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Comeback! Titans’ last second field goal sinks Merrimack

By Tom King - Staff Writer | Sep 11, 2021

Nashua North quarterback Derek Finlay looks for an open receiver with Merrimack's Ryan Turley bearing down during the Titans' dramatic 44-43 win Friday night at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – There was no time to think, and maybe that was a good thing for Nashua High School North kicker Dionard Toplana.

“I just went out, three-two-one snap, boom, just went,” he said after his 20-yard field goal as time expired gave Nashua North a dramatic 44-43 comeback win over Merrimack Friday night at Stellos Stadium. “I couldn’t even think, it just happened. … I just got myself in a zone and went out and did it.”

It was fast and furious as time was ticking down for the 2-0 Titans, who were trailing the entire night, even by as much as 35-14 at halftime. They had driven from their own 39 to the Tomahawk 3 but with under 10 seconds to go they had no choice but to go for the kick.

“That’s not our strong suit,” North coach Dante Laurendi said. “But we were running out of time. I think the emotion of just having to run out without really getting everybody ready at the last second … We didn’t put him in the best situation at the (right) hash, but he just kicked it.

“We weren’t trying to kick the field goal but we kind of got in a situation where we felt we had to.”

As thrilling a win it was for the Titans, it had to be an excruciating loss for the Tomahawks, who got two kickoff returns for touchdowns by Shea Goodwin of 92 and 95 yards, and were driving into Titan territory looking to perhaps run out the clock. But back Ryan Turley, who had been the highlight of the drive with his power runs, fumbled, and North recovered with 2:05 left at their own 39 and drove for the win.

“We started to lose momentum,” 0-2 Tomahawks coach Kip Jackson said. “And all those little mistakes you make start to add up. And they were making plays, and we didn’t. … We couldn’t get the momentum back. Stuff happens.”

For North, it was a coming out party for QB Derek Finlay who rushed for 148 yards and three scores, plus threw for 155 and another.

The Titans managed to hold the Tomahawks to just one second half score, a 47-yard Kyle Crampton TD pass to Branden Page, who also hauled in a two-point conversion pass. That halted North’s momentum after closing to 35-27 in the third quarter thanks to an 85-yard TD run by Finlay and 60-yard TD jaunt by fellow junior Jack Peters. Crampton’s score came with 1:09 left in the quarter, and Merrimack took a 43-27 lead into the final 12 minutes.

But North got a 12-yard Finlay TD run (43-35) and then a big Finlay TD pass to Nick Digesse with 5:23 left. But the potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt failed and North had to hope to somehow get the ball back.

“We hit some big plays right away in the second half, I think we just regrouped a little bit,” Laurendi said. “We were very, very passive in the first half. We just woke up. … We just hung in there.”

Early on it was the work of sophomore back Garron Brown that got the ‘Hawks up 16-0 and set the tone for most of the night. He scored on a 1-yard run and a 15-yard TD pass from QB Kyle Crampton. In the second quarter, the ‘Hawks got the two potential back-breaking kickoff returns by Goodwin and a 9-yard Crampton run for a score.

North tried to show signs of life, with Finlay scoring on a 3-yard run and tossing an 11-yard TD to Matt Oliver.

But each time Goodwin ruined it for the Titans. Yet in the second half he began cramping, having to leave the game a couple of times.

And the night, after all the big plays, twists, turns, mistakes, etc. eventually belonged to Toplana.

“We were fortunate he did a great job under pressure and kicked it,”Laurendi said. “Really exciting for him.

“Hopefully we all gained a lot of experience from a game like this. … It was real impressive that the kids hung in there, didn’t quit, and kept fighting.”

And, in Toplana’s case, kicking.

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