Monadnock football makes statement in win over Campbell

LITCHFIELD – On an overcast afternoon that started with rain, the Monadnock Huskies ran the ball, primarily in the wishbone, for a 36-0 road victory over Campbell Cougars. After both teams cruised through Week 1 victories, the Huskies showed their strength over the Cougars.

After making the playoffs in Division II last season, Monadock was moved down to Division III, and Saturday, they proved they are a force in Division III. That force started with the offensive line.

The primary formation used by the Huskies was a wishbone with, with three feature backs: Levi Bassingthwaite and Jaron Redfield, with fullback Jacob Wood doing the lead blocking as well as carrying the ball.

Those three backs, with the help of the offensive line, and a QB sneak on the goal line had a combined five touchdowns and over 300 yards of offense, all on the ground.

Monadnock coach Linwood Patnode was focused on his offensive line’s performance after the game.

“Having three solid backs at the same time can be a curse if the offensive line can’t create big enough holes,” Patnode said. “With three backs going through the same hole it needs to stay big enough long enough to make the play work.”

Those holes remained big enough to tally five touchdowns in a brisk game, where the Huskies only attempted one pass that was incomplete.

Most of the touchdowns came in from drives comprising 5-yard chunks with the one breakout offensive play a 45-yard touchdown run by Redfield that opened up the scoring to 22-0 midway through the second quarter.

Campbell had the momentum early in the game, deferring to the second the half, and stopping Monadnock on its first drive, forcing a punt. That punting formation was something rare for the Huskies.

But on the ensuing Campbell possession, the Huskies forced a punt, and Redfield blocked it, putting Monadnock on the Campbell 5-yard line, creating the first score of the game. From that point on, the Huskies moved the ball with ease and did not turn the ball over.

“We can compete with this team,” Campbell coach Greg Gush said. “A lot of (Monadnock’s) scores came off of our mistakes.”

Gush compared the game to Campbell’s 35-7 regular-season loss against Bow in 2014, which the Cougars’ avenged with a semifinal victory over the Falcons. He also commented on how his team remained upbeat and positive despite trailing the entire game.

Monadnock will look to take one step further in Division III and continue its shutout streak, as it continues its season next week as the Huskies face Mascoma. Campbell looks to bounce back against Farmingham-Nute.