H.S. football: ConVal gains revenge on Goffstown

GOFFSTOWN – High-stakes football will continue for ConVal of Peterborough.

Playing a regular-season finale that essentially served as a postseason quarterfinal for the second straight year, the Cougars clinched the last Division III playoff ticket with yesterday's 21-19 winner-take-all victory over Goffstown.

ConVal's two-point road triumph was perfect revenge. Goffstown won last year's finale in Peterborough, 36-30, to secure the playoff berth.

"It's good to be back," said ConVal head coach Greg Leonard, whose program is playoff-bound for the second time in three seasons. "We don't want to take any more breaks off."

Anthony Faccidomo arguably saved ConVal's season and secured the No. 3 playoff seed. The senior defensive end rushed off left edge for a late-game blindside quarterback sack that helped preserve the slim lead.

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"Untouched right off the line," Faccidomo said. "I just had to run full speed ... until I got there."

"He made a huge play when it mattered most," Goffstown head coach Rob Cathcart said.

Faccidomo's third-down tackle thwarted Goffstown's promising drive. It pushed the Grizzlies from ConVal's 27 yard line -- 7 yards out of field-goal range -- to the 35. A false-start penalty cost Goffstown another 5 yards. Fourth-and-25 was too much to overcome.

ConVal (5-4 overall, 5-3 Div. III) sandwiched short- and long-range scores around a long-distance Goffstown TD to build a 14-6 first-quarter lead.

Cougars QB Jon Queen (5 of 8 passing, 171 yards, 2 TDs) recorded a 1-yard score, and later tossed an 80-yard strike to Terry Ellis (3 catches, 145 yards, 2 TDs). Andy Banuskevich kicked the extra points. In between ConVal's TDs, Goffstown QB Brandon Shea raced 43 yards to paydirt.

Sean McGarry pulled Goffstown within 14-12 in the second quarter. But Queen's second TD toss to Ellis, a 48-yarder, helped push ConVal's lead to 21-12 by halftime.

Goffstown (3-6, 3-5) tallied the lone score of the second half. Jake Staffiere (21 carries for 131 yards) scored on a 4-yard third-quarter run, and Tim Shottes split the uprights.

But the Grizzlies couldn't claw any closer.

"We got it taken from us last year," Faccidomo said. "And this year we took it from them."