RallyNorth.net

Salem runs wild in 67-54 explosion

Saturday, October, 02 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

SALEM, N.H. — Against the top team in Division 1, the Salem offense went wild yesterday morning.

The Blue Devils rushed for a whopping 421 yards, had 542 yards of total offense from scrimmage, more than 700 yards of all-purpose yardage and scored 10 touchdowns.

On a sunny and beautiful morning before a small crowd, it was a record-breaking performance on several fronts. And it was a good thing, too, because Salem needed it all in an amazing 67-54 victory over Nashua North which dropped the Titans to 3-1 in Division 1, the same as Salem. Both clubs are 3-2 overall.

“I guess you have to be happy with a win, but I’m perplexed that we can give up so much on defense,” said stunned Salem coach Jack Gati. “I think both defenses fell asleep ... they’re a good offensive team, but we have to do a better job than that.”

On the other hand, led by the one-two punch of Max Jacques and Jerickson Fedrick, you couldn’t have asked more from the Salem offense.

Jacques rushed for 231 yards and four touchdowns and returned a punt 90 yards for a score, the five TDs extending his career school-record total to 41 while Fedrick gained 168 yards and scored four touchdowns. It was clearly Fedrick’s best game of the season.

“I feel I’ve been lacking this year and I’m trying to get back into it,” said Fedrick. “I think I ran a lot better today.”

Salem quarterback Matt Cannone, meanwhile, only threw six passes, but he completed four — often in critical spots — for 121 yards.

The Blue Devils’ offense was hitting on all cylinders from the start, zooming to a shocking 28-0 first-quarter lead thanks to an unstoppable running attack as well as a recovered fumble on one of the Salem kickoffs.

The Salem defense — led by Cannone — was also sharp in the first quarter, forcing two straight four-down series, but it then changed identities and allowed eight Nashua North touchdowns over the final three quarters.
The second quarter, during which both teams scored four touchdowns, was particularly memorable as four touchdowns went at least 78 yards.

For Salem, Jacques had a 78-yard run and his 90-yard punt return and Abner Rodriguez returned a kickoff 79 yards for a score while Nashua North’s Andre Williams returned an interception from the end zone 102 yards.

Trailing 54-28 at halftime, the Titans scored two TDs in the third quarter, making it 54-41. But two more Salem TDs in the fourth quarter, after time-consuming drives of 65 and 45 yards, sealed the remarkable victory.

“You can’t give a team like that a 28-point lead,” said Nashua North coach Jason Robie. “We didn’t quit, which I’m proud of, but I don’t know if we were awake to start.

“Jacques and Fedrick are tremendous football players, but we sure make them look like all-stars and, bad as we played, the difference in the game were their two touchdowns on special teams (by Jacques and Rodriguez).”

Meanwhile, no one could explain why the offenses are so much more effective than the defenses, which have many of the same players involved.

“I can’t tell you that,” said Fedrick, who plays linebacker for the Blue Devils. “That’s something we’ll have to take a look at.”