Swanzey, n.h. – The press box at Monadnock High’s football field sits atop a busy concession stand that spends game days grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for hungry fans. The kitchen, however, isn’t well ventilated, causing the structure’s fire alarm to continuously blare at the slightest hint of smoke.

Workers behind the counter frantically wave towels at it to clear the smoke and make it stop. The silence never lasts long.

A case could be made that, in Saturday’s NHIAA Division III semifinal game between undefeated Monadnock and No. 4-seeded Newport, the fire alarm was registering more of what was taking place on the field. The top-seeded Huskies dismantled the Tigers with precision on their way to a 42-0 victory.

Either that, or the Tigers simply weren’t ready for what was about to hit them.

“Give Monadnock all the credit in the world,” second-year Newport head coach Rich Boone said. “They were dominant.”

Newport finished its season with a record of 8-2. Both losses came at the hands of Monadnock (10-0), which will play No. 2. Campbell (10-0) in the D-III championship game next weekend at the University of New Hampshire. Campbell defeated No. 6 Stevens, 33-0, in the other semifinal matchup on Saturday.

The Tigers, for the second time this season, fell into an insurmountable hole by halftime. It trailed, 20-0, to Monadnock in Saturday’s tournament contest and trailed, 30-0, to these same Huskies in the seventh week of the regular season. This time, however, there was no second-half comeback to speak of. Monadnock just kept piling on.

“As a whole, I believe our two losses were to the eventual Division III champions,” Boone said.

The game was over by halftime.

Monadnock scored within three plays on its second drive, a 30-yard touchdown catch and run by Chandler Matson. Newport went to the air in an attempt to stay away from the Huskies’ big defensive line, relying heavily on a quarterback carousel of Kyle Rossiter, Ethan Houde and Austin Malool. Monadnock led, 6-0, after the first quarter.

Things got out of hand in the second quarter, a 12-minute stretch that saw Newport run only eight plays and commit three fumbles, all recovered by Monadnock, including one in the end zone. The Tigers committed seven turnovers overall against the Huskies, losing four fumbles and three interceptions.

“We were trying to throw more,” Boone said. “We had some success with that the last time we played them. But they changed their defensive scheme really well. They kept us contained.”

John Thibault, Newport’s primary weapon with 1,343 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns in his first nine games this season, was limited to only three rushes for no yards in the first half. He left the field with only four rushes for 5 yards.

Houde replaced Rossiter, the starting quarterback, after halftime. He threw two interceptions on his first two drives and was leveled on his third, which brought Rossiter back in. Malool was used sporadically in the fourth quarter.

With Newport’s defense exhausted, Monadnock scored another 22 points in the second half. The Huskies will make their first appearance in a state final since winning a D-V championship over Somersworth in 2012.

Boone said he’s still pleased with the way his team played this season, particularly with the emergence of some of his younger players. Newport graduates nine, including Rossiter, Houde, lineman Peter Thibault, tight end Matt Hennig and wide receiver Dylan Palmer.

“I’m happy with the season overall; 8-2 isn’t bad,” Boone said. “We’re not going to hang our heads. We have a talented younger class.”

Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.