Windham, Alvirne football put on a show for annual Project Blackout game

WINDHAM - If Jack Byrne could personally thank everyone who came out for a Windham High School football game, the head coach would.

On a night like Friday, with the Jaguars playing their 13th annual game in support of Project Blackout, Byrne was excited that not only did they promote a great cause, they put on an exciting show.

"It’s just so cool, that of all the thousands of people that were here, a bunch of kids, get to watch two teams just get so much better," the coach said. "It’s so awesome. For our guys, I’m always proud of Windham guys. It was cool to see, on a night when we’re celebrating something that’s bigger than football, seeing some things bigger than football happen."

Windham hit on a pair of big plays in the second half and held off a late Alvirne comeback for a 14-12 win to pick up a key win in Division I Central Conference action.

With the program honoring Project Blackout, an organization based in Windham that is dedicated to helping children diagnosed with cancer, on the night, the school brought in several sets of portable lights and saw the field surrounded by fans of all ages.

Deep into the fourth quarter, the hill above the field was still lined with kids, who spent the night playing games of their own and were watching the finish to a big game.

"It was an awesome experience," Alvirne coach Matt Lee said. "It’s disappointing with the result, not disappointing with the effort. The guys play really hard every week. It’s not an issue of effort. The whole night, I’m sure someday, I’ll look back and think it was pretty cool. Right now, losing stinks."

It was the first loss of the season for the Broncos (3-1), who had won their first three games to open a season for the first time since 2004.

Neither team could get much going in the first half offensively and Windham (2-1 in D1, 2-2 overall) had a 2-0 lead, when the snap on a punt went over the head of Alvirne's Shawn Boudreau and rolled out of the back of the end zone late in the first quarter.

The Jaguars made that lead 8-0 on the second play of the third quarter, when Kevin Murphy hit Cam Williams for an 84-yard touchdown pass. Windham's other touchdown also came on a big play, with Christopher Brearely breaking free for a 47-yard run.

"Preparing for those guys is really tough," Lee said. "It’s tough trying to get a scout team in three days to run the triple option offense. You see it once a year.

"They made a couple of plays. They do what they do well. They’ve got good running backs and a good quarterback who knows how to run the offense. It’s hard to practice for them, but you know what’s coming."

And for the first time this season, an opponent was able to contain Alvirne running back Mike Landmesser, who had 85 yards on the ground, but needed 22 carries to do so. The junior had 10 touchdowns heading into the game, but was held out of the end zone by the Jaguars.

Charlie Crawford had a big game for the Broncos, rushing for 66 yards and a score while completing 14 of 28 passes for 166 yards and another score.

The Windham defense came up with a big stand in the fourth quarter, stopping an Alvirne drive that started at the Broncos' 24-yard line at the Jaguars' 8. That meant when Alvirne went on another long drive late in the game, and scored, the Broncos had to attempt on an onside kick and were unable to recover it.

"Our guys study the game," Byrne said. "They know the little tweaks to make. We’ve made our defense very player driven. They’re playing sound, quality, defensive football. That’s what you have to do. They’re going to gain something on you. If you want to go in your shell and feel sorry for yourself, they’re going to punish you. I’m glad our guys didn’t."