Merrimack coach Kip Jackson went for a two-point conversion late, but the Tomahawks fell short vs. Goffstown, 20-19 on Friday night. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

MERRIMACK – Merrimack’s fourth-quarter comeback attempt from 14 points down with four minutes to go fell oh-so-shy in a 20-19 loss to Goffstown Friday night at Student Memorial Field.

The Tomahawks drove 77 yards to make it 20-19 on Nathan Sadia’s 2-yard plunge with 4:11 left in the game, but quarterback Sahil Mujawar’s pass into the end zone sailed high on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt that would have given the hosts their first lead of the night.

Merrimack trailed 20-6 and got two touchdowns in the final quarter to make it interesting after it had been kept off the board since late in the first quarter.

The Tomahawks also had a drive into Goffstown territory with less than a minute left, but that stalled on an incomplete pass on fourth and 13 from the Goffstown 30, and the Grizzlies ran out the clock for their first win of the season.

Merrimack fell to 1-2.

“I just felt like we had the momentum at that time,” Merrimack coach Kip Jackson said of the decision to go for the lead vs. a PAT kick that would tie it at 20. “I also thought our defense was playing well, so if we didn’t get two we end up getting the ball back.”

Despite the exciting finish that kept the crowd on its feet, there was an ugly side to this game, and it wasn’t the ominous clouds on this 60-degree September night. It was, in fact, the 25 penalties combined between the two teams. Jackson estimated his team lost about 170 yards due to those mistakes. Each team had its fair share.

While the yellow flags played a key factor on each side, it doesn’t take away from Goffstown’s standout defense that denied a two-point conversion and the last-gasp Merrimack drive with time running out.

And it surely doesn’t take away anything from perhaps the key player in the game: Goffstown kicker McKenna Kelly. The girls soccer player, in her first year out for football, kicked two massive field goals and two extra points for eight points total.

She drilled a 27-yarder with 9:18 left in the half for a 10-6 lead, then a 37-yarder with 6:02 left in the third for a 13-6 lead. Kelly’s coup de grace came on an extra point kick with 2:46 left in the third after quarterback Jayden Pares’ 2-yard touchdown plunge.

It turned out to be the game-winning point for the senior, who also has a goal for the Grizzlies girls soccer team.

“It feels good, but it’s a team win,” Kelly said when asked about being the difference-maker. “I just go out there, and I don’t ever really know how far it is. But I’m like, here we go; just get it between the uprights.”

Merrimack signal-caller Mujawar was a standout in the loss with more than 200 total yards. He rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries and went 14-for-27 for 106 yards in the air.

One of those tosses went to receiver Josh Ozog (seven catches, 68 yards) from 11 yards out and into the end zone to make it 20-13 with 10:42 to play. Mujawar accounted for seven first downs in Merrimack’s two fourth-quarter scoring drives.

“He’s a tough kid, and he’s one of the leaders on the team,” Jackson said of his QB. “I think he played a really good game. And actually the first three games of the season he’s been our best player.”

Goffstown recovered two onside kicks on the night. The first opened the game but went for naught. The second was huge, though. It came after the visitors took a 13-6 lead and ended with Pares’ touchdown that made it 20-6. It also helped keep Merrimack’s offense off the field for all but 2:40 of the third quarter.

Merrimack’s defense kept the opposing QB in check: Pares was just 3-for-11 for 22 yards. Ozog and Colby Smith got credit from Coach Jackson for their defensive performances.

But the Grizzlies did do some damage on the ground. Six backs combined for 177 yards, led by William Schmidt’s 13 carries for 69 yards.

Goffstown took a 7-0 lead on its second possession of the game. The visitors forced a four-and-out, then marched 46 yards on six plays culminated by Shane Lynn’s 2-yard touchdown run with 4:18 left in the opening quarter.

Merrimack answered less than three minutes later on a 40-yard drive. The Tomahawks had good field position thanks to Beau Lamontagne’s 25-yard kickoff return.

Mujawar got in the end zone from 22 yards away on a keeper right up the gut. The Tomahawks stalled at six points because of a missed PAT. That and the missed two points in the fourth were big factors.

Goffstown benefited from a Merrimack personal foul on its next drive – which brought them to the hosts’ 24-yard line with a first down instead of third and long from around the 40. They cashed in with Kelly’s 27-yard field goal with 9:18 left in the half for a 10-6 lead.

Merrimack hosts Keene next Friday night, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Goffstown travels to Bedford the same night for a 7 p.m. matchup.

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