Nashua North football looking for first win against Salem

The Nashua High School North football team has been playing a Division I varsity schedule since 2004, but there’s still one team the Titans have never defeated.

North will be looking for its first win against Salem on Friday when the two teams meet at 7 p.m. at Salem High School.

Although the Blue Devils (0-5 in Division I, 0-7 overall) have struggled this year, the Titans (2-3, 3-4) aren’t overlooking them.

“I think the kids that are involved in this game, I think they feel there is a responsibility for the program and the kids of the past to go out and put forward a good performance,” North coach Jason Robie said. “This is the only team in the division we’ve never beaten. Salem puts out great teams, and I know they have a new coach and a new system, but watching them on film, they play hard. They bring bodies to the football and it should be a pretty good matchup.”

The Titans gave themselves an outside chance at the playoffs by knocking off Concord, 22-21, last week, but in order to reach the postseason, North will have to win out and hope for a lot of help. Right now, Robie is hoping his team can keep its focus coming off that win.

“We’re still fighting for our respect, so why wouldn’t we come out with our best?” he said. “We were being talked about as being at the bottom of the standings and we knocked off a team that was fighting for the top. There’s a reason why you play the game because on any given day, any team can beat any team. I don’t think they’re considering Salem to be an easy task.  We better come ready or it will be a long day and not one that we’ll enjoy.”

If the Titans are able to completely turn around their season, Robie believes North’s loss to Milford two weeks could have been the big turning point.

“Sometimes you need to go through something like (the Milford loss) in order to have the light bulb go on,” he said. “Maybe that was our wake-up moment, I don’t know. This is not going to be an easy task by any stretch, but it gives us a chance, and that’s all you can ask for.”