Londonderry, Winnacunnet ready for D1 football championship game

Jimmy Lauzon remembers well the last time his Londonderry High School football team went up against Winnacunnet.

Coming off an undefeated championship season in 2017, the Warriors continued that run into the next year, winning their first five games.

But on the first Friday night of October, Winnacunnet traveled to play the Lancers and saw its 18-game winning streak come to an end in a 38-34 loss to Londonderry.

"I’ll never forget that night," Lauzon said. "It was an awesome night and it was kind of a monumental win for us and our staff. We just couldn't seem to get over the hump against a really good team up to that point. Ending that streak, it felt like we put ourselves into the top tier of teams that year. We haven’t really fallen since then. It was a big win."

The Lancers went 8-2 in 2018, falling to Pinkerton in the quarterfinals, but they bounced back in 2019 with an undefeated championship season of their own. While Winnacunnet finished that year losing four of five and then went 1-8 in 2019, the Warriors reached the semifinals a year ago and enter Saturday's Division I championship game looking for another undefeated title.

"We’ve been lucky with this group," Winnacunnet coach Ryan Francoeur said. "I’m never getting them charged up for games because they don’t need it. They are always playing fast, they are always playing physical. No matter what happens, this is a special accomplishment."

For this meeting, which will kickoff at 1 p.m. at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter, both coaches look at the other team and see a lot of similarities between their programs.

"They’re athletic and fast," Francoeur said. "(Lauzon) has a lot of fast (running) backs. He reminds us of us. Our backs are built a little different, but in terms of having a number of kids he can get the ball to. A lot of depth for people carrying the football.

"Their defense has been stout all year. They make you earn it. They’re very much an energy group. If they get going early, they just keep rolling."

While both teams use different formations on offense, there are some basic fundamentals that pop up on both sides.

"We know their system, we know how difficult it is (to defend)," Lauzon said. "It’s unique to the state. Luckily, we run some similar stuff so our kids are familiar with defending some of their offense. Some of it is different for sure."

After coming up a round short in 2020, Winnacunnet (11-0) came into this season knowing it had returning group of players that could go a step further. But after all the restrictions in place due to COVID-19, it took some time to get everyone on the same page in the offseason.

"This group, we had trouble … they lift like animals, but we had trouble doing it (at the school)," Francoeur said. "As a coach, you want your guys to be here, but they were always still working. They found a system that worked for them. We’re talking about a group of 10 or 15 guys, working out together every night and hanging out together. I think, it’s cliché, but that camaraderie meant something to this group."

The path was a little less clear for Londonderry (10-1). The Lancers graduated large senior classes after the last two seasons, and because of that, the number of players returning with a lot of varsity experience was small.

"We had so many guys who hadn’t seen the field," Lauzon said. "We felt like they were good and we felt like they had potential, but we just weren’t sure without the game experience. It’s not a huge surprise, it’s more of a pleasant surprise that their potential has come to be. They are reaching what we thought they could be."

While the coaches on both sides know what it's like to be on this stage, none of the players have been to this point and nerves are always there for championship games.

"I’ll probably have that speech with them before we get on the bus," Francoeur said. "Take a few moments for yourself. Realize what we’ve done, then get locked in. I want them to appreciate the journey. It doesn’t happen all the time."