Winnacunnet football starts fast in win over Goffstown (video)

GOFFSTOWN - Ryan Francoeur went back and forth all week over what the Winnacunnet High School football team should do if it won the coin toss Saturday.

Give the ball to Goffstown's high-powered offense to start the game? Or take it and try to start eating up clock from the opening drive.

The Warriors ended up not getting a choice, but rather, took the ball for themselves.

Winnacunnet's Tate Goucher recovered a fumble by the Grizzlies on the opening kickoff and the Warriors turned into points and momentum on the way to a 33-20 win over Goffstown in a Division I game.

"It’s funny, with their offense, I went back and forth about whether we were going to defer," Francoeur said. "It didn’t end up being our choice and they took the ball. Tate Goucher making that strip there sets the tone for the whole game. We’ve been lucky not to trail yet this year and I had some apprehension. Our defense is good, but (Goffstown) can make big plays happen."

Winnacunnet (7-0) led 20-0 late in the second quarter and held Goffstown under a hundred yards in the first half. The Grizzlies were able to move the ball more in the second half, and had a chance to make it a one-score game early in the fourth quarter.

Owen Bateman had an interception in the end zone to snuff out that threat and then had one of his two rushing touchdowns to cap the ensuing drive to put the game out of reach for the Warriors. The senior finished 36 yards on the ground while Tucker McCann had 114 yards and a touchdown.

Kyle Tilley added 21 yards and a touchdown rushing while completing 3 of 4 passes for 79 yards, including a 48-yard scoring strike to Dominic Gould. As a team, the Warriors rushed for 280 yards and four scores.

"We’re blessed to have six running backs, all Division I backs in my opinion," Francoeur said. "They are all animals. Their good kids who work hard, they’re strong, they’re tough, they want to pick up that three or four yards. They are fighting for carries."

Josh Webb had a big game at quarterback for Goffstown, completing 20 of 29 passes for 226 yards and three touchdown to go with the interception. Peyton Strickland caught four passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns and Jonah Lopez added four catches for 61 yards and a score, and he also threw a pass for 32 yards.

Caden Perry added nine catches for 95 yards, but the Grizzlies' running game struggled early and was non-existent after they fell behind, as they had just 31 yards on 14 carries.

Goffstown was also penalized 10 times for 80 yards, including two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on coach Nick Hammond, which led to an ejection for the Grizzlies coach.

The first came after the Grizzlies were late returning to the sideline for the start of the second half. The second was late in the game, with Goffstown driving for its final touchdown of the day.

"We were hoping for a faster start," Goffstown assistant coach Joe Battista said. "We felt like we could play with them, but unfortunately we had a slow start and they didn’t. That might have been the difference (Saturday), and we couldn’t catch up on the scoreboard."

The Grizzlies looked like they were going to start the opening drive with good field position after a nice return by Perry, but the ball came free and Goucher recovered for Winnacunnet, giving the Warriors a first down at Goffstown's 38.

Winnacunnet quickly got inside the 10, but after a touchdown was called back on an illegal shift, it looked Goffstown's defense might hold. Instead, McCann rumbled into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line. The Warriors fumbled on the conversion and the Grizzlies recovered, making it a 6-0 Winnacunnet lead with 8:12 left in the first quarter.

A fumble on Goffstown's first play went for a loss of 14 yards, leading to a three-and-out, and Strickland's punt netted just 15 yards. Winnacunnet couldn't capitalize on that possession, but after forcing another punt, the Warriors increased the lead on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Tilley to Gould to make it 13-0.

"That was big," Battista said of Winnacunnet's start. "It definitely changes things and it gives them an extra possession. At that point, we fell behind one possession and we were never quite able to make it up. You’ve got to give them credit there, they made a big play."

Goffstown was able to move across midfield on its next possession, but stalled at the Warriors' 40. This time, Strickland was able to pin Winnacunnet deep, as the Warriors started the drive at their 9-yard line.

Didn't matter. Winnacunnet went on a 14-play, 91-yard drive that ate up 7:07 and ended with Tilley's 4-yard touchdown run to make it 20-0.

The Grizzlies were able to answer this time, needing just 3:02 to go 68 yards in seven plays. A 32-yard completion from Lopez to Perry seemed to ignite the Goffstown sideline, and four plays later, Webb hit Strickland for a 16-yard touchdown.

That made it 20-7, and that's where it stood at halftime, but Winnacunnet took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 64 yards in 13 plays, using up 8:01 of the third quarter before Bateman's 3-yard touchdown run.

Goffstown would answer again, getting a 26-yard touchdown pass from Webb to Lopez, and after Tilley fumbled on Winnacunnet's next possession, the Grizzlies looked like they might cut into the lead further.

A 16-yard run by Aaron Duval and a 16-yard completion from Webb to Strickland gave Goffstown a first down at the Warriors' 20. But on the next play, Webb tried to hit Will Sasso and Bateman was able to jump the route and intercept the pass in the end zone.

Winnacunnet then went on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Bateman that made it 33-14 with 3:46 to go.

"Owen’s play in the end zone might be one of the best plays of the year," Francoeur said. "We knew Owen would be a good player for us this year, but he didn’t start on varsity last year. We’ve seen him be a better player every single week. There is no one that is more improved week to week. He’s really starting to step up offensively. He’s another weapon and he’s a smart football player."

Webb and Strickland connected for a 19-yard touchdown with 1:36 remaining to cut the lead to 33-20, but Winnacunnet recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.