RallyNorth.net

Sat, Nov 20, 2010 12:00 PM @ Pinkerton

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Nashua North	0	7	0	0	7
Pinkerton	6	0	0	8	14

Pinkerton could be even better in 2010

Saturday, November, 20 By Hector Longo and David Willis
Staff writers

DERRY — While he celebrated yesterday’s title, Pinkerton running back Emmitt Smith flashed a smile for what appears to be a very bright future.

“We’re going for it again next year,” said Smith. “We have almost everybody back.”

Smith may not have made a prediction, but plenty of others will be picking the Astros to repeat as Division 1 champs next season, with Pinkerton bringing back a stunning collection of talent.

The Astros will return 10 of the 11 players that started yesterday’s game on offense, while 6 of 11 defensive starters will also be back.

Highlighting that group are a 1,000-yard rusher Smith, leading tackler and bruising fullback Kevin Davies, big-play receiver/defensive back Ryan Coombs, tackle Jesse Trottier and defensive back Andrew Curran — all juniors.

Starting quarterback Chris St. Onge is a sophomore and big-play running back Manny Latimore and No. 2 tackler Matt Madden are both freshmen.

“I’m scared to see how good this team is going to be next year and the years to come,” said senior co-captain Mike Mazzola.

Masterful defensive effort

Pinkerton clearly had a great plan in shutting down high-flying North.

“It’s been amazing the defense this team has played the last two weeks,” said Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly. “All the credit goes to Bryon (Murphy) and Mike (Gooden). They’ve been with me over a quarter century. They run the defense. That’s all they do.”

Murphy’s plan as coordinator was pretty simple, running zone looks and a four-man rush against the Titan pass game and stuffing holes in the run with linebackers and defensive backs.

Timing is everything. Murphy pretty much called one blitz all day, on a 4th-and-4 from the Astros 10 with 4:07 left.

“It was a special call and it paid off,” said linebacker Kevin Davies. “He sent me on a blitz. I saw the QB was throwing so I stuck my hand up there and knocked it down.”

 

Tough day to the very end

The officials and their penchant to throw the flag marred what turned into a great championship matchup.

Pinkerton was shackled in the second quarter with 6 flags (no fun) for 50 yards, plus another holding call that was refused.

North had a TD called back on a 1st-and-goal holding call from the Pinkerton 3, costing the Titans seven points.

And the men in stripes were overzealous to the very end. When Pinkerton stuffed North on the final play of the game — with time expired — the Astros stormed the field to celebrate their title.

The referee caught in the jumble through his flag for excessive celebration, despite the fact that the clock read :00. I wonder if that 15-yarder will be enforced against the Astros in the 2011 season opener.

 

X marks the spot

Each time a Pinkerton player turned in a big play yesterday, the Astros celebrated not with a high-five, but instead by crossing their arms to make an “X.”

“X is the (roman numeral) for 10,” explained Mike Mazzola. “This was our 10th championship, so coach (Dave) Bernaiche said, ‘Any time you make a big play, hold up the 10.’”

The Astors had plenty of reasons to show the X yesterday.

“Coach showed us the 10,” said Jesse Trottier. “And we said, ‘Oh yeah.”

Mind games

With 1:12 left in the game, Pinkerton faced a fourth-and-inches at their own 29-yard line. Brian O’Reilly initially sent his offense onto the field, only to replace them with the punt team.

O’Reilly, however, never intended to take the gamble.

“We were never going to go for it on fourth-and-1,” said the coach. “Our defense was playing too well to go for it. North still had a time out, so I wanted to make sure he thought I might be going for it. It was more of a fake-out.”

Odds and ends

O’Reilly got a good luck call Friday night from ex-Astro legend and Notre Dame grad Ryan Mihalko. The former Pinkerton great is now a teacher-coach in North Carolina. ...

Classy move by Salem’s superbacks Jerickson Fedrick and Max Jacques, who hit the field after the game to congratulate the rival Astros in the win.

“Emmitt Smith is my man,” said Jacques, of the Pinkerton halfback, who is good friends with both.

He said it

Brian O’Reilly, now completing his 33rd season at Pinkerton, was asked if he had any inkling of joining the multitudes who’ve made the move to the “spread” offense.

“I’ll never switch,” said O’Reilly. “I’m a wing-T guy. Maybe it’s becoming old school now, but that’s what we do.”

Additional stories:

• Pinkerton stands tall late to win state title
• Davies drops the Astro hammer