Nashua South QB Mike Rutstein races away from the grasp of Windha,'s Joe Lisa, left, for one of his two TDs in the Panthers' 20-14 win over Windham Friday night at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Mike Rutstein stood amidst the Nashua High School South football team’s celebration of its 20-14 win Friday night over Windham at Stellos Stadium, but the look on his face wasn’t too celebratory.

In fact, a tear or two may have emerged, even after he ran for two scores and threw for another, a fine way to wrap up his final home game for the senior QB.

Why? Because he was in his shorts and top with his arm in a sling and an ice bag wrapped around the top of his left shoulder. “Broken collarbone,” said Rutstein, who suffered the injury in the final couple of minutes as the Panthers attempted to run out the clock. “Coming out I knew I wanted to give it my all, my last game playing in this stadium in front of all the people.

“I made some mistakes (three interceptions) but my teammates were around me the whole time to pick me up, and especially around me even more to finish the game without me. It means a lot to see what they did.”

It’s been that kind of year for the Panthers, who still won their second straight to head into next Friday’s season finale at 3-5.

“It’s just one of those years,” South coach Scott Knight said. “I feel bad for him. … It’s really insane, our inside and outside linebacking core has been decimated.

“But the kids hung in there, and did what we had to do to finish it.”

It looked like the Panthers would cruise the entire night. Rutstein scored first half TDs of 13 and 5 yards rushing to give the Panthers a 13-0 lead at the half. The latter TD was set up by a Brady Swisher blocked punt.

In the third quarter, Rutstein found Karsten Lemire in the end zone for an 8-yard TD and the Panthers were up 20-0 with 5:37 left in the third quarter.

But somehow, the 1-7 Jaguars and their offense woke up. They had been held to just 44 total yard before they drove from their 35 to the South 17 before the drive stalled on a fourth and 2. But the Jags’ A.J. Fox picked off Rutstein for the second time on the night to set up Tiger An’s 2 yard run early in the fourth quarter to help make it 20-7. An would later cap off a nine play, 63 yard drive with a 1-yard fourth down TD run and that allowed the Jags to close the gap to 20-14 with 5:56 left. An finished with 96 yards on 20 carries.

Where was this in the first half?

“That’s what we said,” Windham coach Jack Byrne said. “Some of those plays in the first quarter or second quarter, if something could have changed, whether it’s something we could do better, or just falls our way, and the whole game’s different.

“I think the best thing that comes from it is we know we don’t quit. … Now it’s our job to do that earlier.”

Windham then tried an onside kick, but South’s Colbey Vancellette recovered it and the Panthers nearly ran out the clock during Rutstein’s fateful series, the Jags getting it back at their own 12 with less than half a minute to play and no time outs.

“Hats off to that kid,” Byrne said of Vancellette’s recovery. “That’s pretty impressive, to have that many guys come at you, I’ve never seen a kid come out of a crowd, being outnumbered that much, and get it. I wish we had gotten it.”

“We’ve been seeing a lot of that this year, so our kids our used to it,” Knight said with a chuckle. “We didn’t have our hands team out , I wasn’t sure if they were going to do it. We trust our guys.”

Just as Knight trusted Rutstein, who had 56 yards rushing and threw for 111 all year.

“We’ve got to figure some stuff out, hopefully we’ll get some guys healthy. It’s tough for Rusty. He put a lot into it.”

But fittingly, he went out a winner in a season that was short on wins.

“Expectations didn’t go as planned, but I’m happy we could find moments like this,” Rutstein said. “At least getting the win on Senior Night, last home game. It means a lot.”

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