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# North looks to finish puzzle against Pinkerton
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/north-looks-to-finish-puzzle-against-pinkerton/
- Published: 2011-09-16T11:45:27.000Z
- Updated: 2011-09-16T11:45:27.000Z
- Description: Jason Robie views his Nashua High School North football team as a bit of a puzzle. With only three starters returning this season, the coaching staff has to work to fill in the rest of the pieces. With the season three weeks old, the picture is starting to form.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Division II, Fall Sports, football, Nashua North, Pinkerton, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/bgnorthfball0819-nnlavine3.jpg "BGNorthFball0819 NNLavine3")

Jason Robie views his Nashua High School North football team as a bit of a puzzle.

With only three starters returning this season, the coaching staff has to work to fill in the rest of the pieces. With the season three weeks old, the picture is starting to form.

As for Pinkerton, the puzzle was done a long time ago. The defending Division I champions returned most of their team and it showed in last week's 56-14 drubbing of Nashua South. This week, the Astros head to Stellos Stadium to face North at 7 p.m. on Friday in a rematch of last year's title game.

"You’re putting the puzzle pieces together," Robie said. "A team that’s seasoned, that’s veteran, like Pinkerton, they knew who their people were coming in. When you have a team like us, where it’s so new and you only have three returning starters, it takes a little bit longer."

One difference is the game speed. Pinkerton's players entered the year knowing what to expect, while most of the Titans will be playing their third varsity game on Friday.

"The speed of the game is huge," Robie said. "In practice, you can’t duplicate that. We don’t have a Manny Lattimore or an Emmitt Smith and we certainly don’t have a Kevin Davies. Game speed is a completely different animal and a lot of these kids are playing varsity football for the first time. These kids from Pinkerton know how fast the game is because they were involved last season."

It's certainly helped North to have not only won its first two games, but to have to rally to win both. After coming back to beat Winnacunnet, the Titans trailed Londonderry in the first half before going on to a 36-20 win over the Lancers. Marc Lavine led the way for North, rushing for 155 yards and four touchdowns.

How the Titans will follow that game up is something that Robie is anxious to see.

"Winning those first two games certainly helped them believe what we’re doing are the right things," he said. "Our preseason and the first two games and everything we’ve done has been an even keel. I can’t get a read on it. I think if they’ve been thinking about it and they psyche themselves out, they’re concentrating. Maybe they just have no idea. I’m not sure which one I want more."