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Windham rallies late, but falls to Keene

KEENE — Trailing by two scores in the fourth quarter, Windham rallied in dramatic fashion.

Jaguar Joe Hero recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Then, kicker Adam Burke recovered his own onside kick, giving Windham the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead.

But a final drive fell short, and the Jaguars lost to Keene 21-14 on Friday night.

"It was a textbook way to lose a game," said Jags (0-4) coach Jack Byrne. "We had too many turnovers and made too many small mistakes and penalties that hurt us. We didn't quit, but we just didn't do enough to win."

Windham sophomore quarterback Billy Depietro, filling in for starter Josh Sweeney, hit Cole Peterson for a touchdown pass to make it 7-7 after one quarter. Keene then answered to take a 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter. 

But Jaguar Sam Dunham blocked a punt, that was recovered by Hero in the end zone for a score. Soccer standout Burke — who Byrne called "our Mr. Everything" — then executed the stellar onside kick. But Keene managed one final defensive stop. 

Depietro threw for 175 yards in his first career start, while AJ Fox caught five passes for a team-best 72 receiving yards.

"What we had today was two teams that are trying to build their programs up," said Byrne. "And both programs are getting close to taking it to the next level. They finished tonight, but we'll get back to work and I know we won't quit."