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September 07. 2012 11:18PM
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. A Manchester Central pass to receiver Julio Rincon is broken up by the bear hug defense of Concord's Shawn Jobin during the Friday night action under the lights of Memorial Field in Concord. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. Manchester Central defender Tyler Kelley moves in to deny a pass to Concord receiver Devon Ferland. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. Concord High receiver Seimou Smith can't pull in a pass because of the defense of Manchester Central's Troy Pelliter during Friday night action under the lights of Memorial Field in Concord. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. Manchester Central defender Tyler Kelley moves in to deny a pass to Concord receiver Devon Ferland. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. Central running back David Weekly escapes the pursuit of Concord defender Dylan Naylor for a Manchester Central gain. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Linked articles:
Marc Thaler's First and 10: Souhegan coach moved by team's emotional effort
Central grounds Concord, 35-21; Friday night scores
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. A Manchester Central pass to receiver Julio Rincon is broken up by the bear hug defense of Concord's Shawn Jobin during the Friday night action under the lights of Memorial Field in Concord. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. Manchester Central defender Tyler Kelley moves in to deny a pass to Concord receiver Devon Ferland. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. Concord High receiver Seimou Smith can't pull in a pass because of the defense of Manchester Central's Troy Pelliter during Friday night action under the lights of Memorial Field in Concord. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. Manchester Central defender Tyler Kelley moves in to deny a pass to Concord receiver Devon Ferland. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Manchester Central Little Green traveled to Concord Memorial Field to face the Concord Crimson Tide Friday night in boys high school football. Central running back David Weekly escapes the pursuit of Concord defender Dylan Naylor for a Manchester Central gain. (Bruce Taylor/Union Leader)
Marc Thaler's First and 10: Souhegan coach moved by team's emotional effort
CONCORD — Manchester Central may well throw the football this season to win the majority of its games.
But it was the Little Green's ground attack — David Weekly in particular — that made the biggest difference in Week 2.
Central's junior tailback ran with authority between the tackles, setting up Riley Cote to toss three touchdowns in a 35-21 Division I win over Concord Friday night at Memorial Field.
“The game, it was a 14-point difference. It wasn't even that close,” said Concord's Eric Brown, the head coach of a program that lost its 12th straight game to Central.
Weekly ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, showing patience behind an offensive line that Concord defenders rarely penetrated. Cote, also with time to target receivers, connected twice in the third quarter with Troy Pelletier for much-needed TDs.
Pelletier's 15- and 4-yard TD grabs helped Central (2-0 overall, 1-0 Division I) create a 32-13 cushion heading into the fourth frame.
They were critical catches. Concord (1-1, 0-1) cut a 20-point deficit to one possession with a frantic first-half finish.
“Mistakes will kill us,” said Central head coach Ryan Ray, whose No. 3-ranked team fumbled a punt return and botched a punt in the first half's final minutes, leading to 13 Tide points.
Senior speedster Tolbert Nemo capped Concord's comeback drives. He raced 7 yards for the first score — set up by his only big rushing gain, a 46-yard burst.
On the half's final play, he made Central pay for its punting blunder. QB Marc Gaudet was stripped of the ball just short of the goal line. But the ball bounced to Nemo, who reversed direction for a 5-yard TD.
Central's punishing running was largely the theme after the break, too. Weekly continued to move the chains. Hector Velez (14 carries for 91 yards) was equally tough to tackle. Andrew Slingsby finished with 78 yards.
Central was unstoppable in the opening 13 minutes, 25 seconds. The offense scored touchdowns on its first three possessions.
The Little Green sandwiched rushing TDs by Slingsby (20-yard run) and Weekly (8-yard run) around Cote's perfect 54-yard strike to Nick Vrastenes (four catches, 88 yards).
Joe Vrastenes capped Central's scoring with a 25-yard fourth-quarter field goal. Concord backup signal-caller Robert Law ran for two points after his 55-yard screen pass TD to Nemo.
It was too little, too late for No. 10 Concord.
“They took it to us,” Brown said. “They were a big, physical, strong team.”
mthaler@unionleader.com
Friday night
Division I
Man. Central 35, Concord 21
Nashua South 43, Salem 19
Division II
Winnacunnet 13, Bedford 6 Keene 38, Merrimack 6
Timberlane 22, Spaulding 21
Division III
Hollis/Brookline 35, Merr. Valley 8 Milford 14, Pembroke 0
Souhegan 18, Portsmouth 14
Division IV
Hanover 21, Laconia 0
Plymouth 40, Kennett 7
St. Thomas 54, Kingswood 8
Windham 48, Lebanon 6
Trinity 61, John Stark 24
Division V
Monadnock 34, Bow 7
Somersworth 23, Kearsarge 14
Stevens 12, Sanborn 6
Division VI
Bishop Brady 60, Raymond 12
Nonleague
Londonderry 38, Alvirne 7
King Philip (Mass.) 35, Dover 12
SATURDAY GAMES
Division I
Memorial at Nashua North, 1 p.m.
Exeter at Pinkerton, 1 p.m.
Division II
Manchester West at Bishop Guertin, 7 p.m.
Division III
Con-Val at Goffstown, 1:30 p.m.
Division V
Pelham at I-L/M’borough, noon
Division VI
Mascoma at Gilford, 1:30 p.m.
W’squam at Newfound, 1:30 p.m.
Franklin at Newport, 1:30 p.m.
Campbell at Farm.-Nute, 1:30 p.m.
But it was the Little Green's ground attack — David Weekly in particular — that made the biggest difference in Week 2.
Central's junior tailback ran with authority between the tackles, setting up Riley Cote to toss three touchdowns in a 35-21 Division I win over Concord Friday night at Memorial Field.
“The game, it was a 14-point difference. It wasn't even that close,” said Concord's Eric Brown, the head coach of a program that lost its 12th straight game to Central.
Weekly ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, showing patience behind an offensive line that Concord defenders rarely penetrated. Cote, also with time to target receivers, connected twice in the third quarter with Troy Pelletier for much-needed TDs.
Pelletier's 15- and 4-yard TD grabs helped Central (2-0 overall, 1-0 Division I) create a 32-13 cushion heading into the fourth frame.
They were critical catches. Concord (1-1, 0-1) cut a 20-point deficit to one possession with a frantic first-half finish.
“Mistakes will kill us,” said Central head coach Ryan Ray, whose No. 3-ranked team fumbled a punt return and botched a punt in the first half's final minutes, leading to 13 Tide points.
Senior speedster Tolbert Nemo capped Concord's comeback drives. He raced 7 yards for the first score — set up by his only big rushing gain, a 46-yard burst.
On the half's final play, he made Central pay for its punting blunder. QB Marc Gaudet was stripped of the ball just short of the goal line. But the ball bounced to Nemo, who reversed direction for a 5-yard TD.
Central's punishing running was largely the theme after the break, too. Weekly continued to move the chains. Hector Velez (14 carries for 91 yards) was equally tough to tackle. Andrew Slingsby finished with 78 yards.
Central was unstoppable in the opening 13 minutes, 25 seconds. The offense scored touchdowns on its first three possessions.
The Little Green sandwiched rushing TDs by Slingsby (20-yard run) and Weekly (8-yard run) around Cote's perfect 54-yard strike to Nick Vrastenes (four catches, 88 yards).
Joe Vrastenes capped Central's scoring with a 25-yard fourth-quarter field goal. Concord backup signal-caller Robert Law ran for two points after his 55-yard screen pass TD to Nemo.
It was too little, too late for No. 10 Concord.
“They took it to us,” Brown said. “They were a big, physical, strong team.”
mthaler@unionleader.com
Friday night
Division I
Man. Central 35, Concord 21
Nashua South 43, Salem 19
Division II
Winnacunnet 13, Bedford 6 Keene 38, Merrimack 6
Timberlane 22, Spaulding 21
Division III
Hollis/Brookline 35, Merr. Valley 8 Milford 14, Pembroke 0
Souhegan 18, Portsmouth 14
Division IV
Hanover 21, Laconia 0
Plymouth 40, Kennett 7
St. Thomas 54, Kingswood 8
Windham 48, Lebanon 6
Trinity 61, John Stark 24
Division V
Monadnock 34, Bow 7
Somersworth 23, Kearsarge 14
Stevens 12, Sanborn 6
Division VI
Bishop Brady 60, Raymond 12
Nonleague
Londonderry 38, Alvirne 7
King Philip (Mass.) 35, Dover 12
SATURDAY GAMES
Division I
Memorial at Nashua North, 1 p.m.
Exeter at Pinkerton, 1 p.m.
Division II
Manchester West at Bishop Guertin, 7 p.m.
Division III
Con-Val at Goffstown, 1:30 p.m.
Division V
Pelham at I-L/M’borough, noon
Division VI
Mascoma at Gilford, 1:30 p.m.
W’squam at Newfound, 1:30 p.m.
Franklin at Newport, 1:30 p.m.
Campbell at Farm.-Nute, 1:30 p.m.
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