South, Exeter play for postseason positioning

Somewhere along the line, the Nashua High School South football team was tagged as a team with a porous defense.

Through the first three games, that was true. The Panthers allowed an average of 39 points while winning non-division games against Dover and Lowell and losing to Pinkerton.

But since then, South has been a different team on defense, giving up just 45 total points over the last five games, all of which have been wins.

And there’s more – the Panthers (5-1 in Division I, 7-1 overall) have scored nine touchdowns on defense. If the school kept that record, South coach Scott Knight believes it would be one.

“I’d like to think that would be a school record,” he said.

So what has been the cause for the Panthers’ turnaround? For starters, South didn’t have many of those returning, needing to replace seven players on defense. That took a while, and although the Panthers still give up yards – Salem running back Jerickson Fedrick had 256 yards rushing last week – South hasn’t been giving up numbers where it counts.

“They look at yards and it’s not the yards,” Knight said. “When Fedrick got his 200, you would have thought this or that, but we played solid defense. It’s about turnovers and stops. We’ve done a very good job.”

As for the defensive touchdowns, Knight attributes that to team speed. The Panthers could easily field the state’s best 4x100-meter relay team, alternates and all.

“We love our team speed and when you have that, stuff happens,” Knight said. “There are 11 guys out there. They just happen to be the guys (getting the turnovers).”

The Panthers will play the second game of a tough three-game stretch to end the regular season. With South playing Salem last week (a 49-20 win for the Panthers), Exeter this week and Manchester Central on Nov. 4, it’s like the playoffs have already started.

“It’s not like our backs are against the wall and if we lose, we’re out,” Knight said. “It’s the intensity and preparation, and good competition.”

With South and Exeter (5-1 in division) tied for second in the division, and with Salem, Central and Manchester Memorial tied at 3-3 behind them, Friday’s game will likely be for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

Chances are, the winner of this game will host the loser in that semifinal game, but Knight is talking to the players about that.

“We haven’t discussed that at all,” he said. “We might have mentioned it last week that it’d be great to play at home in the playoffs. We just want to go out and play really good football. If we do that every week, things will fall into place.”

South and Exeter will play at 7 p.m. Friday at Stellos Stadium.

Other area games:

• Bedford at Portsmouth, 7 p.m., Friday: Speaking of playoff games, this is a potential playoff matchup as both teams enter with a 5-1 record in Division III. It would seem like teams with five division wins would be a lock into the postseason, but the top four teams in the division are tied at 5-1. With Souhegan (3-3) still lurking, anything is still possible. After falling at Hollis/Brookline last week, Portsmouth should be happy to get back on its home turf. Of course, Bedford will like being on the turf as well, especially after having a week off.
• Milford at Hollis/Brookline,  7 p.m., Friday: For the second time this season, H/B will set up the rented lights and play in prime time. The Cavs won the first one, and are coming off a win over Portsmouth that coach Milt Robinson called the biggest in program history. A win over Milford would clinch a Division III playoff berth for the second time for H/B, and give the Cavs a shot at hosting a playoff game. Milford has lost four straight, including last week's 24-17 loss to Goffstown in which the Spartans nearly rallied for the win. This is a game H/B circled at the beginning of the year, as the Cavs have never beaten Milford.
• Souhegan at Pelham, 7 p.m., Friday: The Sabers should take another step toward what would be a remarkable postseason berth. After opening its division scheduled with three straight losses, followed by a 42-0 loss to Manchester Central, Souhegan has won three in a row to keep the playoffs alive. Pelham hasn't won a game since moving up to Division III before last season, but even with a win, Souhegan likely needs a Bedford loss to have a chance at making the playoffs. The Sabers and Bulldogs will play on Nov. 4.