The news surprised mostly everyone at Memorial Field during the NHIAA football semifinals last weekend. The top seed and the team many had already penciled in to the championship game had crashed and burned in the fourth quarter as Stevens High School fired off 20 unanswered points in the final frame to stun undefeated Monadnock, 26-21.
It surprised everyone except Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough football Coach Jon Francis.
“We were talking on the way down there and I said I think Stevens might take Monadnock,” Francis recalled. “Monadnock didn’t play them too long ago and it was 20-6, which seems like it might be a lot but it really isn’t when you have a team that can throw like that … It was definitely something that I actually said that I think Stevens might have something for Monadnock.”
Francis is hoping his Lakers (8-2) have something for those Cardinals (8-2) today when the two sides meet with the Division III championship up for grabs at the University of New Hampshire at 11 a.m.
Fresh off playoff wins over rival Winnisquam (42-0) and Bishop Brady (34-28), Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough is looking to avenge a loss to Newport in last year’s title game with a victory over a Stevens team the Lakers knocked around, 57-12, in a regular-season meeting Oct. 15.
While a lopsided score like that can breed confidence, the Lakers aren’t banking on anyone handing them a state title.
“We went down there last year and there’s still a bad taste in our mouths from not pulling it off last year,” Francis said. “They are not taking Stevens lightly by any means. Stevens deserves every ounce of respect that they’ve earned and the score in the regular season doesn’t mean a thing. Everyone who makes it to this point in the year knows that. They were good enough to make it to the championship just like we were so they got something going on.”
The 57 points I-L/M put up that game was a season high offensively, spearheaded by five touchdowns apiece for bruising back Andrew Brothers and quarterback Ryan Kelly. Stevens fumbled the opening kickoff – one of seven Cardinal turnovers in the game – and it was a rout from there as Kelly and Brothers connected through the air three times, with Brothers adding two other scores – one rushing and one on an interception return.
“We’re not going to dwell on the way we played in that game,” Stevens Coach Paul Silva said. “We didn’t play well in any facet of the game. We turned the ball over seven times and they took advantage. They are an outstanding team so if you’re going to give them the ball seven times with a short field, you’re going to pay the price with a lot of points given up and that’s exactly what happened.”
Despite the momentum and probable changes in the defensive game plan on Stevens’ side, Kelly said there should be nothing holding the Lakers back from clicking again on the offensive end a second time around.
“There should be no reason for not putting up points,” said Kelly, who went 18-for-35 with three touchdowns in I-L/M’s last-second semifinal win over Bishop Brady. “Our line is very good at what they do, especially pass blocking, and when they pass block, I get the time to throw the ball. When I get time to throw the ball, it’s to the best receivers I believe in Division III, maybe in the state, because I have five guys that are just phenomenal.”
Those pass catchers include Collin Sheehan, Deante Miller, Jayden Lara and the imposing Zach Swanson, who has the height and size to box out most defenders when the Lakers get into the red zone. Stevens’ focus will likely stay on Brothers and shutting down I-L/M’s running game, but Silva said his defense has to be ready for everything.
“I think both teams present unique challenges for any defense,” Silva said. “They can come out of the huddle and go two tight ends, a wing and two backs and run it down your throat and they can come out of the huddle on the next play and go empty. They are adept at both facets of the game without changing personnel.”
Stevens allowed 19.7 point per game during the season, but shutout Campbell, 32-0, in the quarterfinals before blanking Monadnock in the second half of the semifinal upset. While the Lakers had their way in the regular season, its worth noting that Stevens has defeated the only two teams to beat I-L/M during the year – beating the Huskies in the playoffs and Kearsarge earlier in the season.
The Cardinals will ride the arm of quarterback Henri Bourque and the legs of senior running back Richard Bell as they search for the first school championship since the Stevens boys’ soccer team won it all against Oyster River in 1989.
During the regular season, Bourque completed 59 percent of his passes for more than 1,200 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. In the semifinal win over Monadnock, Bourque and Bell connected twice in the second half on touchdowns of 37 and 38 yards to complete the comeback. Bell was especially impressive, scoring all three TDs for the Cardinals in the second half. Stevens will also feature senior captain and 6-foot-3 wide receiver Parker Smith.
“Stevens is a lot like us,” Francis said. “They got some decent runners, three or four guys that can catch the ball and a quarterback that is definitely one of the top ones in the division and he’s only a sophomore.”
Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough’s quest for its first state title since 2011 against the Cardinals is scheduled for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3340, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)