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# Merrimack football pulls away in second half for big win over Bishop Guertin (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/merrimack-football-pulls-away-in-second-half-for-big-win-over-bishop-guertin-video/
- Published: 2019-10-06T20:06:57.000Z
- Updated: 2019-10-06T20:06:57.000Z
- Description: NASHUA - There are still four weeks left in the regular season, but that didn't stop the Merrimack High School football team from feeling Saturday night like it's year was on the line. Against Bishop Guertin, the Tomahawks sure played like it defensively. Merrimack held the Cardinals without a first
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bishop Guertin, football, Merrimack, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

NASHUA - There are still four weeks left in the regular season, but that didn't stop the Merrimack High School football team from feeling Saturday night like it's year was on the line.

Against Bishop Guertin, the Tomahawks sure played like it defensively.

Merrimack held the Cardinals without a first down in the first half, survived three turnovers and gave up less than two hundred yards in a 35-19 win over Bishop Guertin in a Division I West Conference game at Stellos Stadium.

And after a frustrating first half offensively, where the Tomahawks got inside the Bishop Guertin 30-yard line three times, Merrimack (3-2) broke out in the second half. The Tomahawks scored on three of their first four possessions after halftime, opening up a 28-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.

After losing their previous two games, it was a big confidence boost for the Tomahawks.

"Playing with a purpose and emotion," Merrimack's Devin Wood said. "Playing with our whys, like why we play football. It was a very emotional night for all of us because our season was on the line. We played with a chip."

Wood led the offense with three touchdowns - one rushing, two receiving - while hauling in six catches for 97 yards. Both touchdown catches came from James Dowling, who was 8 of 16 for 114 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions and also had 69 yards on the ground. Kyle Crampton rotated in at quarterback, as he was 6 of 9 passing for 83 yards and a score while Jared Dyer also threw a pass for 35 yards to go with a touchdown rushing and receiving.

But Merrimack was at it's best on defense.

"We’ve been the nail for a few weeks in a row now," Merrimack coach Kip Jackson said. "The intent was to be physical on both sides of the ball and we also wanted to clean up some of the mistakes we’ve been making on defense. I think we did a pretty good job."

The Cardinals finished with seven first downs - all in the second half - but five of those came on the final drive of the game, which ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Santusousso to Kyle Baker with no time left on the clock. Bishop Guertin (3-2) had 87 yards in the first half, but 80 of that came on another touchdown pass from Santusousso to Joey Lupo.

Bishop Guertin finished the night with 37 yards rushing on 26 carries, an average of 1.4 yards per attempt.

"They’re pretty good," Bishop Guertin coach John Trisciani said. "They take their defensive ends and bend them inside and chase. It gives the quarterback, in a read-option game, it’s going to give him a certain read. If it gives him a certain read, he goes outside, and there’s a linebacker that goes over the top. It makes things a little tricky if you don’t block it up the right way."

Santusousso finished 14 of 26 for 151 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions with Baker catching two of the scores to go with four catches for 45 yards. Lupo finished with a team-high six catches for 94 yards and his touchdown gave the Cardinals a 7-0 lead with 7:24 left in the second quarter.

Merrimack tied the game on Dowling's 7-yard scoring toss to Wood with 1:15 left in the half, and with Crampton at quarterback to start the second half, the Tomahawks went 73 yards on six plays to open the third quarter, with the sophomore connecting with Dyer for a 17-yard score.

The Cardinals finally got the offense going a few possessions later, picking up their first first down midway through the third. On second-and-5 from Merrimack's 22-yard line, Santusousso hit Baker for a score, but the Tomahawks blocked the extra point to stay in front 14-13 with 3:56 left in the frame.

Merrimack answered when Dowling hit Wood with a short pass and the senior took it the rest of the way, scoring on a 41-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown. After forcing a three-and-out, the Tomahawks found the end zone again, getting a 9-yard run from Dyer.

Wood finished off the scoring for Merrimack as he picked off a Santusousso pass in Cardinals' territory and carried it in for a 1-yard touchdown four plays later.

"I think we were suffering a crisis of confidence more than anything else," Jackson said. We had a lot of kids who really hadn’t played on a Friday night. After you lose a couple of games, you really need to make sure you do things the right way and hope that things work out."