Quick Hits: Manchester Memorial football pulled out first win in another close game

The Manchester Memorial High School football team recorded 397 yards of total offense on 37 plays, averaging more than 10 yards per play to record its first win of the year over previously undefeated Spaulding, 27-26, in Manchester last Friday night.

Crusaders quarterback Connor McFarland connected on only 3 of his 10 passing attempts, but they were big ones - totaling 106 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 79 yards on the ground on five carries.

Memorial’s backfield was grinding. Erik Seymore had 13 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown, and Chase Burris chipped in with 103 yards and a touchdown on nine rushes. Receiver Ethan Vilgrain hauled in all three of McFarland’s passes for 106 yards and two scores.

Memorial coach Rob Sturgis knew it was only a matter of time for his Crusaders to secure their first win.

“I honestly felt from the start of the season that we were so close to being a good team,” Sturgis said. “We were doing so many good things out of camp and in game situations that you could just see it.”

After losing their last two games in overtime - 27-21 to Dover and 18-12 to Portsmouth-Oyster River - seeing it was believing for the Crusaders at home against a strong Red Raiders team.

Trailing 27-20 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game, Spaulding gave Emmett Colby the ball at the 7 and he found his way into the end zone to get the Red Raiders within one. With no kicker to handle PAT duties, Spaulding went for two. Memorial stuffed the Colby rush and maintained that one-point edge.

The Crusaders defense couldn’t rest yet, as Spaulding had one more shot with just under three minutes to play. Memorial’s defense didn’t break, stalling Spaulding’s final drive at the Crusaders’ 39. McFarland and Co. ran out the clock from there.

“To be able to come up with that 2-point conversion stop, and then again on fourth down with around four minutes left was big for us,” Sturgis said. “That showed me a lot. It's what I knew these guys were capable of from the start of the season.”

Spaulding’s three-headed monster wasn’t denied all night out of the backfield. Colby (29 carries, 117 yards, two touchdowns), Hunter Trueman (19 carries, 99 yards, two touchdowns) and Seth Cortina (nine carries, 70 yards) were all strong in the Red Raiders first loss of the season. They’ll look to bounce back Oct. 7 at Merrimack.

Memorial looks to carry this momentum into its next game at Windham on Oct. 8.

Timberlane 27, Exeter 23

Trailing by four with 1:37 remaining in the game, Exeter drove from its own 30-yard line to the Timberlane 6. Unfortunately for the Blue Hawks, that’s where the drive, and their hopes of an undefeated season ended, as the Owls held on for a 27-23 win and first place in the Division I East standings.

“It was a great high school football game,” Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald said. “It was a clean game - not many penalties - and both teams were bringing everything they had on both sides of the ball.”

Exeter actually grabbed a 23-20 lead with 5:46 left in the fourth quarter on an Ethan Moss 6-yard touchdown run.

The Owls responded in kind, as Edward Digiulio scored his second fourth-quarter touchdown of the game, this one from 11 yards out, for the 27-23 lead and Exeter’s final drive in the closing minutes.

DiGiulio finished the night with 114 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. His other score was from 33 yards out early in the fourth quarter for a 20-16 Owls lead.

Timberlane quarterback Dominic Coppeta had a night for himself as well, carrying the ball 20 times for 107 yards and a score. He also threw for 64 yards in the win. Liam Corman scored the Owls first touchdown, a 1-yard plunge to tie the game 7-7 early in the second quarter.

Exeter scored first on an Evan Pafford to Moss connection for 51-yards and a 7-0 Blue Hawks lead late in the first quarter. Pafford would put Exeter up 13-7 at halftime with a quarterback sneak from the 1 to close out the second quarter. Moss (seven carries, 33 yards; two receptions, 61 yards; two touchdowns) would drill a 32-yard field goal late in the third quarter for a 16-14 Blue Hawks lead that set the stage for a wild final frame.

Exeter (4-1) looks to bounce back when it hosts Bedford (4-1) on Oct. 7, while Timberlane (4-1) visits winless Goffstown on Oct. 8.

Dover 7, Portsmouth-Oyster River 0

Dover quarterback Ryder Aubin scored his sixth rushing touchdown of the season late in the second quarter, and the Green Wave defense did the rest in a 7-0 win over Portsmouth-Oyster River.

Dover’s defense hasn’t allowed a point at home this fall, including a season-opening 14-0 win over Winnacunnet.

Dover’s defense came up with one big play after another to up its record to 4-1, while Portsmouth-OR fell to 2-3. The Green Wave victory was sealed with 1:20 remaining in regulation and POR quarterback Brady Kilroy looking for Angus Moss in the corner of the end zone from 22 yards out. That fourth down play was broken up by Dover’s Samuel Grube, and the Green Wave ran out the clock for the win.

Aubin (20 carries, 57 yards) scored the games lone touchdown on a 2-yard plunge with 4:11 remaining in the first half to cap off and 11-play, 67-yard scoring drive.

Kilroy, who didn’t even know he’d be starting at quarterback until midweek, connected on 12 of 23 passes for 128 yards, and also carried the ball 16 times for 64 yards. Moss was his go-to receiver with 47 yards on seven catches.