RallyNorth.net

Salem gains playoff berth, remain perfect

Friday, October, 23 By Conor Clancy

SALEM N.H. — Giving quarterback Matt Cannone more chances to throw then in any other game so far this season, the Salem Blue Devils rolled to a 35-6 romp over Concord.

Cannone threw for a season-high 135 yards and a touchdown pass while the running game, led by junior standout Max Jacques, pounded out 349 rushing yards as Salem improved to 8-0 for only the third time in its history. In both 1983 and 1995 Salem started 8-0 before going undefeated both years and winning championships in Div I (83) and Div II ('95). 

The win also guaranteed Salem a playoff spot while another week next week at Manchester West would guarantee the no. 1 seed and a home playoff game. 

Salem dominated the game from the opening whistle when Cannone marched his offense 70 yards in only six plays, three of them going for 10 yards or more, before he found tight end Mike Lorenz wide open in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass.

Getting the ball back on its next possession the Blue Devil offense marched downfield again and put another score on the board, a five-yard plunge from Jacques. The highlight of the drive was a 21-yard sweep around the left side by Jake Matthews. Matthews followed pulling lineman Andrew Ivas who made several big blocks to help spring the wingback. 

Salem continued to put on the pressure early in the second quarter when senior Zack Solomons fell on a muffed punt giving Salem excellent field posistion at the 38 yard line of Concord. Jacques then scored his second TD of the day when he took a counter 32 yards to the endzone.

While Concord seemed to settle down a bit to end the first half, Salem had no intention of letting the game get away from them in the second, getting a touchdown from an unlikely source, defensive lineman Dillon Cohen. Cohen read a Concord screen pass perfectly and after stepping into the passing lane and intercepting the ball, Cohen then rumbled 33 yards to the endzone to give Salem a 28-0 lead.

The final blow to Concod came later in the third when running back Jerickson Fedrick, who had been kept in check for most of the night, took a toss to the left side 26 yards to the end zone while dishing out a viscous stiff arm to a Concord defender attempting to take him down. 

"I liked what I saw tonight," said coach Jack Gatti. "We still need to work on some things but I thought we played well, Matt [Cannone] really stepped up and played one of best tonight."