> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Pelham takes advantage of key turnover to beat Manchester West in D2 football playoffs - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/pelham-takes-advantage-of-key-turnover-to-beat-manchester-west-in-d2-football-playoffs/ - Published: 2025-11-09T13:00:01.000Z - Updated: 2025-11-09T13:00:01.000Z - Description: PELHAM – Not all turnovers are created equal. But with the Pelham High School football team getting backed into the wall, the Pythons needed their defense to make a play. No. 4 Pelham got it, forcing a No. 5 Manchester West fumble near midfield late in the third quarter, and the Pythons rode that mo - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division II, football, Manchester West, Pelham, playoffs, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 PELHAM – Not all turnovers are created equal. But with the Pelham High School football team getting backed into the wall, the Pythons needed their defense to make a play. No. 4 Pelham got it, forcing a No. 5 Manchester West fumble near midfield late in the third quarter, and the Pythons rode that momentum to the end zone, needing just three plays to score what proved to be the winning points in a 7-6 win Saturday over the Blue Knights in the Division II quarterfinals. The win means Pelham will take on top-seeded Souhegan on the road in the semifinals next weekend. It will be the third time in the last four seasons the two have met in the playoffs, including last year’s title game. Kevin Hardy hit Noah Johnson for a 14-yard touchdown with 1:59 left in the third quarter and the extra point by Brady O'Connor gave the Pythons (8-2) their first lead of the game. Pelham’s defense then held West (7-3) to 9 yards over its next three possessions, forcing two more turnovers to secure the win. “The defense bailed us out at that point,” Pelham coach Jason Riley said. “We’ve been able to lean on our defense all year, so we thought ‘all right, it’s that time.’” Defense dominated the day, as each team had four turnovers, and neither offense eclipsed two hundred yards, as Pelham had a 160-147 edge on offense. “I’m really proud,” West coach Andrew Provencher said. “They played really hard, really tough, which is what we love. I’m disappointed with the end result, but I’m real proud with how they played.” Hardy finished 5 of 9 passing for 91 yards with the touchdown and an interception, but was sacked four times for minus-36 yards while losing two fumbles in the first half. West had similar struggles, as Gio Doria was 4 of 6 for 23 yards and an interception while being sacked three times for minus-29 yards and two fumbles lost. Doria scored the lone touchdown for the Blue Knights, as his 4-yard run with 4:35 left in the second quarter put West on top 6-0\. After Hardy was strip-sacked on Pelham’s next possession, the Blue Knights had another shot to score before halftime, but Doria’s pass to Jarome Henert near the goal line fell in complete to end the half. “We felt good, but they’re a good team, and we felt like we needed to get another score,” Provencher said. “We just weren’t able to. We had some turnovers and weren’t able to get it done.” Pelham opened the third quarter with a long drive, getting down to West’s 33, but Hardy was picked off in the end zone by Rayvon Nelson to end the possession. Starting at their own 5, the Blue Knights moved out to midfield, with Doria giving West a first down at its 41 by picking up 4 yards on fourth-and-1\. But three plays later, on third-and-4, Elias Abreu gained enough for the first down but the ball was knocked out by Pelham’s Ben Maslanek and Johnson recovered at midfield. Luke Draper (75 yards rushing) picked up 20 yards on first down and Hardy found Tyler Carvello for what looked like a touchdown, but was called back on a hold on the Pythons. Pelham still had a first down at West’s 14, and Hardy connected with Johnson for a score that counted and gave the Pythons a lead they wouldn’t give up. “We got caught in a bad play and (Hardy) threw an interception,” Riley said. “We had to lean on that defense again and they came up huge.”