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DURHAM, N.H. — Bryson Pacocha, the mountain of a man, was reduced to a pile of emotions. The hulking 6-foot-3, 230-pound monster knelt on the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably down his face and onto the Cowell Stadium turf as his teammate jumped for joy and took turns hugging him. “I have never felt anything like this,” said the senior lineman. “I had to win, we had to win. It hurt me inside to lose those last three title games, so we had to have this. Tears started coming and I had no way to stop them. I just couldn’t believe it. We are No. 1!” After three seasons of heartbreak, Pinkerton returned to its traditional throne atop the New Hampshire football world, pummeling fellow unbeaten Bedford 37-0 to take home the Division 1 state championship Saturday night at the University of New Hampshire. “Feels amazing,” said Astros quarterback Jack Hanaway, who lives in Bedford. “After so much heartbreak, to go out and not just win it but take it by 37 points is terrific. You can’t even measure how much we wanted this one. We have worked for this for four years, we were so committed and we went out today and we did it.” It was especially meaningful for the Astros after losing the last three Division 1 state title games, twice to Exeter and one to Concord. “There is no better words than (state title),” said tri-captain Justin Poitras. “We went through the disappointment, but we used it as fuel. When we stepped into this game, losing  was not an option. We didn’t consider it. “Those last three years in the state title game were the worst feeling, and this, winning the title, is the best.” And the Astros didn’t just win the title, they demolished Bedford on the way to the championship and a perfect 12-0 season. “This is an undefeated team we took on,” said Pacocha. “But we came out and we pounded them. And we just kept pounding and we didn’t stop until we had the scoreboard up and the time was ticking down. Once we got there we knew we were going to be state champions.” Urbanik delivers It was another marvelous day for Astros running back T.J. Urbanik, who ran over and past Bedford on the way to a stunning 247 yards on 21 carries and a pair of touchdowns including a 94-yard masterpiece. As a defensive back, Urbanik also grabbed a pair of interceptions as the Astros took a commanding 23-0 halftime advantage. “What a fantastic day,” said Urbanik, a junior. “I never could have imagined I would have this kind of day. Everyone on this team is a hero to me. The interceptions were big because they gave us momentum out of the gates. “Our plan was to run the ball and just pound them. We were going to get physical. On the (94-yard) score I saw a perfect hole and just turned on the jets.” But Urbanik wasn’t alone in the utter domination. Hanaway, facing his hometown school, rushed for three touchdowns including a highlight-reel score in which he was hammered by a pair of defenders, but somehow managed to split them, stay on his feet and waltz into the end zone. “We were so focused and so dedicated to finishing this off,” said the QB, who needed to throw the ball just four times. “We felt like that was a good team, but we were able to get out fast and we finished strong like we always have. “T.J.’s 94-yard touchdown was incredible and really sealed the game for us. He was terrific.” Defense dominates back-up As dominant as the offense was, the defense was just as unstoppable. The Astros allowed Bedford 130 yards of total offense, including just 43 on the ground on 19 tries. Missing star QB Mike Vailas, who was lost for the season with an injury early in the postseason, Bulldogs backup Tyler Cibotti was overmatched by the attack of the Astros. Cibotti, who had been moved from wide receiver, was limited to just 8 of 23 passing with three interceptions (Urbanik 2, Brett Datillo). Senior linebacker Peter Cyr led the Pinkerton defense with eight tackles, while Michael Martinoli made five stops. Pacocha had the lone sack of the game, bursting through the middle to envelop Cibotti for a 12-yard loss. He also utilized his impressive length to knock down two passes. “It is crazy,” said Cyr. “We always felt like this day would come, but we didn’t know when. We had the chance today and we took hold of it. We had to stop the cycle of losing title games. We were confident and we were ready to go. Getting those three interceptions was huge.” Tremendous start Pinkerton wasted no time taking charge, as Urbanik picked off his first pass of the day on the game’s third play. Eight plays later he gave the Astros the lead with a 15-yard touchdown run. A three-and-out later and Pinkerton was back in control, adding to their lead with a Kyle Cantalupo 36-yard field goal. The defensive stops kept coming, and Hanaway made it 17-0 by first hitting Austin Whitehead on a 17-yard pass to the 1-yard line, then diving in for a score. Any hope of a Bedford rally was squashed when Dattilo picked off a pass and Hanaway rushed for another touchdown just before halftime. “We have been waiting for this day our whole lives,” said Hanaway. “When we started playing football as 7-year-olds we dreamed of this. Doing this the last game of our high school careers is pretty great.” The Astros then enjoyed a long celebration on the UNH field before escaping the cold. “Best thing in the world,” said Poitras. “We have wanted this for so many years, and now we have finally done it. It’s just the best.”

Pinkerton 37, Bedford 0 First Quarter P — T.J. Urbanik 15 run (Kyle Cantalupo kick), 7:34 P — Cantalupo 36 field goal, 4:37 Second Quarter P — Jack Hanaway 1 run (Cantalupo kick), 8:18 P — Hanaway 18 run (kick failed), 0:27 Third Quarter P — Urbanik 94 run (Cantalupo kick), 0:07 Fourth Quarter P — Hanaway 4 run (Cantalupo kick), 6:10 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS RUSHING: Pinkerton (57-375) — T. J. Urbanik 21-247, Michael Curley 9-31, Jack Hanaway 12-38, Brett Dattilo 1-16, Peter Cyr 4-20, Nico Buccieri 6-14, Matt Newman 3-5, Brad McColligan 1-4; Bedford (19-61) — Austin D’Anjou 4-29, Colin Cashin 7-17, Sean Tierny 3-11, Taylor Larson 1-0, Tyler Cibotti 4-4 PASSING: P — Jack Hanaway 2-4-0, 38; Bedford — Cibotti 8-23-3, 77, D’Anjou 1-1-0, 10 RECEIVING: P — Urbanik 1-21, Austin Whitehead 1-17; Bedford — Andrew Penaskovic 4-34, Cashin 2-38, Tom Reynolds 2-13, Eric Glassman 1-2

David Willis is a sportswriter/videographer for The Eagle-Tribune. Reach him on twitter at @DWillisET

DERRY — Jack Hanaway still has an ultimate goal that might surpass yesterday's excitement, but it's doubtful the Pinkerton senior will forget the day he turned into Robert Griffin III in the state quarterfinals.

 DERRY — T.J. Urbanik rushed seven times for 148 yards as Pinkerton rolled 57-9 over Keene. 

The Astros remained perfect at 8-0 while Keene dropped to 0-8. 

PLAISTOW — Peter Cyr may be foiling the defensive strategy of Pinkerton’s future foes. Michael Curley may be, too. Timberlane found this out Friday night in the unbeaten Astros’ 42-7 victory, The Owls put most of their focus on T.J. Urbanik. The junior standout was impressive enough, rushing for first quarter TDs of 64 and 47 yards and finishing with 144 yards on just nine carries. But, for the second straight week, he had plenty of help, with Cyr leading the way. Cyr scored on a 48-yard run on a reverse at the end of the second quarter and then closed Pinkerton’s scoring with a 45-yard burst up the middle in the third quarter, finishing with 97 yards on just three carries. That gives Cyr, who also plays defense, 187 yards and five touchdowns over the last two weeks. “The line’s really opening some great holes and teams are definitely keying on T.J., which opens things up for me and the other guys,” said Cyr, a 6-foot, 180-pounder. “I think we’re playing really well. We’ve fixed our mistakes and we’re getting pumped up for the playoffs.” Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly said that no one should be surprised by Cyr’s recent productivity. “We’re developing depth and Peter has been good all along,” said O’Reilly. “He’s a tough, two-way player — pound for pound, he’s the toughest guy we’ve got. “We’re running the ball really well. It’s a combination of the line — one of the biggest we’ve had — and the backs.” The Astros, who rushed for 312 yards in the first half while taking a 35-0 lead, did show both good line play and hard running, resulting in six touchdowns in a limited number of plays. Pinkerton (7-0) scored on drives of just 2, 3, 2, 4, 4 and 3 plays and no touchdowns covered less than 36 yards. Joining Urbanik and Cyr with long runs was Curley, with a 36-yard jaunt, and sophomore Nico Buccieri, who ran it in from 49 yards out. “We’re trying to progress every week and get through injury free, which I think we did tonight,” said O’Reilly. Defensively, Curley was effective from his linebacking slot and Cyr, lineman Noah Robison and defensive back Isaiah Backels made it tough on the Owls (2-5). Also, junior Kyle Cantalupo was 6 for 6 in extra points. Timberlane scored its lone touchdown on a 3-yard run by Tyler Furey in the third quarter and showed some flashes of a balanced attack thanks to freshman receiver Brendan Frezza, who caught four passes for 115 yards. Frezza showed good moves after making the catch and hauled in a beautiful 51-yard bomb down the sidelines from quarterback Jason Hughes that set up Furey’s TD.

DERRY – There were things that Jason Robie thought his Nashua High School North football team might be able to do to have success Friday night against Pinkerton Academy.
But coming up with a game plan, and executing it, are two very different things. Especially against the top team in the state.
A week after picking up over 400 yards of offense, the Titans managed just 59 yards against the Astros, and saw Pinkerton run its way to a 51-0 win in a Division I contest.
Pinkerton gained all of 399 yards on the ground, with Peter Cyr leading the way with 86 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just four carries. TJ Urbanik added 84 yards and a score and Jack Hanaway also rushed for a touchdown as the Astros (6-0) got out to a 37-0 lead at halftime.
“The scary thing is, you know what they’re going to run,” Robie said. “You try to come up with something to stop it, and I thought we had a manageable plan, but they’re just big and fast and we had no answers.”
The struggles came on both sides of the ball, as North (2-4) didn’t pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter and had just four total on the night.
In the first quarter, it was Pinkerton’s Justin Poitras ending the Titans’ drives. The senior linebacker intercepted a Colby Gunter pass on North’s opening possession to set up a 21-yard touchdown run by Urbanik.
On North’s next two drives, Poitras sacked Gunter for a 10-yard loss on third down, forcing the Titans to punt each time.
“He’s our captain and he certainly had a good game,” Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly said of Poitras. “We played very well in the first half on both sides of the ball. We did what we needed to do.”
The Astros scored on each of their first four drives, the first three of which all started in North’s side of midfield, and Pinkerton found the end zone on its sixth drive of the first half.

DERRY – There were things that Jason Robie thought his Nashua High School North football team might be able to do to have success Friday night against Pinkerton Academy. But coming up with a game plan, and executing it, are two very different things. Especially against the top team in the state. A week after picking up over 400 yards of offense, the Titans managed just 59 yards against the Astros, and saw Pinkerton run its way to a 51-0 win in a Division I contest. Pinkerton gained all of 399 yards on the ground, with Peter Cyr leading the way with 86 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just four carries. TJ Urbanik added 84 yards and a score and Jack Hanaway also rushed for a touchdown as the Astros (6-0) got out to a 37-0 lead at halftime. “The scary thing is, you know what they’re going to run,” Robie said. “You try to come up with something to stop it, and I thought we had a manageable plan, but they’re just big and fast and we had no answers.” The struggles came on both sides of the ball, as North (2-4) didn’t pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter and had just four total on the night. In the first quarter, it was Pinkerton’s Justin Poitras ending the Titans’ drives. The senior linebacker intercepted a Colby Gunter pass on North’s opening possession to set up a 21-yard touchdown run by Urbanik. On North’s next two drives, Poitras sacked Gunter for a 10-yard loss on third down, forcing the Titans to punt each time. “He’s our captain and he certainly had a good game,” Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly said of Poitras. “We played very well in the first half on both sides of the ball. We did what we needed to do.” The Astros scored on each of their first four drives, the first three of which all started in North’s side of midfield, and Pinkerton found the end zone on its sixth drive of the first half.

NASHUA — Outside of Derry, Pinkerton is known for game-breaking running back T.J. Urbanik. But the speedy junior was used sparingly in the first half Saturday, touching the ball just eight times, as new starting fullback Michael Curley and quarterback Jack Hanaway put on a show for the Stellos Stadium crowd. They powered Pinkerton to a 35-12 win over Bishop Guertin in a Division I conference crossover game. The South-leading Astros (5-0) rushed for 247 yards with Curley accounting for 64 of those and two first-quarter touchdown runs of 1 and 2 yards in addition to a 5-yard TD catch with 28 seconds left in the half. It was exactly what Astros coach Brian O’Reilly wanted to see out of his 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior, who took over for injured co-captain Jason Hansen (torn ACL last week). “He’s now our starting fullback, but it’s always been 1A and 1B,” said O’Reilly, whose club is ranked No. 1 in the state. “It’s just that Jason got all the carries before this, and he’s our guy now. He doesn’t come off the field. Mike’s somebody that we really count on.” Another guy the Astros count on is Hanaway. Saturday, the 6-foot-3, 186-pound senior did his part to pull away from the Cardinals (1-4) early. Hanaway marched the Astros down the field on nine plays, including a 19-yard connection with Urbanik, for Curley’s first score on the opening drive of the game. The Astros went on an 11-play drive late in the first quarter which Curley capped with a 2-yard run. Five minutes into the second quarter, Hanaway called his own number and took off down the right sideline 73 yards to paydirt. “Jack was our second-leading rusher last year, and I believe he’s our second-leading rusher this year,” said O’Reilly “You have to keep an eye on Jack, and I’m amazed how teams do not pay attention to him. And when they don’t pay attention to him, we let Jack do what Jack does. But because other teams pay attention to Jack, it opens up our offense inside for the other guys.”

LONDONDERRY — Chip Kelly coaching disciple Jimmy Lauzon would have made the big guy proud, his razzle-dazzle, reverse-pass bomb got Lauzon’s Londonderry Lancers right back into the game last night against rival Pinkerton Academy.

DERRY — After watching several defensive teammates forced to the sideline because of injury, it was up to a backup cornerback to keep Pinkerton's perfect record intact.

With the Astros' offense uncharacterstically faltering throughout, it was up to a bend-but-don't-break defense that led to a 14-7 victory over Salem before about 4,000 fans in the first of what could be several topflight match ups between contenders in the South Conference.

The biggest — and last — of several stops was provided by junior Tyler Gendron, who stopped receiver Kenny Calabrese inside the 1 on a fourth-and-goal from the nine with 20 seconds remaining.

"We had a few injuries, so someone had to make a play, and I was able to come up with it," said Gendron, was unable to deflect the John Cerratani pass despite being draped over Calabrese, but the DB immediately brought the receiver to the ground. "I just knew I had to help the team."

Gendron was in position to help because starter Nick Coombs went out with an ankle injury on a fourth-and-goal tackle of his own less than 4 minutes before his replacement's big-time tackle. Coombs stuffed running back Johnny Bartose at the 1, stuffing a Salem drive that went 53 yards and lasted more than 5 minutes.

Quality offensive help was untypically difficult for the 3-0 Astros, who have another showdown Friday with undefeated and border rival Londonderry. Leading running back T.J. Urbanik went to the sidelines with a shoulder injury after only four first-quarter carries, but the Astros are used to sharing the rushing wealth with a stable full of running  backs.

But Salem, which was looking for only its third win in 16 tries against Pinkerton the past decade, held the Astros to 150 yards on 34 carries, including scoring runs by Jack Hanaway in the first quarter and Jason Hansen in the second for a 14-0 lead.

"The kids played really hard and executed well," Blue Devil coach Rob Pike said. "Those are positives we can build on."

The Blue Devils tied the score with 2:51 left in the opening half on a 2-yard run by Charles Sibanda. But Salem was unable to score on four second-half possessions. Besides the pair stopped at the 1, Salem had drives stall at the Pinkerton 10 (that ended on a missed 27-yard field-goal attempt) and another that reached the Pinkerton 24, but was stymied by penalties.

"We have to know what we're doing wrong, and fix it," Pike said. "We can't keep making penalties like that, but Pinkerton's a good team that tightened up."

But the Astros probably will need to reestablish it's punishing ground attack to survive at Londonderry on Friday.

"The biggest problem (last night) offensively was a combination of having (inexperienced) kids not being aware of our plays and Salem selling out," Pinkerton coach Brian O'Reilly said. "I can now fix the guys in the backfield."