The Concord High football team came in having won two of its last three games, scoring 62 points over its last four, but couldn’t find the end zone in a 7-0 loss to Manchester Central on Friday night at Memorial Field to fall to 2-6.
The Little Green scored the only points of the night on a 24-yard passing play and extra point with 7:49 left in the first quarter.
Manchester Central won back-to-back games for the first time this season to improve to 3-5, although Concord’s defense looked sharp against a Little Green offense that scored 42 points in a 42-15 blowout over Manchester Memorial last weekend.
The seven points allowed by Concord is tied for the best defensive of the season so far, matching the seven points allowed in a 22-7 victory over Memorial two weeks ago.
The Tide close out the regular season at home on Nov. 1 against the Windham Jaguars (3-4).
The regular season finale could be another close one, given that the Jaguars narrowly beat the Little Green, 28-21, back in September.
Bow 41, Kennett 0
Key players: Bow – Steven Guerrette (TD runs of 5, 1, 30 and 15 yards), Thomas Rolla (70-yard TD run), Andrew Robbins (7-yard TD run and 20-yard FG)
Highlights: The Falcons left no doubt that they are the best team in the D-II North Conference, clinching the conference title with an emphatic victory over the second-place Eagles in North Conway. Guerrette had a touchdown in both the first and second quarters to give Bow a 15-0 halftime lead and tacked on two more in the third quarter to give the Falcons a 35-0 lead. The entire defense played well, including holding Kennett scoreless on a first-and-goal on the 1-yard line.
Coach’s quote: “That (first-and-goal on the 1) was one of the best defensive series I’ve seen. ” – Bow’s Paul Cohen
Records: Bow 8-0; Kennett 6-2
Pembroke 17, Kingswood 14
Highlights: The Spartans picked up a win on the road against the Knights. Pembroke has now won three out of its last five games.
Records: Pembroke 3-5; Kingswood 3-5
Concord 7, Spaulding 0
Key players: Concord – Alasdair Ferrier (4G, A), Duvan Morikawa-Montenegro (2A), Brandon Comire (G), Collin Brayshaw (G), Matt Desrochers (G), Daniel Aybar (A), Alejo Caceres (A), Riley Rollins (2 saves)
Highlights: Ferrier played a part in the first five goals of the match, assisting on the opening goal by Comire in the 18th minute and scoring four goals in a 10-minute span starting in the 25th minute. The Tide had a 5-0 halftime lead en route to a victory in the regular-season finale. Concord will have the No. 9-12 seed in next week’s postseason tournament.
Records: Concord 7-6-3; Spaulding 0-16-0
Merrimack Valley 5, Kearsarge 3
Key players: MV – Logan Cassin (2G), Griffin Wheeler (G, 2A), Jack Davis (G), Coby Mercier (G, A), Matt Renfors (midfield); Kearsarge – Peter Russell (2G, A), Parker Root (G)
Highlights: MV went up 3-0 to take the lead in its senior night, but the Cougars battled back to make it 3-2. The Pride quickly answered with another goal to make it 4-2 and netted another goal to take a 5-2 lead. The Pride will have a top-six seed for the playoffs, while Kearsarge should sneak in with a No. 11 seed.
Coach’s quote: “We played well at times tonight, but I feel like we let off the gas a little too early in the game and Kearsarge took advantage of this and fought back into the game. It was a great game for the seniors and it has been a pleasure to coach them over the past four years. Thanks for everything, Coby Mercier, Logan Cassin, Dylan Campbell, Ryan Schoffield, Jesse Hirwa, Will Furtkamp, Tucker Nevers, Matt Renfors and hanager Jeremiah Eastman. Now onto playoffs.” – MV’s Ken Fuller
“I think the game was pretty evenly matched over the 80 minutes. MV had some strong players up front. Our boys fought hard and I was proud of the effort they put in. I’m looking forward to a strong opening game in the playoffs.” – Kearsarge’s Matt Burch
Records: MV 10-5-1; Kearsarge 6-8-2
Hopkinton 3, Hillsboro-Deering 0
Key players: Hopkinton – Derek West (G, A), Bryce Charron (G, A), Shea Dickson (G), Garrett Fitzgerald (A), Aidan Burns (4 saves); H-D – Logan Clough (9 saves)
Highlights: West scored off a Charron assist in the 17th minute and West returned the favor by assisting on Charron’s goal in the 53rd. Dickson’s goal in the 61st minute wrapped up the scoring in the regular-season finale for both teams. Hopkinton will have the No. 7 or No. 8 spot in the D-III tournament, while H-D will have No. 9 or No. 10.
Coach’s quote: “Solid win to finish out the regular season, as we took a 1-0 lead into halftime and extended the lead with continued pressure in the second half. Centerback Peyton Marshall played very strong soccer tonight and goalkeeper Aidan Burns skillfully handled a couple well-hit crosses.” – Hopkinton’s Scott Zipke
Records: Hopkinton 11-4-1; H-D 9-7-0
Winnisquam 5, Franklin 0
Key players: Franklin – Dom DeFelice (defense), Aidan Collum (defense), Asher Graves (forward), Chandler Glover (midfield)
Coach’s quote: “We’ve seen an improvement in the team over the season and this game was no different. The team fought hard and showed the experience they have gained over the season.” – Franklin’s Kevin VanGorden
Records: Winnisquam 4- 12; Franklin 1-14
St. Thomas 1, Belmont 0, OT
Key players: Belmont – Devin Bricknell, Dylan Greer, Joey Spinale, Jason Gaudette and Brian Carroll (defense)
Highlights: The Raiders dropped a tough match in overtime to end the regular season, but should still have a top-five seed for the tournament.
Coach’s quote: “Had a chance to win the game in regulation, but missed a penalty kick. Team needs to get healthy as we head to the playoffs next week.” – Belmont’s Michael Foley
Records: St. Thomas 8-7-1; Belmont 12-4-0
Bow 2, Pembroke 1
Key players: Bow – Lyndsey LaPerle (2G), Kristina Pizzi (A), Makayla Murray (A), Taylor Burnham (defense), Chloe Binder (defense), Emma Wilke (goalie); Pembroke – Maddie Bailey (G), Cierra Hill (A), Britney Hill (midfield), Adrienne Dorr (defense), Anna Harlow (defense)
Highlights: Lyndsey LaPerle scored the first goal of the game off a Murray throw-in and scored the game-winner off a Pizzi cross from the endline. Pembroke scored early in the second half to tie the game, 1-1, erasing a 1-0 halftime deficit. Wilke and a strong Bow defense turned away Pembroke opportunities off corners in the second half. The Falcons secured the No. 2 seed in the D-II tournament with the win, while the Spartans enter the playoffs as the No. 5 seed.
Coaches’ quotes: “It was a good win for us coming back from our game with Hanover a few days ago. Pembroke has some talented players and I like how we responded to them scoring on us early in the second half. Time to take a deep breath and get ready for playoffs.” – Bow’s Jay Vogt
“Sure, it would have been wonderful to win today, and we were so close on a number of chances, but our girls played so well and pushed each other so hard. I left the field tonight knowing we gave it our all against a Bow squad and coach that I respect very much. I hope we get to meet each other again in the post season.” – Pembroke’s Jess Kaufman
Records: Bow 14-2; Pembroke 12-4
Merrimack Valley 1, Plymouth 0
Key players: MV – Alyssa Woodman (G), Kristen Therrien (A), Mackenzie McDonald (shutout)
Highlights: Woodman scored on a breakaway 23 minutes into the match for the game-winning strike.
Coach’s quote: “The girls played a great game on defense and possessed well in the midfield. The attackers played hard and had their opportunities. Just gotta be more clinical in front of goal.” – MV’s Nick D’Agostino
Records: MV 8-7-1; Plymouth 5-10-1
Gilford 2, Hopkinton 0
Key players: Hopkinton – Kally Murdough (defense), Lilia Klingler (defense)
Highlights: The Hawks dropped their final game of the regular season and will be the No. 5-7 seed for the D-III tournament.
Coach’s quote: “This game ruined our fourth-place seed for playoffs. Not the end of the world, but a game like this next week and we are done for the season. Frustrating when we again dominate every aspect of the game except for the final score. I said it in the preseason preview, that we need to make less mistakes than our opponents, but in the last two weeks that has not been the case.” – Hopkinton’s Mike Zahn
Records: Gilford 10-6; Hopkinton 12-4
Milford 4, John Stark 2
Key players: John Stark – Megan Rousseau, Meghan Mefford, Sophia McGinty, Madison Porth, Samantha Veilleux
Highlights: The Generals trailed at halftime, but fought back to cut their deficit to 3-2 thanks to runs along the wings from midfielders Rousseau, Mefford and McGinty, and strong defensive play from freshmen Porth and Veilleux. John Stark will have a top-eight seed for the D-II tournament.
Coach’s quote: “In the second half, we came out a different team and kept the pressure on all the way through the rest of the game. We had to take chances to try and catch up. The game was a lot closer than the score really shows. ” – John Stark’s Chris Pike
Records: Milford 12-3-1; John Stark 9-6-1
Belmont 7, Laconia 0
Key players: Belmont – Sierra Bourque (3G), Rebecca Fleming (2G), Molly Sottak (G), Brooklyn Erlick (1st varsity G)
Highlights: The Raiders wrapped up the regular season with a decisive victory to secure the No. 4 seed for the D-III tournament starting next week.
Coach’s quote: “Nice team win on senior day. Our two seniors, captains Sana Syed and Katie Gagnon, led the way on defense today. I am really proud of this team. They really have worked hard all year and stuck together and to see it pay off in games is great.” – Belmont’s Mark Dawalga
Records: Belmont 12-3-1; Laconia 1-15-0
Franklin 3, Stevens 1
Key players: Franklin – Abby Sylvester (18 service points), Olivia Wattendorf (7 kills), Lauryl May (4 kills), Raquel McCoy (4 kills)
Highlights: The Golden Tornadoes wrapped up the regular season with a win and will play in the D-III tournament starting next week.
Records: Franklin 7-9; Stevens 0-16