> ## 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.

# Titans, Tomahawks ready for late-season tuneup
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/titans-tomahawks-ready-for-late-season-tuneup/
- Published: 2010-10-29T13:45:12.000Z
- Updated: 2010-10-29T13:45:12.000Z
- Description: The Nashua High School North and Merrimack football teams are both still alive in their respective playoff races. Unfortunately, neither one will have a chance to improve their standing when they meet for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday in Merrimack.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Division II, Fall Sports, football, Merrimack, Nashua North, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/alvmerrfball0917-m21-3.jpg "AlvMerrFball0917 M21-3")

The Nashua High School North and Merrimack football teams are both still alive in their respective playoff races.

Unfortunately, neither one will have a chance to improve their standing when they meet for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday in Merrimack.

The Titans and Tomahawks got the draw of playing one of their two non-division games in the next-to-last week of the season, which means both teams will be checking out what their division mates do over the weekend once their game is done.

Even though it doesn’t count toward the teams’ final records, both coaches are taking the game seriously.

“We approach every game like it matters because every game does matter,” North coach Jason Robie said. “We want to keep the routine. Routines are important, especially with high school kids. The minute you start talking about the game not mattering, then we lose the kids on some level. We don’t want that to happen and I’m sure Merrimack doesn’t want that to happen either.”

While Merrimack coach Joe Battista isn’t thrilled his team has to play a non-division game this late in the year, he believes it will be a good challenge for what the Tomahawks will face the final week of the season. Merrimack will head to Hampton on Nov. 5 to face Winnacunnet in a game that will determine both teams’ playoff fate.

“That is a positive,” he said. “It’s a great feeling to know that going into our last game of the season, we have a shot. You can’t ask for anything more. It means the whole season, every game counted.”

Although they aren’t competing directly with each other, both sides know what the other brings to the table.

“We’ve got to take this team serious because they are a very physical football team,” Robie said. “They are disciplined, hard-nosed. They run around very well. When you don’t take somebody seriously, that’s when you have problems. That’s when kids get hurt. That’s when the wheels fall of the wagon.”

It’s no secret that the Tomahawks like to run the football. It’s also no secret that teams have been able to run on the Titans’ defense this season.

“We like that matchup,” Battista said. “We really need to control the ball because I don’t know how we’re going to slow them down. I think the best way to slow them down is to keep the ball away from them.

“Most weeks, you know if you take away A, or A and B, you have a pretty good chance of winning. This team, they have weapons everywhere. They have a lot of offensive firepower.”

Both teams are prepared for what both coaches think will be a good game. And then next week, both can get back to what really counts.