RallyNorth.net

Fri, Oct 24, 2008 07:00 PM @ Londonderry

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Nashua North	0	0	6	0	6
Londonderry	6	20	6	8	40

Bardwell's breakout leads Lancers to playoff berth

Friday, October, 24 By Mike McMahon
Staff writer

LONDONDERRY — Until last night, there wasn’t a lot of carries going Adam Bardwell’s way.

The senior tailback was stuck behind stars Anthony Terenzi and Joey McLaughlin on the depth chart. But in Londonderry’s 40-6 triumph over Nashua North, at last, it was Bardwell’s time to shine.

The senior tore apart the North defense, running for 174 yards on just 16 carries, including three touchdowns to help the Lancers clinch a NHIAA playoff berth.

Bardwell added a fourth trip to the end zone on the defensive side of the ball, when he made a intelligent play, scooping up an incomplete backwards pass that was ruled a fumble and sprinting to the end zone, not chased by a single Titan.

“I didn’t hear a whistle blow, so I grabbed the ball and just ran,” Bardwell said. “Coaches always tell you to play to the whistle, and I never heard it.”

Said head coach Jon Rich, “That’s a smart play. He knew exactly what to do. You love to see that as a coach.”

Bardwell got the bulk of the carries for the Lancers, who had McLaughlin on the sideline after Rich said he was “dinged up” in last week’s win over Manchester Memorial. Rich also seemed to be easing bruising back Anthony Terenzi back into rotation, after he has missed some time recently with an injury.

“Joey should be back next week, we hope,” he said. “We knew coming into the game that Adam had a good chance to see a lot of touches, and he stepped his game up. He’s a tough kid, he practices really hard. Tonight was his night to show it. He does it all, and it’s great to see all of his effort paying off this year.”

Bardwell also expected the bulk of the rushing load to be put in his shoulders.

“I was waiting all season to show the coaches what I can do,” he said. “Joey was out and I thought I might have a chance to show them. You try to not let it get into your head and just go out there and pour everything into every carry.”

 The Lancers’ front five were excellent all night. Quaterback Conor McKinney had plenty of time when he dropped into the pocket, completing nine of his 14 passes, and when the ball was handed to Bardwell, the Titans’ defensive front were being pushed backwards.

“I had some options with the ball,” Bardwell said. “There were times when there was more than one opening. Those guys made it easy.”

Rich’s team is certainly peaking at the right time. The Lancers offense is clicking, scoring 95 points the last two weeks combined, and close out the regular season at Nashua South next week.

Just as impressive was the Lancers’ defense, which picked off North quarterback Brandon Karkhanis twice. Jeff Dalzell snatched the first one in the first half, returning it 65 yards to setup a McKinney touchdown pass to Kevin Hale on the Lancers’ first play from scrimmage. In the second half, Jason Silva returned a pick 28 yards to North’s 20 yard line which set the table for Bardwell’s four-yard TD scamper.

“So far, it’s been good,” Rich said. “We’re doing well because we’re making things simpler. We cut back a bit on offense and on defense, and it’s allowed us to work on the little things. Even in this win, there are some things that we need to work on. But, I’m proud of the way this team played.”