If Paul Cohen ever decides to stop teaching and coaching at Bow High, he may have a ready-made new career as a slogan writer.
“I told him it was a chip shot, so don’t think, just kick. I should put that on a bumper sticker,” Cohen said. “Don’t think, just kick.”
Those words of wisdom went to sophomore Andrew Robbins before he booted a 30-yard field goal to turn a one-point deficit into a two-point lead with just 3:03 left in Saturday’s game against John Stark (1-2). Bow senior captain Matt Nicholls added a late 32-yard touchdown run as the Falcons (2-1) pulled out a 15-7 win.
“It’s a neighborhood rivalry. Every time we play John Stark, whether it’s in the regular season or postseason, it’s always a close game, it’s always hard-hitting,” Cohen said. “It comes down to execution and I’ve been saying that to them all week. Both teams want to win, so it has nothing to do with desire, it has nothing to do with effort, both teams are the same there. It’s who is going to execute better, and as the game wore on I thought we got stronger and it showed.”
Stark coach Kevin McGinty felt about the same.
“This is a good rivalry between us and it’s a lot of fun to be part of it, we just came up a little short today,” McGinty said. “Turnovers were the big difference. We turned the ball over and they didn’t. And our penalties. I would be lying to you if I said we didn’t address that before the game today because we did. But I loved the performance from my guys. There was so much fight in them.”
The Generals committed 10 penalties for 105 yards while Bow was flagged four times for 25 yards. That certainly hurt Stark, but not as much as the three turnovers.
With 6:19 left in the game, Stark held a 7-6 lead and had just converted a third-and-5 with a 6-yard run from Jacob Cole (19 carries, 120 yards, touchdown). The Generals could have ground out the clock and game, but they botched the first-down handoff and Bow’s Chris Wheeler pounced on the loose ball, giving the Falcons the ball at the Stark 35.
Five plays later, Robbins was lining up for the 30-yard field goal that would put Bow on top, 9-7, with 3:03 to play.
“There comes a point where you have to challenge a varsity-level athlete and say there’s a lot of pressure, but we believe in you, so show us you can do it, and he did,” Cohen said of Robbins.
A holding penalty slowed Stark’s next drive, which ended when Cole came up 3 yards short on a fourth-and-12. On the very next play, Nicholls (17 carries, 79 yards, touchdown) went 32 yards to push the Falcons’ lead to 15-7 with 2:11 left on the clock. Bow’s Steven Guerrette intercepted Nathan Tower on the next drive to seal the win.
It was Guerrette (17 carries, 121 yards, touchdown) who gave Bow a 6-0 lead when he scored from 5 yards out on the first play of the second quarter. The Falcons took that lead into halftime, but Cole broke free for a 54-yard scoring run on Stark’s first offensive play of the second half to put the Generals on top, 7-6.
It’s the second loss in a row for Stark, which fell to two-time defending champ Plymouth last week, 27-13. Of course the Generals would rather have won the last two games, but they feel like they can grow from games against the teams that have played for the last two D-II titles. In fact, Stark changed to a run-oriented offense this year in part because of what it has seen from the Falcons and Bobcats.
“Playing great defense and running the ball is high school football. Look at Plymouth and Bow, the two teams that have been in it in back-to-back years, and what do they do? They run the ball and play defense,” McGinty said. “So we’re going to do what wins high school football games.”
Stark’s defense was led by middle linebacker Jacob Ridenour, who has a knack for reading plays and being in the backfield and finished with three tackles for a loss.
“He is awesome,” McGinty said of Ridenour. “He’s got the DNA of a (middle) linebacker. He’s like a coach on the field and he knows exactly how we’re supposed to be lined up all the time.”
Bow’s Andrew Berube, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound junior, finished with two tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery. Senior captain Seamus O’Reilly had a sack for the Falcons, and both Berube and O’Reilly were part of the offensive line that helped Bow finish with a 237-182 advantage in total yards.
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20)
Football
Hillsboro-Deering-Hopkinton 26,
Kearsarge 13
Key players: H-D-H – Colby Quiet (172 rush yards, 2 rush TD, 12 carries, 3 catches, 93 receiving yards, 2 TD catches; 3 tackles, interception), Mike Oberheim (7-for-12, 118 yards, 2 TD passes; recovered fumbled punt), Reed Tanuvasa (sack, fumble recovery), Kevin McCaffrey (sack), Jon McMahon (sack)
Highlights: The Redhawks overcame 10 offensive penalties and Kearsarge’s no-huddle spread offense thanks to Quiet’s 256 combined yards and four touchdowns. The Redhawk defense was solid with four sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.
Records: Hillsboro-Deering-Hopkinton 2-1; Kearsarge 0-3
Kennett 40, Merrimack Valley 0
Key players: MV – Max Lacy (50 rush yards; 15 tackles), Rick Hazeltine (60 rush yards)
Highlights: With a 20-0 lead heading into the third quarter, the Eagles ran the opening kickoff back 75 yards to secure the win. Kennett quarterback Chris Pollard kept the Pride defense on its toes, completing 8 of 12 passes and tossing a pair of touchdowns.
Coach’s quote: “Players played hard and never gave up.” – MV’s Joe Raycraft
Records: Kennett 2-1; MV 0-3
Coe-Brown 4, Plymouth 1
Key players: Coe-Brown – Cayden Donoghue (G, A), Elijah Hinrichsen (G), Jacob Radwan (G), Austin Metalious (G, A), Logan Ledoux (A), Mason Winiarski (A)
Highlights: The Bears doubled their lead with a key goal to make the score 3-1, securing a victory on homecoming. The third goal was a result of playing the ball out of the back, linking up on some key passes and finishing off a nice cross. Winiarski, Riley Colby, Raymond Lapiejko, Colby Hoffman and Lucciano Minasalli played well defensively.
Coach’s quote: “This was a good result against a good team. Our guys really committed to each other and played some of the best team soccer we’ve seen from our guys for the full 80 minutes. As we’ve seen so far this year, we have numerous players that can be difference-makers on any given day.” – Coe-Brown’s Christian Gompert
Records: Coe-Brown 5-1; Plymouth 4-2
Pembroke 3, Souhegan 1
Key players: Pembroke – Kayla Paquin (2G), Cierra Hill (G), Maddie Bailey (A), Hannah Brown (A), Britney Hill (A)
Highlights: Paquin scored to break a 1-1 draw, and netted her second goal with six minutes left in the match, keeping the Spartans undefeated through six games.
Coach’s quote: “Great possession today and we cleared another big hurdle.” – Pembroke’s Jess Kaufman
Records: Pembroke 6-0-0; Souhegan 3-2-1
Oyster River 2, Coe-Brown 0
Key players: Coe-Brown – Katie Messenger, Megan Edgecomb, Sophie Laird
Highlights: Oyster River struck in the 22nd minute of the first half and was granted a free kick just six minutes later that found the back of the net, giving the Bobcats a 2-0 halftime lead. The Bears regrouped after the free kick and were able to put pressure on Oyster River in the second half, but could not capitalize on scoring chances.
Coach’s quote: “We competed today and I was proud of the effort. We lost 6-0 in the season opener (to Oyster River) and we wanted to come out and show we could compete. If not for the free kick, this was a balanced game between these two programs. I’m pleased with how we played.” – Coe-Brown’s Josh Hills
Records: Oyster River 4-2; Coe-Brown 2-5
Pittsfield 7, Farmington 1
Key players: Pittsfield – Madison St. George (3G, A), Paige Provencal (G, A), Destinee Ellis (G, A), Marissa Ware (G), Tori Lee (G), Bryana Morris (A)
Highlights: The Panthers set the tone early with St. George netting a hat trick and Ware, an eighth-grader, scoring her first varsity goal. The Panthers outshot the Tigers, 24-3.
Coach’s quote: “It’s always nice to win on homecoming. The younger girls played really well and our backup keeper got in some work.” – Pittsfield’s Jayme Kennedy
Records: Pittsfield 2-2; Farmington 0-3
Bow 4, Pembroke 1
Key players: Bow – Jocelyn Webber (G), Sarah Guerrette (G), Angie Cericola (G), Maddy Smith (G), Charlotte Clement (2A), Emma Hilton (A); Pembroke – Maddie Bennett (G), Ali Corriveau (A), Rachel Clark (A)
Highlights: The Falcons kept the pressure on the Spartans from the start, scoring three first-half goals. Guerrette, Webber and Smith all recorded their first varsity goals, while Amelia Coe, Chiara Petretta, Elizabeth Guertin and Megan Lavigne held down the defense. Hilton and Falon Labrecque played well in the midfield.
Coaches’ quotes: “It was exciting to see the team working so well together, staying quick and aggressive to the end. We have been working hard on our fitness levels and our passing and scoring skills and today was a great boost. Playing in D-II has been an adjustment for both Bow and Pembroke. I have a lot of respect for Coach Monterio and how her program has grown over the past seasons.” – Bow’s Rebecca Cleary
“We came out really flat the first half. We were not at all ourselves and Bow took advantage of that, starting with a great goal deflected in by Webber. We played a much better second half. We scored a goal and dominated some of the play, but it was all too late. Bow deserved this win today. We will need to come off of this loss smarter and stronger to take on the second half if our season.” – Pembroke’s Aimee Monterio
Records: Bow 2-4; Pembroke 2-5
Conant 4, Franklin 0
Key players: Franklin – Jada LaPierre, Ryleigh Seufert
Highlights: LaPierre played a strong two-way game and Seufert played well offensively, but the Tornadoes fell to the Orioles on Friday night. Franklin also lost to St. Thomas, 3-0, on Thursday. Goalie Jasmyn Long stopped 22 Saints’ shots.
Coach’s quote: “The girls had a great game and played with a lot of determination. I couldn’t be more proud of these girls and all the hard work they put in so far this season.” – Franklin’s Shelby Joyce
Records: Conant 3-3; Franklin 0-6
Fall Mountain 3, Franklin 0
Franklin 3, Mascoma 1
Key players: Franklin – Hannah Bergeron (5 blocks), Kirsten Smith (3 blocks)
Highlights: The Tornadoes worked hard in all three sets and senior captain Smith kept her teammates pumped, but the Wildcats won a tightly-contested match, 25-15, 25-20, 25-17, on Wednesday night. Franklin picked up its first win of the season on Thursday against Mascoma, 25-21, 25-9, 16-25, 25-14. Smith had five blocks, two aces and a kill, and Lauryl May had six aces and two kills in the victory.
Records: Franklin 1-2; Fall Mtn. 3-2; Mascoma 1-2