> ## 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. # Quick Hits: Winnacunnet, Nashua South football pick up first wins of the season - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/quick-hits-winnacunnet-nashua-south-football-pick-up-first-wins-of-the-season/ - Published: 2022-10-20T21:00:21.000Z - Updated: 2022-10-20T21:00:21.000Z - Description: It was 327 winless days and counting for the Winnacunnet High School football. Since that Nov. 20, 2021 loss to Londonderry in the Division I title game at Exeter, the Warriors opened the 2022 season with six straight losses to Dover, Portsmouth-Oyster River, Timberlane, Exeter, Bishop Guertin and P - Author: George Scione - Tags: Fall Sports, Division I, Division II, football, Nashua South, Quick Hits, Winnacunnet, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 It was 327 winless days and counting for the Winnacunnet High School football. Since that Nov. 20, 2021 loss to Londonderry in the Division I title game at Exeter, the Warriors opened the 2022 season with six straight losses to Dover, Portsmouth-Oyster River, Timberlane, Exeter, Bishop Guertin and Pinkerton Academy. The Warriors had been outscored 129-20 in those six games, including four shutout losses. Day 328 made all the difference. Winnacunnet (1-6) utilized a 90-yard, two-touchdown performance from Frankie Brown (26 carries) to record its first victory of the season, 20-13 at Manchester Memorial (1-6). It’s crazy to think this was a one-loss team that reached the final a year ago, and it’s taken until Week 7 of this fall to secure its first win. Granted, Winnacunnet returned only two full-time starters from 2021. Winnacunnet coach Ryan Francouer is just as surprised with this fall’s start. “We’re a pretty proud program and this stretch has been tough on all of us - players, coaches and fans,” Francoeur said. “We definitely expected to produce more this year. It’s been a disappointing start to the season, but everyone has been working hard. “Everybody’s put in the time and effort - coaches and players. It’s just been one of those seasons. You’re grinding each week, but haven’t been able to find all the right answers.” On Day 328 the answers were correct in all three phases of the game. Along with Brown, who got the Warriors on the board in the first five minutes of the game from seven yards out, quarterback Riley McDaniel completed four of six passes for 44 yards and a touchdown connection with Tate Goucher. Offensively for Memorial, quarterback Connor McFarland was stealing the show briefly in the third quarter. He scored once on a 9-yard keeper to cap off an 81-yard, 11-play drive, and then connected from 24 yards out with Martin Alisandro to close the third quarter. However, Winnacunnet’s defense was in control the other three quarters of play. Along with his TD catch, Goucher came up with an interception on the opposite side of the ball, and safety Kevin Tilley shined with a fumble recovery and interception of his own. That Tilley fumble recovery on Memorial’s second play from scrimmage in the opening frame set up Brown’s first score. Tilley’s interception on Memorial’s first drive of the second quarter, also resulted in a Brown touchdown. Winnacunnet would march 65 yards on 11 plays to eat up the clock and secure a 20-0 halftime lead as Brown forced his way into the end zone from the 2 yard line. Tilley, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound captain and three-year starting safety, was playing with a cast on his right arm after breaking his wrist in the second game of the season. He’s only missed one game this fall, playing through the injury. “He is the best safety that I've ever coached,” Francoeur said. “I think he’s one of the best safeties in the history of New Hampshire high school football. I never doubt he’s going to be ready to play and go all out when he’s on the field. He’s a gamer. He’s the quarterback of our defense, and he came up with two more big plays that we were able to turn into points.” Winnacunnet is back in action Friday when it hosts Londonderry (6-1) in the Warriors final home game of the season. It’s their first meeting since the Lancers beat the Warriors 24-14 in last year's Division I final. “Ain’t going to need anything special for motivation this week,” Francoeur said. “You’re playing the defending champs, the team that beat you to win that title. How much more motivation do you need than that? It’s going to be another big challenge for us, but I think our guys are up to it.” ### Nashua South 40, Keene 28 Nashua South secured its first win of the season on the legs and shoulders of senior quarterback Karsten Lemire. Lemire connected on 16 of his 23 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 85 yards and a score as South (1-6) beat Keene (1-6) 40-28 at Stellos Stadium in Nashua. Not to be outdone, sophomore Kyle Emmons was motoring all over the field as well, scoring three times - twice as part of his 60-yard ground effort and once on the receiving end of a Lemire pass. Emmons was one of nine different receivers to catch a pass, with five of those being freshman or sophomores, including Emmons and freshman Josh Tripp, who hauled in four passes for 66 yards. South coach Scott Knight is working with a young group this fall, a majority of sophomores and juniors that didn’t have much varsity experience, and they’re finally getting into their groove. “We have seniors, but this is not a roster of guys that had seen significant varsity playing time prior to this fall,” Knight said. “Then we opened the season with Bishop Guertin, Windham, Merrimack, (Nashua) North, Bedford and Concord. There have been no easy nights for us on this schedule. “We opened with a fully healthy Guertin. That Windham game was a disaster turnover wise, it was the same in Bedford and we lost composure. Then we rallied against Merrimack and just needed a fifth quarter. That said, these kids have matured and learned so much every week as the season’s progressed. We gained some confidence versus Concord last week. That second half we came on and I think that carried over into the Keene win.” The Panthers hope this performance carries over into Friday night’s trip to Manchester Memorial (1-6) against a Crusaders squad looking to rebound from its most recent loss to previously winless Winnacunnet. “I think we have a chance to finish on a roll with Memorial this week and Goffstown to close out the season,” Knight said. “We just need to come out as strong and focused as we did with Keene.” ### Bow 27, St. Thomas 3 Senior running back Hollis Jones ran for a pair of touchdowns, galloping to paydirt from 35 and 70 yards out, to pace Bow’s offense in a 27-3 Division II home win over St. Thomas Aquinas. The Falcons (6-1) trailed 3-0 at halftime and scored 27 unanswered points to beat the Saints (4-3). Bow’s offense would grind out the win with additional touchdown runs by Gavin McCabe and Ryan Lover. St. Thomas quarterback Michael Skowron completed five passes for 129 yards, with Devon Paquette on the receiving end four times for 124 yards in defeat. Bow takes the field again Saturday when Pembroke Academy comes to town, while St. Thomas visits Plymouth on Saturday.