Panthers look to keep rolling against Astros

The fireworks could be so big at Stellos Stadium Friday night, the Fourth of July might get jealous.

The football teams from Nashua High School South and Pinkerton Academy will meet on the field turf at 7 p.m. for the Division I opener for both teams. Both teams started their seasons last week with a similar offensive output.

Both put 40-plus points on the scoreboard and 500-plus yards of offense on the stat sheet in one-sided wins. But both did it in different ways. South had almost 300 yards through the air, and another 212 on the ground against Portsmouth, while Pinkerton pounded out 543 yards on the ground against Timberlane.

Perhaps the only difference was on defense, where the Astros allowed fewer than 200 while the Panthers surrendered almost 300 to the Clippers.

“It’s a matter of maturing on that side of the ball,” South coach Scott Knight said. “We made some mistakes but we also did a lot of good things, too.”

The Panthers got big plays in the passing game against the Clippers, as quarterback Keith Farkas for five touchdowns, four of which went for 20 yards or more.

But putting points on the board is something Knight expected South to be able to do.

“We have so many kids back on offense that we’re expecting to score points and execute,” he said. “We need to take care of the ball a little bit better. We were waving the ball around a little bit more than to my liking. We were lucky to not put the ball on the ground a few times.”

A win for the Panthers could come down to how well the defense plays, or how long the South offense can keep Pinkerton’s offense off the field.

The Astros had three players – Emmitt Smith (147 yards), Kevin Davies (126) and Luke Somers (112) – rush for more than 100 yards last week. Manny Latimore added another 69 yards on the ground, while Smith and Somers each had a touchdown run of 70 or more yards.

“We’re going to need to contain them on the edge and stop the fullback,” Knight said. “If they throw, we’re going to need to bring some pressure. We’re going to need to move the sticks, keep the ball out of their hands and score. It’s as simple as that.

“They’re defense is fast. I look at that and say that’s a good football team from top to bottom. I haven’t seen too many weaknesses. It’s going to be a tough game for sure.”

One thing is certain – the Astros sure don’t mind playing at Stellos. Since the start of the 2005 season, Pinkerton has played eight games there, going 6-2. The lone losses were to South in 2005 and to Bishop Guertin to open the 2008 season.