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# Salem football uses running game to roll past Winnacunnet
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/salem-football-uses-running-game-to-roll-past-winnacunnet/
- Published: 2018-10-13T11:00:08.000Z
- Updated: 2018-10-13T11:00:08.000Z
- Description: HAMPTON - Midway through the first half, a player on the Winnacunnet High School bench tried to pump his team up by screaming “they can’t run on us boys!” The “they” was the Salem Blue Devils, and by the end of the game, they had shown Winnacunnet they could do more than run the ball. The Blue Devil
- Author: Michael Abelson
- Tags: Division I, football, Salem, Winnacunnet, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

HAMPTON - Midway through the first half, a player on the Winnacunnet High School bench tried to pump his team up by screaming “they can’t run on us boys!”

The “they” was the Salem Blue Devils, and by the end of the game, they had shown Winnacunnet they could do more than run the ball. The Blue Devils outgained the Warriors 306-202 and scored the final 13 points of the game to pick up a 20-13 win. Salem outrushed Winnacunnet 197-142.

“Our kids played really tough,” Salem coach Rob Pike said. “It takes a lot of discipline to play against that offense, they do it so well, and our kids did that. We were giving ourselves all week in practice, but the boys played tremendously.”

Winnacunnet (5-2)struck first on a touchdown run by Jordan Fuller, and the Blue Devils (5-2) answered right before halftime on a Michael Ference touchdown reception.

Ference finished with a pair of catches for touchdowns, and his second score proved to be the winning score, which came late in the third quarter.

“So much of football comes down to winning one-on-one battles,” Pike said. “Mike did a great job of that. (Quarterback) Kyle (Poulin) did a great job putting the ball in the right spot, and that was good to see. Our offense is usually run oriented, but if teams want to gang up it’s nice to have a weapon like Michael on the outside.”

Poulin was economical was his passing and made big plays when he needed to. The senior went 7-12 for 109 yards with the two scores and an interception. Five of his completions went for 11 or more yards.

“I love playing with Kyle,” Ference said. “He always knows where I’m running and knows the coverage perfectly.”

Ference’s older brother James stole the show defensively with a pair of interceptions of Winnacunnet quarterback Joey LaRosa, including one in the final minutes of the game to help seal the victory for the Blue Devils.

“It was really our d-linemen,” James Ference said. “We knew they were going to run up the middle with the veer and the option. The linemen stuck to their keys and never let their quarterback be comfortable.”

After turning a fumble into a quick touchdown - a quick pass from LaRosa to Joe MacDougall - in the opening minutes of the second half, the Blue Devils responded two plays later when William Michaud went through the line and didn’t stop until he had 74 yards and a touchdown. Michaud finished with a game-high 120 yards rushing on 11 touches.

“It was a matter of execution,” Pike said. “The kids have to do the job. Missed them a few times. Offensively I feel we missed some assignments in the first half that we polished up in the second half.”

Winnacunnet didn’t run a play inside Salem’s 40-yard-line after their first possession of the second half as the Devils used timely defending, and takeaways to slow the veer to a crawl.