Junior Nick Scarfo gives an honest, personal account of the Lancers vs. Winnacunnet game this past Friday night.
As a football player, Friday is my favorite day because I have waited all week to play under the lights.
This past Friday, I got to travel out to the beach to play with my team, who were 3-4, looking to get back to .500 for the first time since we beat Dover in Week 1.
We were going to war with the Winnacunnet Warriors–who were 4-3 and still carrying momentum from their upset victory against Pinkerton a few weeks ago–and with a win, would clinch a playoff berth.
It was a cool fall night, perfect for football. I could feel the air on my face and bare, sleeveless arms. I had a good feeling. We were gonna win the war.
The first quarter was a defensive battle. The only touchdown for the Warriors came on a 53 yard touchdown pass from Patrick MacDougall, into the hands of Liam Viviano. We responded with a long drive capped off by a rushing touchdown from Jake Stevens.
After that, Winnacunnet captured all the momentum to end the half, to take the lead into the locker room leading 19-7. Each team would score one more time in the third, but we were shutout in the fourth to make the final score Winnacunnet 26, Londonderry 13.
The Lancer defense played pretty well most of the game, but couldn’t shut down stud senior running back Mike Lewis, who ran for 136 yards, and 1 touchdown on 23 attempts.
“That’s been our problem all season,” Lauzon said. “Execution. Guys get it right all week at practice, but can’t bring it to Friday. — Coach Lauzon
Winnacunnet’s tough offense gained 18 first downs compared to Londonderry’s 14. Our defense also couldn’t get off the field, allowing the Warrior offense to go 3-5 on fourth down conversions(60%), and finish with 329 yards of total offense.
The Warrior defense also shut down our feature back, David Wiedenfield, who finished with 30 yards and 1 touchdown on only 9 attempts. The Lancer offense overall finished with 298 yards of total offense.
Overall, the Warriors executed their gameplan better and played better football and that is why they are above .500 and a playoff team.
Head Coach Jim Lauzon said Winnacunnet’s team executed better.
“That’s been our problem all season,” Lauzon said. “Execution. Guys get it right all week at practice, but can’t bring it to Friday.”
In order to be a successful team, we have got to be able to execute as a whole squad. If one guy messes up, then it costs the whole team. That’s the mentality we need to bring to the team next year.
Coach Lauzon gathers his team together during the game against Winnacunnet this past Friday.
This was an exciting game to be apart of, whether you’re a player or a fan watching the game. It was physical from both teams, and even though the stats may not show i,t there were a lot of big plays.
The fans who came all bundled up to watch, got a classic, tough football game from two very talented and evenly matched teams. With one game to go, the Lancers hope to end their season strong and gather some momentum heading into next season.
