Merrimack, Keene try to keep playoff hopes alive

Joe Battista isn’t one for change, but he couldn’t be happier that his Merrimack High School football team will be playing on Thursday.

Anything to get the taste of last week’s 24-0 loss to Timberlane out of the Tomahawks’ collective mouth.

“I’m not the type of person who likes change, however, this week, I’m looking forward to it,” Battista said. “I think it’s real important, after that game last week, to let that game go and get right back out and play another game.”

Merrimack heads to face Keene at 7 p.m. Thursday night, one of three games in the state that were moved due to the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, which begins Friday night. In an attempt to get his team fired up, Battista has told his players the switch means all eyes will be on them.

“I’ve been kidding with the players that it’s the ESPN Game of the Week,” he said. “I’m telling them it’s been moved to a prime time game.”

It’s all part of an attempt to get back to basics for the Tomahawks this week. After opening the season with three close games, Merrimack (1-3 in Division II, 1-4 overall) has lost by a combined 55 points in the last two weeks.

Injuries and inexperience have been a problem, but Battista believes there’s been a little too much pressure on his players.

“Maybe, myself included, we’ve forgotten the main reason we do this is to have fun and the last few weeks, we’ve been too uptight,” he said. “We need to loosen up a bit. I think we started off overachieving a little bit and instead of taking it one week at a time, we started looking at the big picture too much.”

Keene (1-2, 1-3) is in a similar situation as Merrimack, which is a bit of a surprise. The Blackbirds were expected to compete for a playoff spot, but they lost top running back James Boulay to an ACL tear in the first game of the season. In Boulay’s absence, quarterback Lucas Luopa has had to shoulder more of the load, but in its last two games, Keene has hurt itself with turnovers and penalties.

The Blackbirds have turned the ball over 12 times in their three losses.

“I still think they’re a good team,” Battista said. “It seems like penalties and turnovers have been hurting them. If they clean that up, they’ll be right back in the race. We can’t go over there taking them lightly, especially with the way we’ve been playing. We can’t take anyone lightly.”

Battista is hopeful that running back Jackson King, who missed last week’s game with a calf injury, is able to return against Keene, but he will be a game-time decision. The Tomahawks will likely be without starting sophomore lineman Colan Healey, who is out for the foreseeable future.

“Above all else, we’re still a young football team and we’re still trying to find our way,” Battista said. “We are seeing improvement and we’re definitely getting experience. The whole roster has been playing, so we’re definitely getting game experience. In the practices, we’re seeing improvement. How quick can they get there, I don’t know.”