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NASHUA — Windham's Tiger An scored two second-half touchdowns to cut Nashua South's lead to just six points in the fourth quarter, but the upset-minded Jaguars fell short to the Panthers, 20-14 on Friday night.

NASHUA - Asked to describe the most prolific performance of his football career so far, Salem running back Aidan McDonald though for a moment and smiled."This was pretty exhilarating!" he said with a laugh. "I want to keep it going."The senior erupted for a career-high 243 rushing yards on just 19 carries, ran for four touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a score as Salem - the No. 1-ranked team in New Hampshire - ran away from Nashua South 62-36 in the season-opener for both teams on Friday night."McDonald was awesome tonight," said Salem coach Steve Abraham. "He's fast, but he's also a violent runner and very football smart. People think, because of his speed, he always wants to take it to the outside, but he grinded a lot of stuff inside tonight. He's a game-changer."Returning Eagle-Tribune All-Star McDonald rushed for 128 yards on 13 carries -an average of 9.8 yards per rush - and scored three touchdowns in the first half. He then added 115 yards on just six carries (19.2 yards a rush) and two scored in the third quarter, before sitting out the fourth quarter with the game out of reach."It was awesome," said McDonald, who ran for 763 yards and scored nine TDs in last fall's COVID-shortened season. "We just stuck to the plan. When I see some separation, I just hit it. We mixed it up with inside and outside plays, that worked well. It was an excellent way to start the season." Despite the lopsided final score, Salem needed every bit of McDonald's contributions, as the Blue Devils led by just one score - 35-28 - after a crazy first half.Nashua South took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to take an early 7-0 lead.But McDonald struck right back, running the ensuing kickoff back 88 yards for a touchdown."We all knew we just had to settle down, focus and execute," said McDonald. "We ran the middle wedge, I squirted out and was gone. It felt awesome."His teammates agreed it was crucial to turning the momentum early."That was huge!" said fellow running back Tommy Ahlers. "That was a huge momentum shift. It got everyone going. It was awesome.McDonald gave Salem the lead for good with 0:59 left in the first, taking a pitch in for a 5-yard touchdown run. Blue Devil Jonathan Smith then recovered a perfect Ahlers onside kick, and six plays later McDonald dove in for a 3-yard score.Nashua South scored, but Ahlers responded with a 13-yard touchdown. South responded with another score, but new Salem starting QB Noah Mustapha hit Ahlers for a 39-yard score."Coach Abe told me the safeties played really high up," said Ahlers, who finished with 76 rushing yards on 9 carries. "So as long as I could get around the corner it was going to be wide open. I had a seam there, Noah saw me and put a perfect ball right in my hands."South added another score, and was a yard from tying it up right before halftime. But Ahlers and Peter Beeley made a tackle at the goal line as time expired in the first half.McDonald then put the game away in the second half. On the first play after halftime, he sprinted for a 55-yard touchdown. Then, after a defensive stop, he added a 35-yard score to ice the win.Salem's defense also tightened up in the second half. After surrendering 248 rushing yards in the first half, the Blue Devils limited South to just 29 and no points after halftime, outside of a Panthers drive in the game's final two minutes against the Salem reserves."I let my assistants give it to them a little at halftime," joked Abraham. "Our defensive line grew up in the second half. The technique got better, we changed a few things, and we played much better after halftime. I'm very proud of the kids."