Defense, special teams lead Goffstown football past Timberlane

GOFFSTOWN – The rest of the state may not know it, but Justin Hufft knows what kind of player he has in Carter Chouinard.

Chances are now everyone knows who the Goffstown High School junior is.

Chouinard intercepted Timberlane quarterback Dan Hayes twice Saturday, including one he returned 60 yards for a touchdown, and also returned the second-half kickoff 92 yards for a score as the Grizzlies beat back the Owls 35-14 in Division I action.

“Carter Chouinard had a big game,” Hufft said. “He’s a good player for us, but he gets overshadowed at times by other kids. He can make plays and when he had a chance to do it, he did.”

The effort by Chouinard was part of a strong defensive showing for Goffstown (3-0), one week after giving up over 350 yards through the air to Pinkerton.

Against Timberlane (1-2), the Grizzlies allowed just 72 yards in the first half as they jumped out to a 21-0 lead. And with Chouinard returning the kickoff, taking a handoff from Peyton Bickford, to make it a four-touchdown lead, Goffstown looked in control throughout.

“We took away what they wanted to do,” Hufft said. “As the play is breaking down, we didn’t do a good job with that, so we’ll have to clean that up. We asked guys to play different roles and those kids stepped up. The offensive line played well for the most part. Good protection and good run-blocking early in the game kind of set the tone.”

Nik Moquin led the offense by going 9 of 15 for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and he also had 45 yards on the ground. Josh Juneau added 87 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Carter Cormier, who moved to the slot for the first time this year, had 134 total yards and caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from Moquin.

The Grizzlies were able to keep Timberlane’s running game in check, holding Jacob Post to 72 yards on 16 carries, with 34 of those yards coming on one play. Post left the game with what appeared to be a knee injury on the final play of the third quarter, but was walking on the sideline moments later.

Dan Hayes threw for 124 yards on 6 of 17 passing, but was picked off three times and was sacked five times.

The first interception helped set up Goffstown’s first score of the game. After the Grizzlies had been forced to punt, Joey Poisson picked off a pass from Hayes and returned it to the Timberlane 35. Seven plays later, Juneau ran it in from nine yards out to give the Grizzlies a 7-0 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter.

“It give us a lot of confidence because we knew that if we don’t capitalize on a series, they’re going to have our backs, they’re going to make stops,” Moquin said of the defense. “It’s going to be hard to drive on us. Whoever is on offense, they have to play 110 percent just to score, so it gives a lot of confidence.”

Timberlane punted on its next possession, and three plays later, Moquin found Cormier for a 58-yard catch-and-run, making it 14-0 just 30 seconds into the second quarter.

“Nik is a very gifted passer and he’s been working really hard at it,” Hufft said. “He made good throws and good decisions, which is helpful. We’ve got kids who can go get the ball in the air, and that’s nice to have on offense.”

The Owls moved the ball out toward midfield but on fourth-and-6 at Goffstown’s 46, Chouinard stepped up and picked off a pass from Hayes. With no one in front of him, Chouinard streaked down the sideline for the 60-yard return and a 21-0 Goffstown lead.

The return on the second-half kickoff made it 28-0, but Post’s 34-yard touchdown run midway through the third made it a three-score game. The Grizzlies answered the score with a six-play, 51-yard drive that ended with Moquin’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Charlies Keith.

Hayes added a 2-yard touchdown run with 10:14 left in the game, and the Owls were driving for more late, getting a first-and-goal at the Goffstown 5 before the Grizzlies defense made a stand with 4:42 left in the game.

Goffstown returns to action on Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. at Bedford, while Timberlane heads to Salem on Sept. 23 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.