Snow's field goal helps give Bedford comeback win over Londonderry in D1 football final (video)

EXETER - Colby Snow tries to follow his coach's advice when kicking field goals.

Keep your head down and follow through, and if it's good, the crowd will let you know, but things were a little different when Snow lined up to kick Saturday.

With 17.1 seconds left in the Division I championship game, and the Bedford High School football team trailing by two points, Snow was ready to attempt a 27-yard field goal and ran through a whole lot of emotions.

"Coach (Zach Matthews) brought me over and said 'we’re going for it, we’re kicking it, I love you either way,'" Snow said. "You miss it, move on. Make it, we still move on.

"I looked up the second I kicked it. I saw it going in. My guts dropped and then when it went through, I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

Snow's kick was good, giving No. 10 Bedford a one-point lead with 13.0 seconds remaining and the Bulldogs held on to beat No. 1 Londonderry 15-14 in the D1 finale at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter. It's the third title in program history for Bedford and first since 2018.

"The fact that we won the game on a game-winning field goal is rather ridiculous," Matthews said. "Anybody who has seen us play this year, our kicking game and our extra points have been very up and down. One week, we’re hitting them, the next week, we can’t hit an extra point. (Snow's) not a kicker. He’s a running back, he’s a wide receiver, he’s a corner(back). He’s just the best athlete we have, so he’s been our kicker by default."

The kick capped a 16-play, 79-yard drive that started at Bedford's 11-yard line with 2:08 remaining and with only one timeout at the Bulldogs disposal. Quarterback Danny Black was 6 of 13 for 60 yards on the drive and also ran for another 10 yards, part of a day that saw the junior complete 15 of 34 passes for 218 yards with a touchdown and an interception, most of which came in the second half.

Dom Tagliaferro caught five passes for 64 yards, including a 7-yard score, while Logan Sfeir had 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Both scores came in the second half, as Bedford (10-3) trailed 14-0 at halftime.

"The 14-point deficit might have been the best thing to ever happen to us," Matthews said. "We said to the kids, we’re going to have to go out in the second half and attack this. We’ve got nothing to lose. You could feel the momentum building. They were just trying to hold on and we were attacking. Any time you’re trying to hold on for a victory, it makes it difficult to win those type of football games."

Drew Heenan led Londonderry (10-2) with 94 yards rushing and a touchdown but was just 5 of 10 passing for 69 yards and an interception on the Lancers' final offensive play. That was Londonderry's fourth turnover of the game, and second after halftime, after the Lancers were plus-1 on turnovers in the first half.

Londonderry was also called for 11 penalties for 85 yards, and in the second half, the Lancers were outgained 230-36.

"We just weren’t consistent," Londonderry coach Jimmy Lauzon said. "Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to. It’s not that they did anything drastically different. They did in the first half, but we adjusted pretty well. In the second half, they did their thing, and that’s what we prepared for."

But the Lancers struggled to find a rhythm, as the penalties and turnovers helped Bedford have a 14:32-9:14 advantage in time of possession in the second half.

"It’s crazy what not having the ball will do to you to kill that rhythm," Lauzon said. "You feel like you’re at a loss because you don’t have the ball. First downs become extra important. They did a great job in the second half controlling the ball, but our defense did a good job keeping them out. A couple of balls don’t bounce our way, a couple of big plays, if those don’t come back (on penalties), we’re in good shape. I’m not blaming anybody, that’s how it goes."

Londonderry scored both its touchdowns in the second quarter off turnovers, getting an 8-yard run from Heenan to go up 7-0 with 7:18 left in the frame. After Andrew Soucy intercepted a tipped pass from Black on Bedford's next possession, Nathan Pedrick found the end zone from 8 yards out to make it 14-0 with 1:47 remaining in the half.

An unsportsmanlike penalty against the Lancers after the score helped set the Bulldogs up with great field position, as Bedford took over at Londonderry's 41-yard line after the kickoff. The Bulldogs had a first-and-goal at the Lancers' 10, but a false start, a sack and three incompletions - two on deflections by Londonderry - kept Bedford out of the end zone.

The Lancers got the kickoff to start the second half and picked up a first down, but on the next play, Londonderry lost a fumble and Bedford recovered at the Lancers' 38. Eight plays later, Black connected with Tagliaferro for a 7-yard touchdown, but the extra point was blocked, making it 14-6 Londonderry.

After a three-and-out by the Lancers, Bedford drove back inside the 10-yard line, but turned it over on downs at the 9.

"We’ve had a great defense all year," Lauzon said. "We’ve been exceptional in the red zone. We’ve done it to multiple teams. It didn’t surprise me. I was probably more surprised that they got in for their second touchdown."

Londonderry was forced to punt again and Bedford went on a 13-play, 63-yard drive, finding the end zone on Sfeir's 4-yard run with 5:25 remaining. The Bulldogs went for two to try to tie the game, but although Black's pass to Dylan Soden was complete, the Lancers' kept him out of the end zone to keep it 14-12.

The Lancers picked up a first down on the ensuing drive, but the offense stalled and Londonderry was forced to punt again from its 43. Trevor Weinmann's punt was downed at Bedford's 11-yard line with 2:08 remaining, setting up the Bulldogs' game-winning drive.

"We just keep believing in each other," Matthews said. "We keep believing in the kids. We just keep hugging our kids up and telling them we love them and keep fighting and battling. The kids keep playing harder. There is no doubt. They don’t doubt each other, they just play the next play. That’s what we want for a mentality."