchdown.

"I was just trying to find matchups and the receivers were just doing what they do. They were making big plays for us and driving down the field. They were making huge plays."

But so was the quarterback.

"He’s been phenomenal," Lauzon said. "Some of the passes, even the ones we dropped, they were unbelievable passes. The big moment never gets to him. His accuracy has probably been the most impressive thing. We knew he could run. We knew he could make all the plays, but his accuracy has been unbelievable so far."

Londonderry's defense was also at the top of its game, holding Windham (2-3) to 132 yards and allowing the Jaguars inside the Lancers' 30-yard line twice. The first time, Windham had a first-and-goal at the 6, but had to settle for Adam Burke's 22-yard field goal that made it 28-3 with 2:19 left in the first half.

The second time came in the final moments of the game, when the Jaguars got as deep as the 19 and Burke had a 39-yard field goal attempt blocked.

"They were going to be the favorite here," Windham coach Jack Byrne said. "I’d hope we’d play better. When we look at film, there will be a ton of mistakes. But the way our guys handled a tough situation, I thought was a pretty good representation of what I want our youth players to see."

Riley Desmarais led the Jaguars with 42 yards on 11 carries and Rocky Heres was 5 of 10 for 50 yards passing and an interception.

But Windham couldn't get Londonderry's offense off the field, even struggling to force the Lancers into third-down situations. Londonderry was 5 of 5 on third downs, with two of those coming on a drive with the second-string in the game.

"Our kids have been able to execute," Lauzon said. "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."

The win sets up a showdown on Friday, as the Lancers head to Bedford (5-0) for a 7 p.m. kickoff in a game that could determine the top seed in the North/South Cluster.

"We’re feeling good, but we’ve got another big game next week," McEachern said. "It’s going to be a tough game. We’ve got to have a good week of practice and come out flying Friday."