Late score lifts Dover football over Nashua North

NASHUA – The Dover High School football team knew all about losing a lead in the second half of a game.

It was something head coach Ken Osbon hoped his players never had to learn, but Saturday night against Nashua North, the Green Wave used those lessons to pull out a win.

Derek Stegman scored the game-winning touchdown with 11.5 seconds left as Dover found away to survive two North comebacks to win 27-21 in a Division I crossover game at Stellos Stadium.

Stegman finished with 78 yards rushing while Eric Waddington  had 89 yards on the ground and Cam Rewucki had another 78. Four different players scored for Dover (2-3 in the East Conference) as the Green Wave rushed for 251 yards on a night when the Titans’ were shutting down their passing game.

“They did a good job shutting down our pass game,” Osbon said. “But when you do that, you give up more in the box. They’ve got a couple of kids banged up that contributed, too. On that last drive, it was just time for us to go back to fundamental football, to lineup and just go at you. Our kids did a great job of that.”

Dover led 15-7 at halftime but struggled to move the ball in the third quarter. The Titans (0-5 in the West Conference) were finally able to close the gap on the first play of the third quarter, when Colby Gunter hit Connor Baldassaro for a 13-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. North went for two, but fumbled the handoff to trail 15-13 with almost a full quarter left to play.

“You won’t see any quit from this team,” North coach Jason Robie said. “I got them a bit at halftime in the locker room because we were not playing the way we were capable of. We came out in the second half and did some good things.”

The Green Wave answered right back, going on a seven-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Weddington. But the extra point was no good, leaving the door open for North, down 21-13 with 8:26.

Starting at its own 34, North picked up just a yard on its first two plays, but quarterback Brandon Martin hit Devin Leonard with a short pass and Leonard went 45 yards to the Dover 20. After a sack by Dover’s Ryan Hayden set up third-and-20, Noah Gosselin ran for 15 yards and the Green Wave were flagged for a facemask, giving the Titans a first down at the 8-yard line.

Martin ran for no gain on first down, but connected with John Vidal on second down for an 8-yard touchdown. Gosselin barreled up the middle for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 21 with 4:47 left.

Rewucki returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dover 44 – the third time the Green Wave started at their 40 or better – and five plays later, Dover was already at the North 34.

“That was a backbreaker, that return, and we had the kid, but he made some nice moves,” Robie said. “You can’t give those guys a short field because it changes their game plan.”

On first down from the 34, Rewucki ran for 19 yards to set Dover up on the Titans’ 15, but a false start and a hold moved the Green Wave back to the 21. Facing second-and-long, Rewucki scampered for another 16 yards to give Dover a first-and-goal at the 5 with 24.5 seconds left.

Two plays later, Stegman rammed his way into the end zone from 3 yards out to put the Green Wave back on top for good.

“I felt we had to change it up a little bit,” Osbon said. “I think in the third quarter, we tried to get a little bit cute and try to do some things they hadn’t seen and maybe get them off balanced. They did their job and kept to their assignments.”

The Titans were expecting the ball to go to Stegman on the touchdown run.

“We told them here’s what they’re going to do, but it’s one thing to tell them and another to execute,” Robie said. “To their credit, they blocked it well and pulled the guy at the point of attack.”