Panthers hoping to fix mistakes against Crusaders

Going into last Friday’s game against Lowell, coach Scott Knight wanted his Nashua High School South football team to slow the game down.

Instead, the Panthers got caught up in a track meet against a fast Red Raiders team and the results weren’t pretty.

South trailed just 20-17 near the end of the first half, but a late touchdown put Lowell up 27-17, and the Panthers were outscored 13-0 in the second half.

“We had a number of chances in that game,” Knight said. “Our problem was our ability to get it done when it mattered the most. It seemed like we were third-and-2 all night, and then we’d make a big mistake. Or we wouldn’t convert on a fourth down, which happened a couple times.”

The Panthers also turned the ball over on two interceptions and a fumble.

“It was a lot of mental mistakes,” Knight said. “That was frustrating. We were able to run the ball effectively when we were all in the right place. That’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to slow it down a little bit, but we ended up in a track meet.”

The good news for the Panthers (1-1 in Division I, 1-2 overall) is that the game doesn’t count toward the final division standings. South gets back to its division schedule at 7 p.m. on Friday when it plays at Manchester Memorial.

After two non-division wins over Milford and Manchester West, the Crusaders lost to Salem last week, 41-20.

But according to Knight, that score is a bit misleading.

“They were getting 10 yards a whack, but then they’d fumble or they’d give up a punt return for a touchdown,” Knight said. “They’re making all these critical mistakes that put the game out of reach real quick. If they ever put it together, I think they could trade punches with anybody.”

This week, South will get to throw down with its offensive line intact. Tackle Cody Mawn returns after missing two games, and because of his absence two other linemen, Julier Rivera and Dylan Flesch, were able to gain some playing time.

“We’re really deep up front,” Knight said. “I’ve got two more kids than I had against Pinkerton. I think it will make a difference, but that didn’t kill us the other night. Our issues were other things.”

The Panthers will try to work those issues out when they take the field at Memorial for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday.