RallyNorth.net

Pelham rolls past Bow

Saturday, November, 10 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

PELHAM, N.H. | Sluggish and apprehensive just weren't getting it done.

Top-seeded and unbeaten Pelham High was watching what many thought was a formality of a Division 5 semifinal turn into a competition right before its eyes.

That's when Tyler Gantt sucked the life out of fourth-seeded Bow with a dynamic 68-yard kick return to open the third quarter.

Up only 7-0 at halftime, the suddenly-energized Pythons decimated Bow, 42-7, earning their first trip back to the title game since 2004. Saturday at 12:30 p.m., back here at the Harris Family Track and Field, Pelham will entertain Gilford for the Division 5 championship. Gilford, which lost to Pelham, 13-12, in a battle of unbeatens a week ago, beat Bishop Brady, 30-24, in the other semifinal.

"It was a momentum-changer," said Python coach Tom Babaian of Gantt's return. "The kids weren't playing well. They needed to relax. We needed that to give us a little kick-start."

Gantt scooped up the squib at his own 22 and simply outran the coverage all the way to the Bow 10, setting up the first of three third-quarter Pelham TDs.

"I just try to get the ball and run as fast as I can," said Gantt, who helped lead Pelham past Bow 33-14 in Week 2. "The kick was short and they kind of overran me. Bruce (Vieira) gave me a beautiful block and I just found the opening."

Vieira made the Falcons pay two plays later, pounding in from the 5 for his second TD of the day.

Minutes later, the junior, who fought a stacked Bow front all day but chewed out 74 yards on 13 carries, hauled in a Joe DeAngelo screen pass and cut back all the way across the field for a 21-0 lead with 7:10 to play in the third. The rout was on.

Vieira capped his day with a 19-yard TD scamper, while DeAngelo added a pair of scoring runs. Dan Trainor was a perfect 6 of 6 in PAT kicks.