Alvirne's Brendan Graham grabs on to the face mask of Bishop Guertin's Ethan Chmielecki duirng the Crds' 42-18 win Saturday night at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – It was all about two things for the Bishop Guertin High School football team on Saturday night at a chilly Stellos Stadium:

Winning and staying healthy.

The Cards went 2 for 2 with a 42-18 win over the Alvirne Broncos, the only negative being the flagfest held by officials, as the two teams combined for 23 penalties for 196 yards.

“We’re trying to limit injuries and we didn’t have any,” Guertin coach John Trisciani said. “That’s the win.

The Cards played again without top running back Charlie Bellavance (shoulder), but sophomore Ethan Chmielecki rushed for 93 yards and a TD on 17 carries. Quarterback Matt Santosuosso rushed for 82 yards and three TDs in about two-plus periods of work.

Alvirne was paced by sophomore back Bryant Montgomery, who ran for 110 yards and a TD. The Broncos had some bad luck early on when quarterback Jacob Bradshaw pulled up lame early and was replaced by Zach Peters, who threw for two TDs.

For the 0-7 Broncos, it’s been a tough road. If there is anyone who questions the logic of them being forced back into Division I two years ago from Division II, consider the fact they are 0-13 since.

“I give the kids a lot of credit for just keep coming,” Broncos coach Tarek Rothe said. “They could have packed it in, I give the credit to the staff for keeping these kids motivated. They work hard, they never quit, and I love them for that.”

The game was pretty much decided early . Santosuosso had first quarter TD runs of 2 and 18 yards in the first quarter, and Carter Accomando’s 24-yard scoop-and-score after the Broncos tried to go for it on fourth-and-2 from their 24 made it a 21-0 game.

It was 28-6 at the half as the teams traded scores: Alvirne’s Peters connected with Brendan Graham on a 1-yard toss and Chmielecki had a 2-yard TD run.

“He’s a kid that’s coming along,” Trisciani said. “It was fun to see him score his first varsity touchdown.”

Santosuosso added a 24-yard TD run two minutes into the third to help make it 35-6.

Peters later found Anthony Ferullo for a 3-yard TD strike and Montgomery had a 1-yard TD run. Guertin’s Marcel Vernon added a 6-yard score, all of that scoring mixed in with flag after flag after flag. One was even on Rothe for arguing a helmet-to-helmet call on a fumble recovery.

“We were trying to get in as many kids as we can,” Trisciani said. “Big picture, to win, come out with no injuries, and all the seniors get in (on Senior Night), so we’re happy with that.

“But as far as the penalties go, it was unbelievable. We had a game this year where we had no penalties. And they’re all the same kids, so what changes, I’m not sure. “We’ll look at it obviously on film, try to correct it, because in a big game, the penalties will kill you.”

A SPECIAL NIGHT

The game was Guertin’s Blackout Cancer Game, as the players wore special black jerseys and had names of cancer victims on their backs that they wanted to honor. It was all part of Project Blackout, an organization that has raised some $200,000 in the fight against Cancer…

Also, the family of late longtime Guertin coaching legend Dick Piwowarski was recognized as the school renamed its athletic fieldhouse after the Cardinal legend.

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