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Timberlane falls short in upset attempt

PLAISTOW, N.H. — It appeared Timberlane had the upset in its grasp. After an outstanding goal-line stand, the Owls scored, then held Manchester Central to a three-and-out to enter halftime with the momentum.

But the Division 1 Little Green struck for touchdowns on two straight possessions to open the second half and downed the Division 2 Owls 21-12 last night.

“I think we surprised ourselves a little,” said Timberlane running back Derek Furey. “I think we played a better game than we thought we would, but we do have a few things we really need to clean up.”

Furey didn’t disappoint in his first game as the go-to back for the Owls, after splitting carries with James Dionne the last two years. The junior rushed 21 times for a game-high 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 32 yards.

“ Derek is a very good back who doesn’t need a lot of space to make things happen,” said new Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald. “We got some good blocking and moved the ball well. But I think we wore down a little towards the end.”

After Timberlane fumbled on its second possession, Manchester Central responded by driving to the Owls’ 5-yard line. But Jordan Regan recorded a sack and Nick Scali knocked down two passes to halt the drive.

The Owls then drove the length of the field, and Furey scored from four yards out. A two-point conversion attempted failed and the score at the half was 6-0.

Timberlane then received the ball to start the second half and went three-and-out. The Little Green blocked the following punt and scored six plays later to take a 7-6 lead. Four plays after that, Central’s Brett Parenteau picked off a pass and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown.

“We moved the ball at times and showed some good things,” said Fitzgerald. “But a lot of guys were getting their first varsity action and we need to iron a few things out. It was a sloppy game all around at times.”

Furey added a second score with 1:50 left in the third on a 3-yard run. But the two-point conversion was again unsuccessful and the Little Green added a final score with 1:32 left in the game.

Regan stood out for the Owls, making nine tackles and adding a pair of sacks. Dan Diodati chipped in with five stops and Mike Villafane and Bob Fuller each had four tackles. Brian Nicoll made three stops while also opening big holes for Furey.

“Central has been a good team a long time and nothing has changed,” said Fitzgerald. “We played a division up and did well. We can hang our hat on that we played with a very good team and were a few plays away. We will do just fine in our league.”