West 13, East 7

By rbrown
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Updated: June 28, 2025

GOFFSTOWN – When it comes to high school football, offense is one thing and scoring is another. That was clear as water at Friday night’s New Hampshire East/West All-Star Game at Saint Anselm College’s Grappone Stadium.

The East had the edge in total offense (246-231), first downs (18-13) and time of possession (36:00 to 23:59), but the West was more opportunistic and extended its winning streak in the annual all-star game to five games by earning a 13-7 victory.

“We had kids who stepped up on the D-line, and our linebackers also played well too,” West coach Kip Jackson said. “They were able to have some success on the perimeter in the beginning, but I think the kids understood what they were trying to do and they were able to make some plays.

“In all honesty we didn’t make any adjustments. The kids just did what they were supposed to do and played well.”

When the East did have scoring opportunities either the West defense stiffened or the East was its own worst enemy. The East turned the ball over on downs at the West 20 in the first quarter, missed a 25-yard field goal with 47 seconds left in the first half and turned it over on downs again at the West 16 early in the fourth quarter.

The East also had two passes intercepted, and had very few plays of 10 yards or more.

“We stuck to our gameplan and we outgained them,” East coach Steve Abraham said. “We moved the ball in that game. We just didn’t finish, and we made key mistakes at the wrong time. We were built to pound, pound, pound (on the ground) and then take our shots. And actually when we did take our shots the passing plays were there, we just missed them. We didn’t have a lot of receivers, so we knew we were limited in terms of the strength of our passing game.”

Concord quarterback/defensive back Colby Nyhan was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Nyhan rushed for 39 yards on five carries, completed each of his three passes for 20 yards and also made seven tackles.

Nyhan gave the West a 7-0 lead by scoring on a 19-yard run and kicking the PAT with 11:54 remaining in the first half. The West increased its lead to 13-0 when Manchester Central running back Trevor Wong scored on a 4-yard run with 2:40 to play.

The East’s TD came on a 16-yard pass from Timberlane QB Jeremy Mlocek to Campbell running back Scott Hershberger (11 carries for 37 yards) with 39 seconds to play. Londonderry’s Blake Thompson added the PAT, but the West recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

“Love that we could get the West kids a win,” Nyhan said. “It was a rough start (the East intercepted a pass on the third play from scrimmage) and we just needed something to get us going. After that (the TD) it was the West show from there.”

The West leads the series 10-3-0. The East has been limited to 23 points during its current five-game losing streak.

“As the field got smaller, they tightened up and played great defense,” Abraham said. “And we made mistakes.”

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Manchester West’s Logan Paradis and John Stark’s Joey Dykstra each had a team-high nine tackles for the West. Londonderry’s Carson Palma also had nine tackles to lead the East. … Salem’s Kevin Todisco led all rushers with 80 yards on 17 carries. Bedford QB Jake Maye led the West in rushing with 51 yards on six attempts. … Goffstown’s Jayden Pares and Bedford’s Peter Suozzo had interceptions for the West. Salem’s Daniel Hughes had the East’s only interception. … Neither team had much success through the air. The West completed 8-of-19 pass attempts and the East completed 4-of-9 passes. … Nyhan is headed to Bryant, where he plans to compete in track and field. … Abraham said he has committed to coach the East next year. … Milford’s Kadyn Tessier was the West’s top fundraiser. Mlocek and Pelham’s Billy Nichols led the East in fundraising.

NOTE: Click on the bottom of the scoring summary to view complete game statistics

West 13, East 7

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