DERRY — The spotlight seemed to turn away from the Pinkerton Academy of Derry football team following a loss to Exeter in Week 2, so here's an update for those who have been focusing their attention elsewhere: The Astros are playing some pretty good football.

Pinkerton extended its winning streak to four games by thumping Manchester Memorial 49-6 Saturday.

Since the Exeter loss, Pinkerton has outscored its four opponents 167-20. Exeter is the only team that has scored more than seven points against the Astros (5-1 overall, 4-1 in Division I) this season.

“We're progressing nicely,” Pinkerton Academy coach Brian O'Reilly said. “Our offense is certainly a heck of a lot better than it was at the beginning of the year. We finish with Brockton (Mass.), Concord, Central and South, so I think we'll pop up on everyone's radar somewhere in there.”

Memorial kept things tight for most of the first half. The Crusaders made it a 14-6 game when quarterback Stephen Deane connected with Bobby Cipolla for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 3:20 left in the second quarter, but Pinkerton's Manny Latimore returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. Latimore also caught a 36-yard TD pass from Pinkerton quarterback Sean Conroy with 22.7 seconds left in the quarter to help the Astros build a 28-6 halftime lead.

“When you score on special teams it demoralizes the other team,” O'Reilly said. “It hurts. That's something we do very well.”

Latimore, who added a 2-yard TD run in the third quarter, also returned a punt for a touchdown, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty behind the play.

“As I told the kids all week, Latimore is probably the best special teams player in the state as far as returning kicks,” Memorial coach Peter Colcord said. “We told our kids we're not going to kick to him. We're going to kick away. What did we do? Kicked it right to him.

“At 14-6 I thought the kids were playing hard, then things got away from us.”

The loss dropped Memorial's record to 2-4 overall and 1-4 in Division I.

In addition to Latimore's 2-yard run, the Astros scored two other third-quarter touchdowns. Brett Stuart returned an interception 17 yards for a TD, and Ryan Day scored on a 22-yard run. Running time kicked in after Stuart's touchdown, and each coach pulled the starters shortly thereafter.

Deane highlighted Memorial's offense by completing 9 of 13 passes for 64 yards.

Conroy tossed two TD passes. His first was a 10-yard strike to tight end Andrew Ong that opened the scoring. Pinkerton's other TD came on Chris St. Onge's 1-yard run with 11.9 seconds left in the first quarter.

Colcord said Exeter and Pinkerton, teams that met in last year's Division I championship game, appear to be a cut above everyone else in Division I.

- - - - - - - -

Roger Brown may be reached at rbrown@unionleader.com.