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DERRY — As much as the regular season home loss to Timberlane Regional stung, it was the 31 Owls points that night three weeks ago that stuck with Pinkerton Academy all the way through the final whistle in Saturday afternoon’s Division 1 State Quarterfinals. “They moved it on us last time, but this is all about the fight,” said Astros linebacker James Tulley, who again played an heroic role in the Astros win. “We had to contain (Owls QB Jason Hughes) — he’s great inside or on the scramble, and we did that. We had to. It’s the playoffs. You’re playing for your life.” Tulley and the Astros forced a pair of turnovers, allowing only a 41-yard Hughes field goal in the second half, to close out Timberlane, 23-17, and avenge one of just two blemishes on the Astros’ regular-season slate. Saturday at 1 p.m., top-seeded Pinkerton will host East Conference champion Exeter High for a shot to play in the Division 1 state title game. “That was two really good football teams on the field today,” said Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald. They made a few more plays than we did, that was the difference today. We had trouble finding things consistently on offense. It just was not enough today.” It certainly looked like two evenly-matched squads that saw Pinkerton leap to a 13-0 lead early, only to have Hughes turn the corner on a scramble and race to the pylon for a TD on the final play at the half, slicing the margin to 20-14. Timberlane had the ball coming out of halftime, too, with all kinds of momentum. But neither defense wanted to budge after the break. Timberlane’s Hall Twins, Austin and Travis, stood tall against the rush, while the name, Zach Thibeault echoed repeatedly from the announcer’s booth, after nearly every thunderous collision. Pinkerton had its answer guys, too. Joe Lydick (11 tackles, 1 interception) and Mike Curley were all around the football, chasing, harassing and forcing ill-timed cutbacks smack-dab into the heart of the Astro pursuit. Each team surrendered a field goal, leaving the margin at six points late when Timberlane, one of the surprise teams in the state all season, took its final shot. Hughes authored one miracle with about a minute left, heaving a 38-yard bomb that Brendan Frezza (3 catches, 99 yards) corralled on his knees at the Astros’ 29. That came on a 4th and 26. But that’s where the end came. After killing the clock on first down, Hughes couldn’t connect on the next three throws, sealing the deal for the Astros, who are looking to repeat as state champs. The key on the whole day was the attention Pinkerton paid to Hughes, who was held to 12 carries for 12 yards after riddling the Astros in the regular season (20 carries, 103 yards). “He’s quite an athlete, the most difficult quarterback we’ve had to deal with all year,” said Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly. “He just keeps making plays with his feet. They’ve got a lot of good players, he’s the difference maker.” Pinkerton 23, Timberlane 17 Division 1 Quarterfinals Timberlane (7-3):      0 14 0 3 — 17 Pinkerton (8-2):     13  7 0 3 — 23 First Quarter  Pink — Brett Dattilo 15 run (kick blocked) 8:26  Pink — James Tulley 13 pass from Ryan Albrecht (Kyle Cantalupo kick) 2:50 Second Quarter  Timb — Tyler Furey 2 run (Jason Hughes kick) 11:54  Pink — Nico Buccieri 8 run (Cantalupo kick) 1:39  Timb — Hughes 3 run (Hughes kick) :00 Fourth Quarter  Pink — Cantalupo 19 field goal, 8:38  Timb — Jason Hughes 41 field goal, 6:57 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS RUSHING: Timberlane (41-181) — Jake Post 8-57, Tyler Furey 18-80, Jason Hughes 12-12, Kyle Faucher 3-32; Pinkerton (40-146) — James Tulley 13-45, Brett Dattilo 12-50, Nico Buccieri 5-9, Mike Curley 4-14, Ryan Albrecht 6-28 PASSING: Timberlane, Hughes 5-17-1, 113; Pinkerton, Albrecht 6-9-0, 142 RECEIVING: Timberlane, Brendan Frezza 3-99, Furey 1-7, Elijah Sorenson 1-7; Pinkerton, Tulley 4-72, Dattilo 1-21, Kayden Baillargeon 1-49

MERRIMACK — Jason Hughes had a heck of a day for Timberlane, scoring on offense, defense and special teams to lead the Owls to a 24-0 win over Merrimack and clinch a spot in the playoffs. Hughes scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and in the third he kicked a 26-yard field goal and returned an interception 45-yards for a touchdown. He also kicked extra points on all three of Timberlane's touchdowns, went 5 for 13 with 56 yards passing and added 44 yards rushing on 10 carries. While Hughes scored most of the points, Tyler Furey carried most of the load, rushing for 179 yards on 34 carries while scoring Timberlane's last touchdown from 8-yards out in the fourth. Jacob Post also had 46 yards rushing and 56 yards receiving, Travis Hall recovered a fumble and Josh Thibeault had an interception. Overall it was a great day for the Owls, who had it tougher than the score would indicate, according to coach Kevin Fitzgerald. "We had to work, they're a good team," Fitzgerald said of Merrimack. "We played extremely well defensively all night, and we were able to keep some momentum going into the playoffs." Timberlane is now 7-2 and will face Pinkerton in the first round of the state tournament next Saturday.

Needing a win to remain tied atop the South Conference standings, Timberlane once again showed off a balanced attack that kept the Owls in the thick of the race.

Tyler Furey sparked a first-half assault that saw Timberlane grab a 35-0 lead at halftime en route to an easy 48-14 victory over visiting and winless Spaulding.

DERRY — With its football team trailing, 21-17, deep in the fourth quarter of an absolute war with defending state champion Pinkerton Academy, the Timberlane Regional band rose as one and boldly belted out the “I believe that we will win!” chant. Talk about a statement … not to mention the prediction. About 10 minutes later, that same unwavering band broke into celebration — together in the end zone with the Owls – as Timberlane fulfilled the melodic prophecy with a pulsating 31-28 decision. “What a huge win! Massive!” said Timberlane quarterback Jason Hughes, an absolute stud all night moving the chains on third and fourth downs. “But to us this is not an upset. They’re a great team. We just believed in ourselves and knew that we could play with them.” The victory inserts 5-2 Timberlane right into the thick of the chaotic Division 1 South/East playoff hunt, one which could leave the Astros, losers of two straight for the first time since 2009, on the outside looking in. “Looking realistically, with no real upsets, it’s pretty clear for us,” said Astros’ coach Brian O’Reilly. “We need to win our last two (at Dover, at unbeaten Exeter) or we’re not going to be in the playoffs.” Pinkerton appeared a bit angry over last week’s 17-7 loss here to Winnacunnet. The Astros busted out to a 14-0 lead. “We expected a playoff type atmosphere, and we got that kind of effort from our players,” said O’Reilly. Junior QB Ryan Albrecht hit his first five passes of the night, loosening up the Astros and finding a dangerous threat in senior James Tulley (4 catches, 158 yards). Tulley’s first-quarter TD grabs of 21 and 56 yards had the Astros in gear. “I’m so proud of the way our kids reacted,” said Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald, his team closing in on the first playoff appearance for the Owls since 2011. “They came out and punched us in the face. We took it and just bounced right back. “Jay (Hughes) made plays, (Jake Post) made plays and (Tyler Furey) made plays for us. The kids really responded.” Hughes and the Timberlane offense simply owned the last three quarters. Over the last 37:28, the Astros would run just 19 plays, compared to the Owls 50. “We just couldn’t make stops on defense and get off the field,” said O’Reilly. “We couldn’t get the ball back in our hands, it seemed like the whole second half.” Down 21-17 at the intermission, Timberlane dominated the third quarter with a 14-play march that wilted in the red zone. A tough stop — aided by what O’Reilly termed a questionable holding call on what would have been the Astros’ biggest play of the night — put Timberlane in business at its own 21 to start the fourth quarter. Just about the same time, the sophomore Post found his high gear. “The kid is a trooper, a weapon,” said Hughes. Hughes-to-Post moved the chains on 3rd-and-12. The two clicked for 14 more and then 18, the latter coming on a 3rd-and-9. Finally, on 3rd-and-goal from the 5, it was Post pounding in off tackle, making it 24-21 Owls with 4:46 left. “He wants the ball in his hands,” said Fitzgerald. “He showed what he can be out there.” And that’s where this one turned wild. Pinkerton responded brilliantly when Albrecht (7 of 10 for 228 yards) hit Tulley again, this one for 60 down to the Timberlane 13. But a 15-yard sideline penalty backed the Astros up to the 28 and Timberlane pounced on a fumble into the end zone to deny Pinkerton’s bid to take the lead. “The penalty was on me. I was in the way as the ref bumped me on the way by,” said O’Reilly. Pinkerton forced a punt, and Albrecht’s lone mistake, a throw into coverage that Travis Hall picked off and ran back 27 yards for a TD seemed to ice it. The Astros, down 31-21, found one last gasp of breath on the ensuing squib kick. Nico Buccieri motored 70 yards through the crowd to again slice the margin to 3 at 31-28. The onside kick that followed was swooped on by Owl Elijah Sorenson and Timberlane ran out the remaining clock.

Winning for the fourth time in five games, Timberlane started fast and crushed Dover 41-7 for a dominating road victory.

Tyler Furey ignited the Owls with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns on runs of 6 and 8 yards, for all the first-half points Timberlane scored.

HAMPTON — Senior Tyler Furey carried 27 times for 168 yards and three touchdowns to power Timberlane to a 24-13 win over Winnacunnet.

Furey bulled in from the 1 with 1:32 left in the half to break a scoreless tie then gave the Owls some breathing room with a 34-yard scamper early in the third. The Owls (3-2) made it 21-0 on his 23-yard run later in the quarter.

PLAISTOW — Past history says the Timberlane football program is in unfamiliar territory. But the current batch of Owls appear much more focused on the future.

Looking to surpass the .500 mark for the first time since winning the 2013 opener, Timberlane once again made things look easy last night with a 38-18 victory over Portsmouth. The season might still be young, but at 2-1 it's the deepest into a season the Owls have gone over .500 since standing 5-4 in 2011.

"The attitude change is definitely that — it's changed," said senior back Tyler Furey, who led a punishing ground attack with 181 yards and two scores on 17 carries. "We have a lot of motivation going forward, and we just want to try and keep that going.

"We have a strong defense and a lot of skill guys on offense. We just have to keep playing fast and physical."

The skill players showed up early against the winless Clippers.

Jacob Post's 22-yard burst with 7:50 left came on the heels of a slick 27-yard pickup by Kyle Faucher and capped an eight-play, game-opening drive.

It was more of the same on the Owls' ensuing two possessions.

First a 25-yard punt return by Post set up an 11-yard drive that quarterback Jason Hughes finished with a 5-yard keeper.

And one play after a 24-yard run by Hughes on a fake punt kept the next drive going, Post squirted 21 yards for his second touchdown 18 seconds into the second quarter.

"Our intention was to come out here firing," Post said about getting ahead early. "We wanted to come off the ball hard and fast and punch them in the mouth right away. That just motivates us. I think it just puts a chip on all our shoulders. It motivates us to go out and play the best ball we can."

At that point, Timberlane had run 14 of it's first 16 plays from the Portsmouth side of the field, and one of the two plays from its own end was a result of a penalty.

"If you play solid defense and can control the ball, you're going to have success," Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald said after his squad allowed 57 yards on 27 rushes a week after surrendering 25 yards on 27 carries to Londonderry.

Portsmouth closed to within 21-6 with 3:29 left in the half, but the Owls quickly responded with a solid eight play, 68-yard drive that was aided by Hughes' 30-yard run on a third-and-one rush and ended on Furey's 10-yarder with 36.8 ticks remaining.

Hughes, who kicked a 37-yard field last week, put the Owls ahead 31-6 early in the third with a 40-yard field goal. The senior, who was successful on each of his five point-after kicks,  also sent four of his kickoffs into the endzone helping his defensive mates with field position.

Furey added a 40-yard touchdown run with 5:22 left in the third for Timberlane's final score.

The only negative on the night was the 11 penalties the Owls racked up which set them back 90 yards.

"The undisciplined play drives me crazy," Fitzgerald said. "I have to do a better job of making sure we clear that stuff up."

But if penalties still are Fitzgerald's biggest complaint six weeks from now, you can be sure it won't be erasing the smile on his face.

"Our senior class is outstanding," the coach said. "We have good players but outside of that we have a lot of guys who are character kids ... They've had a lot of reps since they were sophomores when they took a bit of a beating. But now it's starting to pay dividends."

EXETER, N.H. — For a moment, it appeared a dream debut could be within Timberlane's grasp.