Mascoma is on the brink of back-to-back state championships as they take on the Hillsboro-Deering in Saturday’s NHIAA Division IV state title game at Laconia High.
The Hillcats, who were 6-1 in the regular season, were the one thorn in the defending champions’ side this season. Hillsboro-Deering defeated the Royals, who finished the regular season 5-1, their only loss, 26-14, in September. A loss that served as a reminder that details matter.
“We went into that game a little bit on the overconfident side,” Royals’ Head Coach John Daley said. “We just didn’t hit our assignments; we let the details kind of fade to the background.”
Since that loss, Mascoma has run through their competition, picking up commanding wins against Winnisquam, 40-7, and Farmington-Nute, 56-6, along with a forfeit victory over Franklin.
However, the Hillcats have been dominant in their own right since they suffered their only loss of the season, 51-27 to Somersworth in October, defeating Newfound, 41-0, Farmington-Nute, 48-22, and Raymond, 54-18, to wrap up the regular season.
Both squads continued that dominance into their semifinal matchups last weekend, as Hillsboro-Deering dispatched Farmington-Nute 35-14, and Mascoma picked up a 16-0 win after Raymond forfeited in the second quarter.
That forfeit is a source of frustration for the Royals, their head coach said.
“For a variety of different reasons, we had three teams back out of playing us,” Daley said. “We haven’t had a chance to play football — I’ve got a team full of guys that are upset that their senior year, they’ve missed out on three games.”
While the abbreviated game kept his squad healthy, it had its drawbacks, including leaving questions about whether aspects of their game plan would work and limiting valuable reps.
Despite that frustration, Daley is hopeful his squad can use it to help fuel a good performance on Saturday.
In terms of preparations this week, Daley emphasized that they did not reinvent the wheel. “We’re going to do what we do well, and try to do it better than we have before, so just going over assignments, and fine-tuning the ‘ifs’ — if they do this, what do we do,” he said.
Mascoma’s sideline boss is expecting a big game from the boys up front on the offensive side of the ball. “We have one of the largest offensive lines in a long time,” Daley said.
On top of that, some players to look out for offensively for the Royals include their dynamic senior duo of fullback Paxten Roberts and wide receiver Declan Lyons, who each scored in last weekend’s semifinal against Raymond.
Defensively, senior defensive end Colin Myers and senior linebacker Colin Burns are some players who could be factors in attempting to stymie the Hillcats’ offense, which was led last weekend by senior running back Robert King, who rushed for 177 yards and four touchdowns.
The key to the Royals’ victory lies in executing assignments and maintaining pressure. “Coach Wood over there, he knows football, he’s got a great team, so we’ve got to keep the pressure on and try to force them to be in uncomfortable positions,” Daley said.
As for whether Mascoma is feeling any added pressure with a chance to repeat as champions, its head coach gave a resounding no.
“We’re just having fun playing the game we enjoy,” Daley said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to do it, but there’s no expectation, there’s no pressure, we’re just looking to enjoy ourselves and have a good Saturday of football.”
Saturday’s final at Bank of NH Stadium at Laconia High kicks off at 1 p.m.
