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Urbanik scores four in Pinkerton win

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.

The Astros, stunned but still up 28-14, responded with a character-laden drive that had to send shivers down the collective spines of any other challenger in New Hampshire Division 1.

The Astros ripped off a dozen straight runs, steaming 77 yards in the process, choking out the Lancers on Mike Curley’s two-yard TD dive on the final play of the third quarter.

“We didn’t think we controlled the line of scrimmage last week,” said Astros coach Brian O’Reilly. “We needed to prove we could control the line this week and get back to our kind of football.”

The final of 41-21 told a story of a Mack Plaque night that belonged solely to the Astros from the opening snap before a crowd of nearly 5,000 here in Lancer country.

“Our offensive line was dominating,” added O’Reilly. “I felt like we could call anything we wanted, inside or outside, just because of the way our offensive line played.”

With the win, Pinkerton took charge of the South Conference with back-to-back wins over Salem and Londonderry pretty much locking up the top seed in the playoff opener.

For Londonderry, it puts the Lancers task ahead in focus.

Take care of business when they should and the Lancers and Blue Devils will battle for the South’s second playoff spot here on Halloween night.

“It’s kind of good, the only thing we lost here is home field advantage. And now my guys are going to be hungrier the rest of the year,” said Lauzon. “We have to get better. If we won tonight, we’d still have to beat Salem. Which one would you rather win, the first one (against Pinkerton or a potential rematch in the playoffs)?”

Astros’ halfback T.J. Urbanik, questionable coming into the night with a shoulder injury he suffered last week vs. Salem, pronounced himself fit and ready immediately, when he took the game’s opening snap and swept left for 

70 yards and a TD.

“It was big when we found out he was playing,” said QB Jack Hanaway. “That big play just jump-started our team. It got us going.”

 It was the first of four scores for the junior,who carried 18 times for 201 yards and also caught two passes for 37 more.

“I feel great, to be completely honest,” said Urbanik. “It feels fantastic. I don’t feel any pain at all. I knew I was going to play this week. I could tell. We have a great offense. The blocking was unbelievable.” 

While always comfortably in Pinkerton’s hands, this one had its chaotic moments, one Lauzon is still waiting for an explanation on.

Down 7-0 in the first, the Lancers moved to the Pinkerton 1, where QB Eric Fairweather hurled himself into the pile at the goal line.

The ball, after a second, popped free. Astros linebacker Riley Cahill scooped it up and leaped to celebrate, forgetting for a second that 99 yards of open turf lay in his sights.

Cahill took off and scored. All the while, the Lancers staff had its arms raised, too, thinking Fairweather had broken the plane.

“I was kind of upset about that. I just wanted an explanation on it,” said Lauzon. “Of course, (Fairweather) said he was in.”

Londonderry wouldn’t recover. 

For the second straight week, the injury bug bit the Astros, who were fortunate enough to get Urbanik back.

Captain Jason Hanson, a fullback/linebacker, went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the first half.