The final regular season home game for the Londonderry High School Football squad saw the Lancers having to wait an entire quarter before getting their hands on the ball, but ended with their sixth win of the season with a 21-6 victory over the Windham Jaguars.
Comparatively speaking, the Lancers trailed in a number of categories, but lead in the most important, scoring.
WHS lead in time of possession, total plays and rushing yards, but trailed Londonderry in first downs, passing yards, scoring and total offense (175-159).
Windham started the game by methodically running the clock down to the final seconds of each snap and running 17-plays and amassing 52-yards over 12:05 minutes. That drive carried into the second quarter, where LHS was able finally stop them on the 25-yard line.
In the Lancers long-awaited first drive of the game, the team strung together 12-plays and 75-yards for the first touchdown of the game.
Senior quarterback, Sam Ogden, threw to senior tight-end Nathan Marshall who caught the ball at the three-yard-line for a 12-yard score.
Senior kicker, Blake Thompson, finished the drive with a successful point after and a 7-0 Lancer lead.
Windham’s following two drives ended with turnovers. The first was an interception made by senior corner, Ethan Wheeler.
The second was a punt block by senior Alex Villa, recovered by senior Carson Palmer at the 22-yard line.
Londonderry’s final drive of the first half ended with a 27-yard field goal attempt by Thompson that was blocked by the Jaguars.
The Lancers first drive of the Second half was a successful one. Starting at the 38-yard line, it only took five plays to travel 62-yards down the field to play dirt.
The drive ended with another successful pass from Ogden, this time throwing to senior Mason Paquette for a 17-yard touchdown reception.
Thompson’s extra-point attempt was good for a 14-0 Lancer lead.
Windham finally got on the board in the following possession. It took the six plays in three and a half minutes to score a running touchdown. The Jag’s point-after attempt was blocked by junior Lucas Palma.
The final touchdown of the game came in the forth quarter, with 5:46 left in the game, Ogden ran the ball in from the one-yard line, on second-and-goal for his team’s third score of the night. Thompson’s extra-point made it a 21-6 final score.
The win put the Lancers at 6-1, topping the Central Division with just one game left in the regular season.
Ogden led his team in rushing yards with 85. He also had 55-yards in the air.
Paquette had two receptions for 20-yards, Adrian Cruz had four, for 18 and Marshall caught one for 12-yards.
Carson Palma tallied eight tackles on defense, while Villa had four and Colby Walden finished with three.
Londonderry will have a tough game to end the regular season, traveling to Exeter High School on Friday night, Nov. 1, to take on the 7-0 Blue Hawks.
Exeter leads the East Division with their undefeated season, limiting five of their opponents to just one touch down or less.