With quarterback Jackson Kanaley leading the way, Campbell's Scott Hershberger piles up the ground yardage against Epping-Newmarket. Hershberger ran 13 times for 298 yards and four TDs in the Cougar win.

LITCHFIELD – When you play in a championship-driven program like Campbell High football and lose the last game of your season, the offseason is never easy.

Friday evening in the 2022 season-opener, Campbell took out its frustrations on visiting Epping-Newmarket, punishing the Blue Devils, 38-8.

“I was struggling for a long time. I couldn’t get it out of my head,” said Cougars’ sophomore Scott Hershberger, who decimated the Devils on the ground to the tune of 13 carries for 298 yards and four first-half TDs.

“I went to a lot of camps, got better, and I came out and showed up this first game. You see all the hard work paying off.”

For Campbell, which sent all the starters to the sidelines for good late in the third quarter, it was a thoroughly satisfying start, especially with the sour taste left in this program’s mouth after the state semifinal loss to Trinity last November.

“It’s been a long offseason. This game’s been circled for a long time,” said Campbell coach Glen Costello. “We didn’t end last year the way we wanted it. The kids were really eager to come out and play a football game. I can’t complain. The kids worked their butts off all year. Now, they went out and executed. Hopefully, they can continue that.”

Hershberger scored on three of his first four touches, all in the opening quarter, with TD gallops of 32, 79 and 58 yards.

At times, it appeared he was looking for would-be tacklers, but rarely found them.

“That was some of the best blocking I’ve ever seen,” Hershberger said. “I just look for the open holes, and I hit them.”

Campbell’s big men up front, a question mark coming in for sure, aced their first test of the fall.

“Scott Hershberger is a pretty gifted runner, but we look at what the kids up front did,” said Costello.

“Evan St. Pierre is really the only returner. He’s a junior and a captain, a guard. He has a couple years of experience, but other than that it’s Nick Mackey’s first game, Alex St. Pierre’s first game, Zach Poulin’s first game, our tight end, Jack Kidwell’s first game, so yeah, they’re clicking. Two of them are brand new to football.”

Senior quarterback Jackson Kanaley pitched in with the last TD, an 11-yard score on the ground. He was in complete command of the offense, also tossing a pair of two-point conversion passes to Brayden White and catching one from Gavin Osgood.

“Jackson’s been a staple in the program for four years now. He and I speak the same language at this point, which is 90 percent of it,” said Costello. “He was able to call a couple of the plays on his own. He’s the real deal.”

Campbell is right back home next Saturday, hosting Kingswood (a 67-8 loser to Trinity) in an 11 a.m. matinee affair.