Salem football focused on getting better every week

MANCHESTER – If the 2014 season is anything like the opening kickoff of the Salem High School football team’s scrimmage against Trinity, the Blue Devils are going to be in for big things.

Salem’s Austin Homsey received the kickoff to start Friday’s half of football at the Queen City Jamboree, found a hole in the Pioneers coverage and was soon all alone with two of his teammates on the way to the end zone.

Homsey added a touchdown catch from quarterback John Cerretani and the Blue Devils rolled to a 21-8 win over Trinity. Salem almost had more, but a long touchdown run was called back on a block in the back.

“It’s nice to come out with a win and be positive,” Salem coach Rob Pike said. “We came off the ball pretty well and the kids played hard, but there’s always things we could do better. I’d have liked to have seen them finish it a little better, but for the most part, we’re happy and the kids have been working hard.”

With Pike going into his second season as head coach, that hard work has been used on building on what the Blue Devils did last year. As the program’s third head coach in three years, Pike led Salem to four wins in its final six games after an 0-4 start and end a 17-game losing streak that dated back to 2011.

“I think it gives us an advantage, knowing the systems on offense and defense a little better,” Pike said. “It allows us to spend more time on blocking and tackling, which is really what wins games. We’ve still got the work to do.”

One thing Salem has been trying to figure out is how to replace running back Jason Martinez, who was the team’s offensive threat during his senior year. Instead of one player stepping up, Pike expects a handful to share the load.

“We have a number of good backs,” he said. “Last year, (Martinez) was certainly our best runner, and this year, I think we’ve got four or five guys that all can carry the ball well. Who knows if someone emerges and takes it, but right now, we’ve got a lot of guys. It keeps them fresh and they can run hard.”

Charles Sibanda had a rushing touchdown during the scrimmage against Trinity, while Matt Loffredo also got some carries. And after starting last year, Cerretani has stepped up to provide leadership for the offense.

“He’s got a good grasp of the offense and he’s a super-competitive kid who just loves to win,” Pike said. “He’s a good one for us to have there.”

With Pinkerton looking like the top team in Division I’s South Conference, Salem should be in the race – along with Merrimack and Londonderry – to get the other spot in the conference championship game, but that’s something the coaching staff has yet to think about, according to Pike.

“We haven’t talked about that at all,” he said. “We just try to keep getting better every day. I know it’s cliche, but that’s really the way we think. Whoever we line up against, we just want to beat them.”

Salem opens the year at home at 7 p.m. Friday against Nashua South.