Lancers peaked in third quarter

By rbrown
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Updated: November 22, 2021

DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Londonderry 24, Winnacunnet 14

EXETER — The Londonderry High School football team’s best quarter of the season? It was probably the third quarter of Saturday’s championship game against Winnacunnet.

After being held off the scoreboard through the first two quarters, the Lancers scored touchdowns on each of their three third-quarter possessions and claimed the Division I title with a 24-14 victory over the previously unbeaten Warriors.

Londonderry’s touchdowns came on a 63-yard pass from quarterback Drew Heenan to Andrew Kullman; Jake Schena’s 12-yard run; and a 33-yard pass from Heenan to Kullman. The 21 points Londonderry scored in the third quarter were more than Winnacunnet had allowed in any previous game this season.

The Lancers capped the scoring on Dylan Wrisley’s 32-yard field goal with 5:02 to play.

“I broke down every single game this year and we thought we had (the Winnacunnet defense) figured out and sure enough they came out in something a little different, so it took us a little bit to figure that out on our first drive,” Londonderry coach Jimmy Lauzon said. “In the second half we had to take our shots when we had them. If they were going to give us something we were going to take it. We knew if we could just get the ball and get going we were going to be fine.”

Perhaps the game’s biggest plays came with Londonderry leading 21-14 early in the fourth quarter. Winnacunnet (11-1) moved the ball to the Londonderry 8-yard line, but fumbled an option pitch on a third-down play and Londonderry’s Anthony Salcito recovered the fumble. That turnover led to Wrisley’s field goal that handed the Lancers a 10-point lead.

“I think if we could have just executed that exchange it looked like he was walking in, but we didn’t,” Winnacunnet coach Ryan Francoeur said. “Coach Lauzon was a little faster than me on a few plays in the third quarter and I thought that was the difference. We just didn’t do enough in the back end in the second half.”

The Warriors turned the ball over three times in the game (two fumbles). Londonderry did not have a turnover.

Winnacunnet took the opening kickoff and put together a 16-play, 71-yard scoring drive that took 9:02 off the clock. Kyle Tilley scored on a QB sneak from the 1.

Winnacunnet’s second TD came on Tucker McCann’s 9-yard run that helped make it a 14-14 game with 3:24 left in the third.

The victory gave Londonderry its second Division I championship in three years, and was the program’s eighth state title overall.

LANCERS 24, WARRIORS 14

Londonderry 0 0 21 3 – 24
Winnacunnet 0 7 7 0 – 14

First Quarter

WHS – Kyle Tilley 1 run (Hayden Eaton kick), 2:58

Second Quarter

No scoring

Third Quarter

LHS – Andrew Kullman 63 pass from Drew Heenan (Dylan Wrisley kick), 10:30

LHS – Jake Schena 12 run (Wrisley kick), 7:03

WHS – Tucker McCann 9 run (Eaton kick), 3:24

LHS – Kullman 33 pass from Heenan (Wrisley kick), 1:09

Fourth Quarter

LHS – Wrisley 29-yard field goal, 5:02

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Winnacunnet, McCann 18-61, Capezzuto 2-10, Alkire 5-31, Brown 1-2, Bateman 5-23, Tilley 13-25, Zaino 2-3. Londonderry, Heenan 17-66, Austen 4-13, Perrron 3-6, Schena 5-23.

PASSING: Winnacunnet, Tilley 5-12-161 (INT). Londonderry, Heenan 9-11-201

RECEIVING: Winnacunnet, Gould 3-94, Fredericks 2-67. Londonderry, Kullman 5-129 (2 TDs), McPhail 1-10, Weinmann 1-24, Ramshaw 2-38

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