Nashua North quarterback Derek Finlay runs away from Nashua South's Damien Perez (2) and Connor Comeau during the Titans' 47-0 win Friday night at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The Battle of the Bridge, football style, was hardly a battle at all.

No, Friday night was a rarity for the Battle of the Bridge rivalry at Stellos Stadium. Whereas a year ago the two teams went right down to the wire, this year’s 47-0 Nashua North win over South was basically over with by halftime, or definitely by midway through the third quarter.

“The first couple of drives, we were just testing stuff out, seeing what we could do all night,” North quarterback Derek Finlay said. “It didn’t work too great … Then obviously, seeing what works, we came out in the second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter and just pounded it.”

That was also due to the blocking up front, with the offensive line, with players like Darius Smith, Bryson Borromeo, and Dionard Toplana among others, leading the way ad North remained unbeaten at 4-0.

“Our line was great,” Finlay said. “The first two touchdowns that I had, QB wrap, was perfect. I would fake, look to my left, touchdown. Easy. Our line was great tonight. … Our lead block had a good kick every play, and Jordyn would hit the whole and they couldn’t keep up with him, he’s so fast.”

Finlay ran for 112 yards and three TDs, plus he threw for a 46-yard score. Back Jordyn Raisanen-Andino rushed for 156 yards and two TDs.

The loss sinks the Panthers to 0-4, a hole that may be too deep to dig out of with a couple of tough opponents, Bedford and Concord coming up next on the road.

“They were bouncing outside, we’re back pedaling,” South coach Scott Knight said. “I don’t have an answer for that. They run off tackle, we close it off, they bounce outside and we’re backpedaling. …

“We’re a good sparring partner I guess for a half right now, but we’ve got to play better. Simple.”

South moved the ball, but Finlay and North struck first on his 30-yard TD run with just under three minutes in after he had fumbled it away on North’s first possession. But the Titans didn’t score again until getting two TDs in the final 1:42 of the first half, Finlay rushing it in from 14 yards out, and, after South went three and out, North got the ball at midfield and it took just one play – a 46-yard Finlay strike to Amaury Almonte with 55.4 seconds left in the half to take a 21-0 lead into the locker room.

The Titans celebrate winning the Edward F. Lecius Memorial Trophy, courtesy of their win over Nashua South at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

“Our kids with this North-South game, they just don’t settle in until that second quarter, it always happens,” North coach Chad Zibolis said. “It always happens. We settled in, breathe a little bit, and that’s when kind of start getting comfortable, executing and tackling and doing the stuff we need to do. … Up front, the O-line played really, really well. Picking up the linebackers on the blitz, doing that type of stuff sent those guys (Finlay, Raisanen-Andino) through….

“We go in (to the half), you’re up 21, instead of 14, and it was huge.”

“We lost our composure late in the second quarter and never recovered,” Knight said. “We couldn’t even line up for a punt. It was bad. I don’t know what the answer is. Frustrating.”

The Panthers had two tough plays in the first half that might have kept them in the game longer. One early drive was deflated by a holding call after they were knocking on the red zone door. And when they were in the red zone in the second quarter, a potential TD turned into disaster when a Karsten Lemire pass bounced off receiver Jake O’Connor and into the hands of Raisanen-Andino for an interception.

“We’re not good enough to take a holding call,” Knight said. “We can’t recover from stuff like that in that type of offense right now.”

The second half hit running time after two Raisanen-Andino TD runs of 12 and 53 yards, plus a Finlay 10-yard run with 10:44 to play. Ryan Flynn added a 6-yard TD with 5:08 to play.

“I can say we made a statement,” Zibolis said, adding there was no talk of last year’s one-point loss. “The kids didn’t mention it all week. We had a good week of practice. The kids focused, they came out to play, it just took is a little bit to get going.”

And then they couldn’t be caught.