Bishop Guertin's Bishop Kearns wraps up Goffstown's William Schmidt during the second half of Bishop Guertin's 28-20 win over the Cardinals. (Photo by Joe Marchilena/nh-highschoolsports.com.)

GOFFSTOWN – There was one thing Anthony Nalen wanted to see the Bishop Guertin High School football team do Friday night more than anything else.

The Cardinals needed to start fast, and in order to do that, they needed to establish their running game.

Bishop Guertin did both, getting yards on the ground whenever it wanted to, and taking a two-score lead in the first half that left the Grizzlies chasing all night in a 28-20 Cardinals’ win in a Division I West Conference game.

Nate Bowen led the way with 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while throwing for another 60 yards while AJ Holmes added 101 yards rushing and a score. As a team, Bishop Guertin (1-1) ran for 256 yards and all four scores, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

Cole Reeves also had a touchdown and Jonah Feliciano added 34 yards on the ground.

“That was outstanding,” Nalen said of the ground game. “This was definitely not our makeup last year, so some of our guys aren’t comprehending it at times, that we’re going to run the ball this much. I tell them that we’re going to try to put them in the best position possible to be successful.”

Three of the Cardinals’ scoring drives were the kind of long, drawn out possessions that require everyone to be on the same page to be successful. That included a 10-play, 94-yard drive on Bishop Guertin’s first possession of the second half that that ate up more than five minutes and made it a 21-7 lead.

And after the Grizzlies answered to cut the lead back to a touchdown, the Cardinals responded with a 12-play, 76-yard drive that used up 5 minutes and 30 seconds, capped by a 5-yard scoring run by Holmes that made it a two-score game again.

“That drive, we felt confident in some of the run plays that we were calling and we kept going back to the well,” Nalen said. “Our line did outstanding. It’s hard to make a living driving the ball in 14 plays because you’ve got to be consistent. We were (Friday).”

Goffstown (0-2) got a big game from quarterback Jayden Pares, who ran for 73 yards and a touchdown while going 12 of 25 passing for 180 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Pares threw two touchdown passes to Jayden Hastings, the second of which came on fourth-and-goal from the Cardinals’ 16-yard line and made it a one-possession game.

“We go as (Pares) goes,” Goffstown coach John Preston said. “He makes plays. He took some hits and he continues to make plays.

“They’re very physical and their backs run hard. The quarterback made plays when he needed to. They’ve got some skill players who are very good football players who execute at a high level. We’ve got to keep fighting and eventually one of these is going to go our way.”

Bowen opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run, as the Cardinals took advantage of a short field after a bad punt by Pares gave Bishop Guertin the ball at the Goffstown 39.

Reeves made it 14-0 on a 2-yard run with 1:58 remaining in the first half, but the Grizzlies were able to find the end zone before halftime, thanks to a nine-play, 69-yard drive. Pares ran in from 5 yards out with 10 seconds left in the half to make it 14-7.

Goffstown came out of the half with momentum, but after getting to the Cardinals’ 32, Pares was picked off by Ryan Connelly. The ensuing 94-yard drive was capped by Bowen’s 14-yard run, giving Bishop Guertin a two-score lead again.

“He’s a gamer,” Nalen said of Bowen. “He shows emotion, he’s passionate. He’s quiet, but he is a leader through spirit. He puts us in the right position to be successful and embodies that type of offense that we have right now.”

Pares and Hastings answered, connecting for a 33-yard touchdown that was initially tipped up in the air by Connelly, but came down to Hastings near the goal line. That score made it 21-14 with 11:03 remaining, but the Grizzlies couldn’t get the stop they needed on defense.