Salem football gets first win over Pinkerton since 2009
James LeBlond spent a good portion of the week watching film, looking for clues that would help him when he and his Salem High School football teammates took the field Friday against Pinkerton Academy.
DERRY – James LeBlond spent a good portion of the week watching film, looking for clues that would help him when he and his Salem High School football teammates took the field Friday against Pinkerton Academy.
Early in the fourth quarter, that extra studying paid off.
With the Astros driving to make it a one-score game, LeBlond stepped in front of a receiver to intercept a pass by Pinkerton quarterback Aiden Goujoun, and Salem used the momentum to hang on for a 41-28 win in a South Conference matchup.
The win marks the first time Salem (3-0) has beaten Pinkerton since 2009, and it’s just the second time (2002 was the first) the Blue Devils have beaten the Astros in Derry.
“We watched them on film all week and we’ve been seeing them,” LeBlond said. “I knew where they were going to be, so I was in the right spot at the right time. Anytime the defense makes a big play like that, gets a turnover, it’s always a huge momentum swing.”
LeBlond finished with two interceptions – the second of which set up a game-clinching touchdown late in the fourth – as Salem forced six Pinkerton turnovers. The senior also had 107 yards rushing and two touchdowns while Josh Sibanda ran for 187 yards and a touchdown and also returned a kickoff 82 yards for a score, and Adam Maroun also had two rushing scores.
“Like the first two games, our kids executed the game plan well,” Salem coach Rob Pike said. “They played tough and we came up with some key turnovers and stops. We played a good game.”
Goujoun led Pinkerton (1-2) by completing 12 of 19 passing for 186 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Nico Buccieri had 106 yards rushing and a touchdown on five carries. But aside from a couple of big plays on offense, the Astros struggled to move the ball.
Although the Pinkerton defense didn’t force any turnovers, it was able to stop Salem three times on fourth down inside the Astros 30-yard line, including once a the 5.
“You wouldn’t know it point-wise, but defensively, I thought we played better than we did last week,” Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly said. “(Six) turnovers is just unacceptable. You can’t beat anybody with turnovers, and the fact that we turned the ball over that many times and lost by two scores at least shows we’re getting there. We’re young, it’s just a matter of growing up.”
The Astros got on the board first, as they came out for the first series on offense in a spread formation and threw the ball on their first three plays. The last one went for 76 yards on a pass from Goujoun to Ty Hicks to make it 7-0.
But a fumble on Pinkerton’s next series helped set up Salem’s first touchdown, as Terrell Hicks lost the ball and LeBlond recovered at the Astros’ 26-yard line. Four plays later, Sibanda scored from 19 yards out, but the Blue Devils missed the extra point, keeping Pinkerton on top 7-6.
“All I know is that when Josh has the ball in his hands, he’s electric,” Pike said. “He can find a hole anywhere and he’s awesome. He’s fast, he’s shifty and he had the vision and he can break tackles.”
Maroun and LeBlond each added rushing touchdowns before the end of the half to put Salem 20-7 going into the break, and then things got a little crazy.
After rushing for minus-8 yards as a team in the first half, Pinkerton’s first play of the second half went 65 yards for a touchdown, as Buccieri took a handoff from Goujoun and bounced through the Salem defense before outracing everyone to the end zone to make it 20-14.
Sibanda overran the ball on the kickoff, but was able to scoop it up and weaved his way through Pinkerton’s special teams for an 82-yard return to put Salem back up two scores 26-14.
“Nico told me after they returned the kick, which was so bad on our part, our lane runners just separated on their, and he said I’ll take this one back,” O’Reilly said. “I said sure, go ahead.”
Salem kicked to Kayden Baillargeon instead, and he returned the kick 78 yards for a touchdown to get the Astros back within one score, 26-21, with 44 seconds gone off the clock in the third.
The Blue Devils responded more conventionally after that, going 76 yards on seven plays, scoring on a 15-yard run by LeBlond to take a 34-21 lead with 8:01 left in the third.
LeBlond’s second interception set up a 9-yard touchdown run by Maroun that put Salem ahead 41-21 with 5:02 remaining. Pinkerton finished off the scoring on Goujoun’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Aidan Conroy with 3:33 to play, but Salem recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
