Big plays early set tone for Team West win over Team East at CHaD High School All-Star Football Game (video)

MANCHESTER – Harris Jones was as surprised as anyone to see the football lying on the turf.

That surprise didn’t last long though, and he did what every defense player dreams about doing, picking the ball up and running the other way for a touchdown.

It was the second big play made by Team West to end a drive by Team East on as many possessions, and it set the tone for the rest of the night, as Jones and his West teammates rolled to a 24-0 win Friday over the East in the 12th CHaD NH East-West All-Star Football Game played at Grappone Stadium at Saint Anselm College.

The 32-yard fumble return for a score by Jones (Milford) came after Kyle Ashley (Newport) ran in from 3 yards out, as West capitalized on a blocked punt on East’s first possession.

Cade Cloutier (Milford) added a 28-yard return of fumble in the fourth quarter and Davis Glodgett (Keene) hit a 19-yard field goal to provide West with all its scoring.

“We’ve always said, everybody who has coached the game, the mental mistakes in certain areas is what wins this game,” West coach Keith Jones said. “You can’t have those mistakes and I thought we did a great job capitalizing on anything that we could. We won the turnover battle. Some kids stepped up and made some great plays at great times.”

Keith Jones, who stepped down as Milford’s coach after last season, his 23rd with the Spartans, was coaching the West for the third time. He was also coaching Harris, his son, for the final time in his final high school game.

“This was the best opportunity I could have had to play my last high school game,” Harris Jones said. “My dad was the coach, a good group of guys, so many new friends that I didn’t know before, it supports such a great cause. It couldn’t be better.”

While Ashley scored the lone offensive touchdown of the game, it was his defense performance that earned him the Bo Dickson Award as the game’s most valuable player. The Newport graduate had a game-high 10 tackles, five of which were for a loss, including three sacks, to go with 23 yards rushing and the score.

“(Ashley) was explosive,” East coach Eric Cumba (Dover) said. “We were definitely not expecting him to have that much of an impact on the game. I felt like he was in the backfield more than our QB at times. He’s a really good football player, and then when they put him on offense, he carried the ball and did a good job. He’s a really good athlete.”

Keith Jones felt like Ashley could have a performance like he did when they first met when the teams went up to the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth.

“The day that he showed up at the CHaD hospital and I said ‘look at this kid,’” the coach said. “He looks like a chiseled piece of machinery. He was impressive everywhere. I’m so happy he won the player of the game, he certainly deserved it. He’s just a tremendous human being.”

Ashley’s touchdown capped a three-play, 10-yard drive that was set up after Alex Grudinskas (Bedford) blocked a punt and then returned it to the East 10-yard line.

East looked like it might have to attempt another punt on its next possession, facing a third-and-11 from its 19, but a pass interference call on West gave the East a first down. On the next play, JJ Bright (Souhegan) knocked the ball away from Ryder Aubin (Dover) and Harris Jones was right there to scoop it up.

“JJ had a nice hit, popped the ball out, and I kind of just grabbed it and ran,” Harris Jones said. “I didn’t really think too much about it, I was kind of in shock, I guess.”

The East offense regrouped after that and drove down to the West 27-yard line behind running backs Tiger An (Windham) and Eddie Digiulio (Timberlane). But the drive stalled and a fourth-down pass from Aiden Thomas (Portsmouth-Oyster River) to Bryce Carberry (Dover) fell incomplete.

East’s offense would only cross midfield two more times on the night, one on the final drive of the game.

“We shot ourselves in the foot early on,” Cumba said. “It was an assignment here, or a mistake there, and we weren’t able to dig ourselves out of the hole. Once we settled in, things were a little better, we just couldn’t finish drives and make the play we needed to. A couple of deep balls that we missed, if we complete those, I think things changes. They made plays when they needed to.”

West’s defense allowed just 165 yards, which included holding East to 29 yards rushing. Aubin, Thomas and Nolan Lumley (Salem) combined to go 10 of 29 pass for 136 yards and an interception while being sacked four times.

“The defensive line controlled the game, they were awesome,” Keith Jones said. “The offensive line did a great job and didn’t make mistakes. When we weren’t moving the ball, it wasn’t them. We made a few mistakes here and there, but the offensive line was unbelievable.”

Glodgett’s field goal made it 17-0 West with 39 seconds left in the third quarter. East lined up to punt on its second possession of the fourth quarter and a bad snap allowed Oscar Humelsine Perez (Concord) to get to Peyton Harmony (Pinkerton) before he could kick it and knock the ball free.

Cloutier picked up the fumble and returned it untouched 28 yards for a score and a 24-0 lead that put the game away with 11:06 remaining.

“I can’t complain,” Keith Jones said of two of his former players score on fumble returns. “It’s unbelievable. I don’t think I’ll do it again. I think it’s time for other people to go with it.

“I always felt like it was our family obligation to do as much as we can for the organization. If they asked me, I’ll do anything they want, but this was a nice one to go out on.”