RallyNorth.net

Red zone mistakes cost Salem

Saturday, November, 08 By Conor Clancy
Correspondent

MANCHESTER, N.H. — As Salem coach Jack Gati left Gill Stadium Friday night he shook his not in anger, butmerely disappointment.

“Like quite a few games this year, we played a good football very hard for four quarters but came up short, those miscues on the goaline really hurt us.”

Salem had two big opportunities inside the five yard during the second half but could not capitalize as the Blue

Devil’s fell to a strong Manchester Central it its final game of the year The Little Green now sits atop the Division 1 standings at 9-1. Salem finished at 4-6, its first losing season since 2003.

Sophomore Max Jacques led the way for Salem, rushing for 106 yards on 18 carries while senior Chris Najem added 56 yards on the ground and the lone touchdown.

Manchester Central struck first late in the first quarter on a Michael Cavanaugh one-yard touchdown run and looked poised to score again as it marched to the Blue Devil 6-yard line. However, Salems defense led by Anthony Tudisco (game high 11 tackles), made a big stand on fourth down to turn away the threat.

The goal-line stand ignited the Salem offense as Quarterback Matt Connone connected on a 68-yard pass to Cory Lavelle two plays later that set up a one-yard touchdown run by Najem with 3:32 left in the half.

A booming 42-yard field goal by Manchester’s Cole Warren put the Little Green up 10-6 at the half.

The second half saw two big chances for Salem squandered by miscues. After driving down to the 3-yard line on the opening drive of the second half, Salem tried to pound it in with the run. After getting stuff on the first three plays however, Connone went to the air but the pass fell incomplete.

An ensuing 97-yard drive, eating up more than eight minutes, ended on another one-yard touchdown run from Manchester.

Looking to rally from behind, Salem again drove down the field, this time to Manchesters five-yard line, but more mistakes cost Salem as it fumbled the ball away.

“I was looking for good effort and I saw that all season long, we just need to execute a little better than we did,” said Gati. “If we execute a little a better on those goaline plays then this is a much different game.”