Unfinished business: Astros cruise in semis, set sights on title
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Saturday, November, 15
By Hector Longo
DERRY — For the Pinkerton Astros, championship week will be a trip down memory lane.
Unfortunately for Pinkerton, most of the images conjured up will be a might painful.
Like the club's one and only football trip to the title game opponent Bedford High last year, a 14-12 loss?
Or how about the last three state finals' appearances — all losses?
As happy as Pinkerton should be about rolling to its 11th straight win yesterday, 35-0 over Bishop Guertin in Division 1 state semis, satisfaction is yet to be secured. Saturday (6 p.m.), it can be had, at the University of New Hampshire against 11-0 Bedford, which gritted out its semifinal victory, 14-7, over Exeter.
"If we're not (a winner next week) it's a lost weekend," said Astros' coach Brian O'Reilly. You're going to get our best. We're not just satisfied being there. Our goal always is to be there. Now that we're there, we have to do something about it."
The top-seeded Astros simply overpowered BG yesterday, grinding out 354 yards on 55 carries, ending the Cardinals' five-game win streak and their season.
"Bishop Guertin is a good team, we knew that," said Astros halfback T.J. Urbanik. "That's a hard-hitting team. I got beat up pretty good out there. But we were up for this all week."
Urbanik powered a balanced Astros ground game, rolling up 149 yards and three TDs on 18 tries. But he was hardly a one-man band as fullback Michael Curley (14-86), super-sub Brett Dattilo (6-71, 1 TD) and QB Jack Hanaway (5-31) each took their turns gnawing away at BG.
"We have so many weapons, it's hard to key on one person," said Urbanik. "You focus on one guy, and someone else will beat you."
Up 21-0 at the half thanks to long Pinkerton scoring drives of 97, 85 and 67 yards, BG just never made it a game.
Urbanik's third score of the game, on 4th-and-goal from the 1, plus Nick Coombs' 47-yard punt return sent this one into "running time" as the teams changed ends to play the last quarter.
Pinkerton will now turn the focus to next week's super-power showdown with the unbeaten Bulldogs.
"I remember it well," said O'Reilly of the September 2013 meeting. "They were coming up from Division 2, and that was a big deal to them. They beat us and it hurt."
Urbanik and his teammates felt the pain, too.
"That's one I can't forget," said the junior, who has now run for 1,205 yards on 113 carries this season. "They embarrassed us last year."
Game Statistics:
Division 1 State Semifinals
First Quarter
T.J. Urbanik 15 run (Kyle Cantalupo kick) :08.0
Second Quarter
Urbanik 19 run (Cantalupo kick) 5:05
Brett Dattilo 11 run (Cantalupo kick) :59.7
Third Quarter
Urbanik 1 run (kick blocked) 5:45
Nick Coombs 47 punt return (Jack Hanaway rush) :59.7
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: P (55-354) — Peter Cyr 2-3, Urbanik 18-149, Brett Dattilo 6-71, Mike Curley 14-86, Jack Hanaway 5-31, Nico Buccieri 2-1, Tyler Gendron 5-8, Matt Newman 3-5; BG (17-76) — Kyle Cushion 8-53, Jackson Housman 5-17
PASSING: P — Hanaway 0-3-0, 0; BG — 10-22-1, 133
RECEIVING: BG — Housman 2-62, Matt Theriault 4-46
