Wiedenfeld, Londonderry football run their way to win against Bishop Guertin

NASHUA - Jimmy Lauzon didn't want to give too much away about his Londonderry High School football team during the Queen City Jamboree.

But when the Lancers opened the regular season Saturday night against Bishop Guertin, the coach couldn't help but reveal the biggest secret of all - Londonderry isn't a team to be overlooked.

The Lancers ran at will against the Cardinals' defense and kept Bishop Guertin out of the end zone in the second half, as Londonderry cruised to a 55-21 win in Division I action at Stellos Stadium.

Jeffrey Wiedenfeld ran for 250 yards and three touchdown to lead a Londonderry ground game that finished 379 yards and six scores. Michael McAlister, who didn't play in the jamboree against Bedford last week, added 55 yards and two touchdowns rushing and was also 4 of 7 for 83 yards and two touchdowns in the air.

"We choose the scrimmages that guys are going to play," Lauzon said. "We didn’t feel like we needed to show anything. We knew (Wiedenfeld) was capable of doing that. I think Mike (McAlister) took some pressure off him, pulling it when he needed to."

It started on Londonderry's first offensive play, as Wiedenfeld took a direct snap and ran around the left end for a 46-yard gain. Six plays later, McAlister found the end zone on an 11-yard run to put the Lancers (1-0) up 7-0 five minutes into the game.

"I feel like it did set the tone for the game," Wiedenfeld said of the opening drive. "I knew our team had the guts and the line had the push to do it."

Londonderry's Shane MacEachern picked off a pass from Bishop Guertin's Sam Raitt on the Cardinals' second possession, giving the Lancers the ball at the Bishop Guertin 36. It took Londonderry six plays to find the end zone again, as McAlister again ran it in from 11 yards out, to make it 14-0 with 3:49 to go in the first.

The Cardinals answered on their next drive, going 80 yards in 10 plays, as Raitt connected with Austin Hiscoe for a 5-yard touchdown to make it 14-7. The drive was kept alive by Hiscoe's 27-yard reception on third-and-10 from the Cardinals' 34.

Bishop Guertin was able to move the ball against the Londonderry defense, putting up 377 yards on offense. Raitt finished 16 of 33 for 155 yards and three touchdowns to go with 84 yards on 23 carries. Ben Plumley, who took over at running back when Tyler Faulkner went down with a knee injury, added 79 yards on 14 carries and also caught a 1-yard touchdown pass.

But the Lancers were able to come up with stops on defense when they needed them.

"We chose not to bring pressure," Lauzon said. "It threw (Raitt) off a little bit and I think we had too many guys back there to get clean, open holes. That was the game plan for him because he’s as good of a high school quarterback as I’ve seen."

After the Cardinals' first touchdown, Londonderry's Connor Dubois returned the kickoff 72 yards to the Cardinals' 19, and on the first play of the second quarter, Wiedenfeld ran it in from 6 yards out to make it 21-7.

Bishop Guertin's next drive stalled at midfield and the Cardinals turned the ball over on downs at Londonderry's 48-yard line. Two plays later, McAlister got the defense to bite on play action and found Cole Keegan alone on his way to the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown and a 28-7 lead.

The Cardinals responded with a 10-play, 71-yard drive, as Raitt connected with Zachary Keenan on a 21-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-9. Bishop Guertin's defense finally forced a punt, and on third-and-goal from the 1, Raitt found Plumley to cut Londonderry's lead to 28-21 with 2:47 left in the half.

But the Lancers were able to get down the field in a hurry, and McAlister found Pat Zepf for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 40.1 seconds left in the half and a 35-21 lead.

Londonderry did all the scoring in the second half, as its defense held Bishop Guertin to just 85 yards.

"We played well," Lauzon said. "It’s never as good as you think it is. Maybe we caught somebody by surprise now, but that’s not always going to be the case."