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Pinkerton holds Fast, clips Exeter

DERRY — Yes, Pinkerton senior Gannon Fast has good speed, fitting for his name, and he’s shown over the last two years that he’s a more than solid running back.

But, his defensive talents have sometimes been overlooked.

They were certainly noticed by Exeter Friday night, however, in the Astros’ 17-7 victory over the Blue Hawks. Exeter quarterback Ryan Grijalva, for one, won’t forget Fast anytime soon.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Fast, who rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown, had two sacks from his defensive end slot, was in on 10 tackles overall and also had a pair of quarterback “hurries.”

And when the game was over, Fast hardly looked winded and could not decide which side of the ball he enjoys more.

“It’d be like having kids,” mused Fast. “You can’t choose between them. Sacks and touchdowns — they’re both great.”

Fast led an impressive defense that never let Exeter get any momentum. The Blue Hawks wound up with 148 yards rushing but that was on 40 attempts and most of the yards came late in the game. Exeter was also just 2 of 9 through the air for 16 yards.

Linebacker Jackson Clark was all over the field making tackles for Pinkerton (3-0), with help from the likes of Maxwell Moseley and Evan Wilson, the interior line was stout and Brady Day had an interception early in the third quarter that led directly to the first of two Astro touchdowns.

“The defense played really well tonight all the way around,” said Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly. “Offensively, we didn’t play smart and made too many mistakes.”

The Astros only led 3-0 at halftime, courtesy of a 35-yard field goal from Brandon Roy, but they made it 10-0 six plays after Day’s pick gave them the ball on the Exeter 33 early in the third quarter. A 10-yard scamper by Gennaro Marra and a 9-yard run by Fast set up a one-yard dive.

Ahead 10-0, the Astros all but sealed the win later in the quarter when quarterback Aiden Goujon connected with tight end Michael Sarette, who shook off his defender and sprinted 69 yards for a score.

Exeter responded with its only decent drive of the game, aided by an unsportsmanlike penalty on a third down, and made it 17-7 on a short run by rugged Cam Knight, but that was as close as the Blue Hawks could get.

Pinkerton nearly extended its lead minutes later but a wide open receiver dropped what would have been a sure 35-yard TD on a fourth down.

“We’re not ready for prime time yet, but we’re getting there,” said O’Reilly. “Exeter is always a tough team and I’m glad we played them now.”