RallyNorth.net

Salem nips Owls in OT

Friday, October, 09 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

PLAISTOW, N.H. — Maybe it was justice that neither Timberlane star Derek Furey nor Salem standout Max Jacques was involved in the last play of the game.

Because in what turned out to be a thrilling, heart-stopping 35-34 overtime win for the unbeaten Blue Devils (6-0), the Furey-Jacques duel pretty much ended in a draw.

Furey rushed for three touchdowns and 205 yards and — in the first aerial attempt of his high school career — threw for a touchdown in overtime — while Jacques rushed for 215 yards and five touchdowns. He has 546 yards and nine TDs in the last two games.

With the score tied 28-28 after regulation, Salem got the ball first (on the Timberlane 10-yard line) and scored on a 5-yard Jacques run, which was followed by a Chris Saulnier kick, making it 35-28. But the Owls responded on 3rd and 7 when Furey swept right and surprised everyone by throwing it into the end zone to Jarred Diorio.

Diorio, who was 4 for 4 until that point, then lined up for the kick to tie the game. But Blue Devil senior middle linebacker Darren Brown stormed through the line to block the kick and end the game.

“We overloaded one side and no one blocked me, so I was open,” said Brown. “I’m happy it’s over and we won. We knew it’d be a tough game, but I think we underestimated them a little.”

Brown did more than just block the final kick, however. He was immense on defense late in the game, making tackles all over the field.

“He’s had one heck of a year and the improvement he’s made from last year has been tremendous,” said Salem coach Jack Gati of Brown.

“This was just a great high school game with two great running backs going at it. We have to get better, but Timberlane is a good football team and this doesn’t surprise me.

“I’m just very happy to be 6-0. If someone had told me at the start of the year that we’d be 6-0, I don’t know if I’d believe it.”

Until Brown’s blocked extra point, it looked like the Furey-Jacques duel would continue. It certainly began from the opening kickoff.

Furey capped the first drive of the game with a 5-yard TD run but, after the ensuing kickoff, Jacques responded with a 65-yard burst through the line on Salem’s first offensive play. On the Devils’ next possession, he scored on a 15-yard run.

But, after a Salem failed extra point left it at 13-7, Diorio gave the Owls a 14-13 lead — that stood until halftime — when he made a terrific catch of a long Nate Lawrence pass and then completed a 65-yard scoring play.

Furey and Jacques traded touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters, with Furey scoring on a pair of 29-yard runs and Jacques hitting paydirt from one and 31 yards. A two-point conversion pass from Matt Cannone to Kyle Henrick after the first Jacques TD tied the score and ultimately kept it tied until overtime.

Salem had a chance to score in the closing seconds of regulation to end the game but a 27-yard field goal attempt by Saulnier was blocked by Ryan Lynch.

Lynch, Nick Scali, Dan Diodati, Teddy Gulezian, Ryan Carrigan and Matt Faia were among the Timberlane defenders who made it tough on Salem’s other backs, Alex Sobrado (7 carries, 31 yards) and Jerickson Fedrick (7-27), but Jacques — like Furey — could not be contained.

“This was a great game to be a part of,” said Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald. “I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but we made a lot of plays when we had to and we can take a lot of positives out of this game.”