Bev Metcalf gave Lebanon High football coach Chris Childs a call earlier this week. Metcalf, the widow of Lebanon boys basketball coaching legend Lang Metcalf, wanted to wish Childs luck in Sunday’s NHIAA Division III championship game.
Bev understands that championships don’t come often. Her husband won 507 games in 37 years, but only two seasons ended with state titles. Childs, who graduated from Lebanon in 1995, played for Lang and lost in back-to-back state championship games.
“She’s a special lady, spent a lot of time around her when I was in high school,” Childs said of Bev Metcalf on Thursday during Lebanon’s practice. “It’s definitely, you know, always nice to hear her voice and talk to her. And it’s special to have someone you know wish you good luck.
“The opportunities there, you never know when it’s going to come again. You want to take the opportunity when you have it and try to go get it.”
The 13th-year football coach will lead the top-seeded Raiders against No. 2 Trinity (10-1) at Wildcat Stadium on the campus of UNH on Sunday morning. Temperatures are expected to be in the 30s, with a mix of ice and rain in the forecast.
It is only the second time Lebanon (10-1) has ever appeared in an NHIAA title tilt, the last coming in 2010 when the Raiders defeated Trinity, 24-14, in D-IV. The Raiders won a Connecticut Valley League title with an unbeaten team in 1987 (9-0) under Jim Jette, but it wasn’t counted as a state championship.
When Lebanon won in 2010, many of the current Raiders were in elementary school. Childs remembers his son, C.J., running up and down the sidelines after the victory. C.J. now starts at linebacker and will play a key part in stopping Trinity’s explosive run game.
The Pioneers’ three-headed attack is led by former Newport star John Thibault. The senior has rushed for 2,079 yards and 27 touchdowns this season, dismantling Stevens in last week’s semifinal with 234 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. Thibault’s brother, James, and Dantre Taylor have also contributed to the run game, but what scares Childs the most is junior quarterback Peter Alisandro.
“He’s super-elusive. He does run around a lot with a ball, and they do a lot with him,” Childs said. “They’ll do a lot of play action with him, and he gets outside the pocket. It gives them the opportunity to throw or run it whenever they want. We’re definitely gonna have to make sure our DBs stay on their guys and that we make sure we get enough guys to the ball.”
Trinity would prefer to use its speed to get to the outside to make defenders miss, as opposed to Lebanon’s semifinal matchup with Hillsboro-Hopkinton/Deering. The RedHawks relied heavily on running back Colby Quiet, whom the Raiders held to just 44 yards on 18 carries.
Another important aspect of the Raiders’ success on Sunday could be their ability to force turnovers. In two playoff games thus far they’ve forced nine turnovers, and that can deflate an opponent’s momentum rapidly.
“So we try to keep them aware, keep them thinking about other things that could happen and not put the load solely on John,” said fourth-year Trinity coach Rob Cathcart, who will be coaching in his first championship game. He took Goffstown to two D-III semifinals but never won a playoff game until this season.
On the offensive side of the ball, Lebanon will look to stick to what put it in the title game.
Wade Rainey will be a main cog of the Raiders’ offensive plans. The senior has rushed for 1,118 yards on 143 carries for 13 touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns. If that wasn’t enough, he can be a threat on special teams, the best example being his 52-yard punt return for a touchdown in the semifinals.
The Pioneers will try to make sure Rainey doesn’t decide the game, but they’ll have their hands full with quarterback Jon Willeman, who’s thrown 20 touchdowns this season.
Childs said Willeman’s maturity has shown this season, especially when it comes to play-calling. The two are able to bounce ideas off each other on the sidelines, and Childs knows that in a close game he can depend on the senior’s arm.
“It’s based on what winds up in front of us, and that’s important against Lebanon because Lebanon has a number of different offensive looks,” Cathcart said of his defense. “So we change it up a little bit depending on what they’re presenting to us. I would say the quarterback (Willeman) is the best quarterback I’ve seen this year, so he’s a real threat. He’s very accurate. He does a good job throwing it short and deep; he has a quick release. So those things are problematic.”
Lebanon will have a walk through on Saturday followed by a team dinner. Then it will be an early wake-up call Sunday morning as the Raiders will depart for Durham at 7 a.m. for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
“They do what they do and, yeah, we have to stop it,” Childs said.
Pete Nakos can be reached at (603) 727-3306 or pnakos@vnews.com.