Under new leadership after longtime coach Pat Riberdy stepped down during the offseason, the Winnisquam football team hasn’t skipped a beat.
The Bears ran the table last year in Division IV, capping off the season with a dramatic victory over rival Franklin in the championship game. Back in the same position again, a win over No. 3 Fall Mountain in Saturday night’s title game at Laconia High School (7 p.m.) would give Winnisquam a chance to double down on perfection with another 9-0 championship season.
“They are aware of how hard it is and they know after playing (Fall Mountain) in the second game of the season, it’s going to be a totally different team,” first-year Winnisquam head coach Derek Hunt said.
Two other local teams will be playing in football semifinals on Saturday. Fifth-seeded Hillsboro-Deering-Hopkinton visits No. 1 Lebanon in D-III, and top-ranked Bow hosts No. 5 Hollis Brookline in D-II.
For Winnisquam (8-0), it all starts on the offensive side of the ball with junior and dual-threat quarterback Philip Nichols.
The Bears averaged just over 43 points per game during the regular season, and even when they start slowly like last week against No. 4 Bishop Brady, it’s a difficult task to contain this offense for an entire game.
After falling behind by a touchdown early against the Giants in the semifinals, Winnisquam regrouped to score 34 unanswered points behind three TD passes from Nichols and a pair of rushing scores for Andre Cormier.
“(Nichols) is someone that in my opinion is going to be playing at the next level,” Hunt said. “He’s got a solid arm and I feel like he’s reading the defense this year a lot better compared to last year. He’s picking things up a lot quicker and he’s become a very good leader on our team.”
Following a 5-2 regular season and a 37-0 shutout win over No. 2 Raymond in the semifinals, Hunt knows Fall Mountain will offer a true test on both sides of the ball. Winnisquam won the Sept. 14 regular-season meeting, 33-14, but the Wildcats are a much improved team since then.
“They are very strong defensively, they’ve let up only 14 points in the last six games. Our biggest thing from what I’ve seen on tape and scouting them is we have to make sure we have the right blocking schemes and assignments,” Hunt said.
“They have a really good defensive end who’s played solid for them, they’re really big up front, they have a good secondary and their running game on offense is very good. Hopefully with the things we’ve been working on all week in practice, we can keep their running game in check because they are very solid.”
The Wildcats have been flexing their defensive muscles lately, but they’re not the only ones.
Behind a veteran secondary including Garret Mango, Gunnar Horman and Nichols, as well as solid play from the defensive line and linebacker unit, Winnisquam hasn’t allowed more than seven points since giving up 22 to Newfound on Sept. 21.
“Our defense has been playing really good ball and even the points don’t really reflect how good they have been playing,” Hunt said. “A lot of those games we had subs in and stuff like that where they scored on us, but it’s been very solid from the third game on.”
The Falcons have a lot to be proud of to this point in the season, but that doesn’t mean they’re satisfied with just a semifinal appearance.
“When you become too enamored with what you’ve done on the field, that’s when you get knocked off,” Bow coach Paul Cohen said. “You can’t rest on your laurels and I always tell them after the game, especially since we’ve won every one in the regular season, that ‘for the moment you rule the universe, but come Monday it’s back to work.’”
On Saturday, the Falcons will get back to chasing their championship dreams when they welcome a high-powered offense in the form of the Cavaliers. Bow, which rattled off a 9-0 record during the regular season before beating No. 8 Souhegan, 51-7, in the opening round, is excited for the challenge.
“They have a very explosive offense, a very solid quarterback, some large receivers as targets and a pretty fast offensive line” Cohen said. “So we’re going to have to play above to what we’ve played to this point.”
Behind quarterback Sander Wimmer, the Cavaliers put up 49 points in their first-round win over No. 4 Kennett, but will now get a Bow defense that has posted six shutouts during the season and can adapt and adjust on the fly.
“We’ve faced a lot of spread teams over the course of the season, none who have a quarterback quite as versatile as the one we’re facing tomorrow, but he’s not invulnerable. No team is invulnerable on either side of the ball,” Cohen said. “I think as long as we play our brand of Bow football, defensively speaking, with a very strong defensive line that can stymie an offensive blocking scheme, we have very smart linebackers and very versatile defensive backs that have proven they can cover the long pass, we should have success on that side of the ball.”
A large part of Bow’s success stems from the play of Steven Guerrette. The senior became the fourth running back in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season this fall, he is the “commander in chief” on defense from his safety position, according to Cohen, and he plays a key role on special teams.
“Having someone of his caliber, someone who’s punted the ball 70 yards in several games this year, can be the bang-up guy on defense and score as many touchdowns as he has. He’s the complete package. It’s rare that you have a player like him who can do it all.”
When HDH hosted Lebanon on Oct. 5, a rematch in the D-III semifinals seemed like a longshot. The Raiders blew the game open by scoring 41 unanswered points in the second half, putting points on the board after each of HDH’s five turnovers to win big, 62-14.
The Hillcats are hoping health proves to be the difference this time around.
“We went into that game with four starters out and we lost three or four more shortly into the second half,” HDH coach Jay Wood said. “We’ll be ready (on Saturday). We’re 100 percent, which is where we want to be.”
That loss against Lebanon was part of a low point in the year for HDH, the second in a string of three double-digit defeats. The Hillcats, though, got healthy, turned the corner to end the regular season and kept that momentum going in the opening round by knocking off No. 4 Monadnock, 54-14.
Lebanon advanced with a 42-7 victory over No. 8 Laconia.
“It’s been a year of major adversity, but the kids are all excited,” Wood said. “You never know when you’re going to get back to this situation, so you have to take advantage whenever you can. (Lebanon) was a pretty good team last year, and this year, they’re a better team. I expect a good game.”
HDH will lean on its rushing attack led by senior running back Colby Quiet.
The Hillcats produced 2,465 yards on the ground during the regular season, the second most in the state, and unleashed Quiet in the quarterfinals to the tune of 220 rushing yards and five total touchdowns.
Quiet, who’s totaled 38 TDs on the season and also plays a pivotal role on defense at linebacker, will be a threat to Lebanon anytime he gets his hands on the ball.
“He’s a punishing back if you take him one-on-one and he’s probably the fastest back, too, I’d imagine,” Wood said. “He’s got great agility, great forward body movement and he’s just a great football player. He’s got a nose for the end zone and he’s having one hell of a year.”