Souhegan, Goffstown will play it again in D3 football semifinals

It was just a week ago that Tyler Ford and Connor Benjamin put on a show for fans at Saint Anselm College.

The two quarterbacks will hold an encore performance Saturday, when the top-seeded Souhegan High School football team hosts No. 4 Goffstown in the Division III semifinals.

Ford and the Sabers got the best of Benjamin and the Grizzlies in the first meet, winning 32-27. The Sabers senior quarterback threw for 208 yards and a touchdown, and had another 41 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground to go with two interceptions on defense.

Benjamin had a big day of his own, rushing for 211 yards and two touchdowns and had an interception on defense. But the two picks by Ford came with the Grizzlies attempting to rally.

"I think much has been made about the matchup between Connor Benjamin and Tyler Ford," Souhegan coach Mike Beliveau said. "Last Saturday, they both lived up to the billing. It was two great athletes making play after play."

Beliveau expects to see a great performance from both players - and teams - again this week, and it will take a little bit of strategy for one team to come out on top.

"I think that it comes down to a chess match in a way where both teams look at the film from this past Saturday and try to figure out if we’re going to do the same type of things, or is it going to be serious adjustments," he said. "It's a little frustrating in a way. On a plus side, the players on both teams have a good feel for each other having gone at it in a very good game last week. They know what to expect from a physicality standpoint."

One difference for the teams will be the change of venue, going from the turf at Saint Anselm to the grass in Amherst. With the inclement weather this week, Beliveau considered a potential location change, but when he proposed it to the team, the players talked him out of it.

"I asked the guys how important is it to play at home," he said. "Maybe we can go to a better surface, play on some turf at a neutral surface. We know we play fast on the turf, but so do they. They want to play here at Souhegan and that meant a lot to them. I said 'I've got your back on this one,' even though I love the turf."

The Sabers got a boost last week by the return of offensive tackle Luke Perkins, but will still be without middle linebacker Ken Dobbs. Souhegan has had plenty of other players step up.

"Defensively, some kids have kind of flown under the radar," Beliveau said. "The two Elias brothers, Dimitri and Jaques. They are unbelievable to be around. One is a d-back, the other is an outside linebacker. Trey Darrow, he’s from Wisconsin. He's mixed in well with the guys. He's stepped up and played pretty good for us. He's a linebacker and a d-back. Cam Crook, he's one of our more valuable guys. He plays guard, d-tackle and he kicks extra points. He's very athletic for a lineman and he plays real well for us."

If the Sabers (8-0 in division) play real well on Saturday, they'll advance to the Division III championship game for the ninth time since the 2002 season. The Sabers and Grizzlies (5-3) will play at 1 p.m., with the winner facing either No. 2 Milford or No. 3 Portsmouth in the final on Nov. 17.

"This game has got me a little wound up and tight because I respect Goffstown’s fire power on offense, and their ability to make adjustments on defense," Beliveau said. "It goes without saying, but it's difficult to beat a team two times in a row, especially if they are a quality team. We're going to give it our all and play a great 48 minutes."