Bedford ready to face Keene in D2 football semifinals

The playoffs start on Saturday, and when they do, the Bedford High School football team will ready.

The Bulldogs have Merrimack to thank for that.

Bedford finished up the regular season by beating the Tomahawks 33-8 last Friday, but the final score doesn’t tell the whole story.

“That was by far not our best game,” Bedford coach Kurt Hines said. “Defensively, it was a good game, but offensively, we had some bad decisions.”

In that game, Merrimack sacked Bedford quarterback James Caparell four times and intercepted two of his passes. The ‘Hawks also blocked a punt, and three times had the ball inside the Bedford 25, but got nothing to show for it.

“That’s helped us focus even more,” Hines said. “If we had gone into that game and decimated them, maybe players would have gone in less focused. I hate to admit that, but it forced us to take a closer look.”

What the Bulldogs saw was a need to do what Hines has always preached to his quarterback and receivers – look short to throw long.

“We’ve got to be smart as football players and coaches, as far as play calling,” Hines said. “We know (Caparell) can throw one of the longest balls in the state, but to win, we’ve got to get rid of the ball fast and get it in our playmakers’ hands. If we can get the ball into their hands for a 3-yard pass, I’m confident they can get another 2 yards. If we can get 4 or 5 yards per play, we’re not going to lose the game.”

The game is Saturday’s Division II semifinal against No. 3 Keene. The No. 2 Bulldogs (7-1 in division) enter the game having won seven in a row, including a 25-24 win over Keene (6-2) on Sept. 21. Bedford rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to win that game, and it was at that point Hines knew his team would be competing for the position its in now.

“To have the resiliency that we had in the Keene game, to be down two scores and to win that, it was such a great fight,” he said. “It was at that point that I thought this (playoffs) was a legitimate shot. You can swing a big bat once in a while, but to do it consistently, that’s been a big thing for us. Week in and week out, with tough games on the road, we won. Not in great fashion, but we won.”

Bedford went 5-0 on the road this season, and all those wins got them at least one home playoff game for the second straight year. All three playoff games in Bulldogs’ history have come at home.

The key for Bedford’s defense will be slowing down Keene quarterback Lucas Luopa. The Bulldogs had trouble with that in the regular season, as Luopa ran for 189 yards and a touchdown and threw for 144 yards and a touchdown. But the senior also was intercepted twice.

“Luopa is still the threat that he is,” Hines said. “He’s an elusive and tremendous player. Our biggest challenge is to contain Luopa.”

On offense, the Bulldogs are getting ready for the Blackbirds’ team speed.

“There is no doubt they are going to bring a lot of pressure,” Hines said. “We’re giving James (Caparell) and the linemen a lot of different looks. We realize they’re going to bring speed.”

Bedford and Keene will kickoff at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Bedford High School. The winner moves on to face either No. 4 Bishop Guertin or No. 1 Winnacunnet in the championship game on Nov. 17.