Somersworth, n.h.
Sixth-seeded Stevens High, which lost to Somersworth, 35-8, in the second game of the regular season, stunned the No. 3 Hilltoppers, 33-6, in an NHIAA Division III football quarterfinal game on Saturday.
There were many reasons for the turnaround of fortune. Perhaps most importantly, the Cardinals turned three of four Hilltopper turnovers into touchdowns while making zero of their own. Stevens also was called for just two penalties and allowed just two Somersworth plays to go for more than 15 yards.
“We talked about cutting down on turnovers all week,” Stevens offensive guard-defensive end Brendan Bean said. “We knew that would be a key.”
Stevens (6-3) visits No. 2 Campbell in Saturday’s semifinals, while Somersworth’s season ends at 7-2.
Somersworth sophomore Christian Akarian, who rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Stevens, did not play on Saturday for undisclosed reasons.
Sophomore Keaghan McAllister continued to pile up big gains for the Cardinals, amassing 160 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries.
“God, I love to hear a play for me called in the huddle,” he said.
Junior Damon Roy complemented McAllister with 93 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown along with a 2-point conversion run.
The way the game unfolded took the Hilltoppers out of the contest quickly, as Stevens built a 26-0 lead at the half.
“We’re just not built to rally from a big deficit,” Somersworth coach Dan Hodsdon said. “We’re a run-first team and really don’t want to pass the ball. When we’re throwing the ball, we’re in trouble.”
Somersworth knew that Stevens also prefers to run the ball, but was surprised when Stevens, on a second-and-6 from its own 34-yard line in the first quarter, got a 66-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Quentin Bicknell to junior Baylor Rozzell to put Stevens up, 12-0.
“That might have been a game-changing play,” said Stevens coach Paul Silva, who couldn’t say enough about his team’s line play on both sides of the ball. “They were terrific,” he added.
While the TD toss was a key play, the score that put the Cardinals up 18-0 had a quirk to it.
In the second quarter, McAllister went down with a leg ailment with Stevens on the Somersworth 40. Roy was inserted into the game, was immediately handed the ball and bolted toward to the end zone for the touchdown. McAllister returned shortly thereafter.
Stevens scored on its first possession of the game going on a 67-yard drive, with McAllister taking it in from the 5. After a Somersworth drive petered out at the Stevens 30, Bicknell and Rozzell hooked up and it was 12-0 late in the first quarter. Roy’s scamper made it 18-0, and the lead increased to 24-0 shortlly after the Somersworth punter dropped a snap that Stevens recovered on the Somersworth 40. McAllister carryed the ball four times, and he nudged in from the 2-yard line for the score.
Somersworth got a score early in the fourth quarter to make it 26-6, but Stevens answered with a time-consuming 63-yard drive that resulted in a McAllister TD.
Notes: These two teams have often been in different divisions over the years and have played just 18 times since 1938. Stevens holds a 10-7-1 edge. … In 2011, the teams played a Friday night game in Claremont that was halted by lightning in the third quarter with Somersworth leading 20-18. The game could not be finished that night and was rescheduled for completion on Monday in Merrimack Valley. But that never came off and the game was not completed during a season when Stevens needed one more win to make the postseason. … Next week’s visit to Campbell will mark the teams’ first meeting of the season.