Keaghan McAllister of the Stevens High School football team watches as the Cardinals defense runs plays during practice at Barnes Park in Claremont, N.H., Thursday, November 17, 2016. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Keaghan McAllister of the Stevens High School football team watches as the Cardinals defense runs plays during practice at Barnes Park in Claremont, N.H., Thursday, November 17, 2016. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: Valley News — James M. Patterson

Claremont — The last time the Stevens High football team won a NHIAA championship was 1968. That year, Lyndon B. Johnson was president of the United States, Boeing introduced the 747 “Jumbo Jet” and Apollo 8 became the first manned space craft to orbit the moon. Today’s Cardinals were far from being born.

And Stevens’ dry spell of state hardware is certainly not limited to just football; the Cardinals haven’t won a team championship since boys soccer in 1989.

Stevens hopes that changes today at the University of New Hampshire’s Wildcat Stadium as the Cardinals (8-2) take on InterLakes-Moultonborough (8-2) in the NHIAA Division III championship game at 11 a.m. In a year full of broken curses and unexpected results, the Cardinals hope they can capture some magic.

“Me and my classmates, we’ve had the dream since we were in third grade with mini-Cardinals, like, ‘We’re going to win a state championship,’ ” said Stevens wide receiver Parker Smith. “Now it’s coming together.

“We’ve got to represent Claremont,” he added. “Everyone’s excited. All my teammates are just as hyped as I am. We’re ready to go conquer our goal.”

The Cardinals are powered by 15-year-old sophomore quarterback Henri Bourque, who has developed into one of the most dangerous passers in D-III behind a strong offensive line and a receiving corps that Stevens hasn’t seen in a long time. Bourque leads all Upper Valley quarterbacks with 112 completions for 1,784 passing yards 18 passing touchdowns. He’s also rushed 48 times for 321 yards and three TDs.

“When you have a quarterback like Henri, a receiver like Smith and a running back like (Richard) Bell, you really have to tailor to their strengths,” said Stevens offensive coordinator Josh Duford. “You want to highlight their strengths. Henri sees the field really well. He’s mobile; he can get out of the pocket. His pocket presence has vastly improved drastically.

“He’s very poised. Things don’t really rattle him,” Duford added. “It’s funny: His first year, he barely spoke. It’s been fun watching him come out of his shell.”

But what has impressed his teammates goes beyond Bourque’s physical ability. He led the Cardinals to a come-from-behind 26-21 victory over previously undefeated Monadnock in the D-III semifinals last weekend to punch their ticket to UNH, showing poise and resilience with the game on the line, down 21-6 heading to the fourth quarter.

“He’s only 15 years old,” Smith said. “He’s proven to all of us that he’s a man on the field. He carried us to that victory against Monadnock. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Bourque suffered a broken wrist in the second game of his freshman season, forcing him to watch in a cast from the sidelines. Stevens’ coaching staff had to change its offensive strategy on the fly, promoting star running back Bell to quarterback in what became a largely wildcat offense. That, in turn, kept deep threat Smith holstered for most of the season as Stevens focused on the run. The Cardinals finished the regular season 6-2 before falling to Bow in the D-III quarterfinals.

“What we saw in the first two games, or the game-and-a-half, that he was healthy was that he wasn’t intimidated,” said Stevens head coach Paul Silva. “We had no qualms about putting him in there. We knew he’d be able to handle it maturity-wise.”

In the offseason, Stevens’ coaches went to work. Duford reorganized the offensive strategy. Bourque rehabbed his wrist. The result is nearly 2,000 passing yards to compliment a dominant running attack by Bell (99 carries, 835 yards, 16 TDs) and the Cardinals’ second trip to the D-III championship game in four years.

“They’ve grown mentally,” Duford said. “Physically, too. But I think they have a better concept of what we want to do.”

Smith has become the Cardinals’ highlighted receiver, amassing 56 catches for 1,134 yards and 14 touchdowns. Fullback Zach O’Brien has provided some secondary production with 32 catches and 426 yards and four TDs. But it’s Bourque’s maturity at such a young age that has allowed Stevens’ offense to maximize its potential.

Next year’s Cardinals’ team won’t be the same. Bell and Smith are both seniors, and Bourque will have to find other receivers to pass to while Stevens’ coaching staff transitions the running game. For now, the Cardinals’ stars seemed to have aligned for one more try at a championship victory.

“You look for a group like this when you coach, where all 39 guys come together,” Silva said. “I’m not saying they all hang out together, but they all have a common goal. … You have to be a team in a team-oriented sport to have any success and to get to play in a game like this. … I don’t think anybody has given us much of a chance in any of these games. We’re a good team. We can play with anybody.

“I don’t do this for any personal gain. I want it for these kids, for all the work they’ve put in, for all the support from the community and the school. We’ve had opportunities in several sports and, for whatever reason, it hasn’t worked out for us. I’d love to see the parents and the community and the school get a championship. It’s been a while.”

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