BG players run onto the field at Nashua North in celebration after their improbable 43-42 win over the Titans early Friday evening. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA — If you want to be entertained, every fall mark down the date for the Nashua High School North-Bishop Guertin football game and go watch it. You won’t be sorry.

But this year, if you’re a die hard Titans fan, you would be, as after some tough last minute losses the last couple of years, the Cardinals staged an improbable rally and came out on top 43-42 on sophomore Nate Bowen’s 16-yard TD pass to Cole Reeves with 12 seconds to play at Nashua North’s field.

The sun had already begun to set behind the trees,and likely has set on North’s post season chances, as they dropped to 0-5. Guertin, however, is now 2-2 in Division I (3-2 overall) with four games left, more than a fighting chance.

The atmosphere was surreal, played in the late afternoon at North’s grass field inside track due to the fact Stellos Stadium has been closed for the fall season as its worn turf field was declared unsafe.

And what was also surreal were the last six minutes of the game. North grabbed a 42-28 lead on a 43-yard Luke Peters run, his fourth touchdown of the day, with 6:05 to play. But Guertin got a 4-yard Reeves TD run with 3:17 left, than of all things a safety as North quarterback John Canaway was sacked by BG’s Jonah Feliciano in the end zone with 1:39 to play, helping to make it 42-37 after Bowen’s PAT kick. After a 20-yard kick return by BG’s Cam Faulds to the 50, the Cards took 10 plays in 1:20 with Bowen finding Reeves open in the far corner of the end zone. Yikes.

“It felt really good,” said Bowen, who had an incredible day, completing 33 of 53 for 462 yards and four touchdowns, but also fumbled twice, one resulting in a North TD on the play. “My coaches and all my teammates had my back no matter what happened, and it just so happened me and Cole connected on that play. … It’s a nice connection between me and Cole that we’ve been working on since the beginning of the season.”

“You know what, down by two touchdowns, the guys didn’t quit, they kept battling, they knew how much this game meant to the season, and I’m really proud of them,” Nalen said. “We’re usually on the wrong side of those crazy games.”

It was certainly an improbable result after North had grabbed a 14-point lead with half a quarter to play.

“With this year, yeah, I can believe it happened,” North coach Chad Zibolis said. “Definitely believe it happened. … We can’t take a safety. Just can’t take a safety at that point. You also don’t want to throw the ball at that point, either.

“It’s always tight. And they came to play. You’re down two scores like that,they keep firing at you, they did a good job coming back and beating us.”

It was a game full of big plays. The teams were deadlocked at 21 at the half, North getting a 1-yard TD run by Peters, a Peters 53-yard catch-and run TD (Canaway pass) and an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Dylan Noble, who had one earlier of 40 yards. Guertin, which had a field goal blocked on its first drive, enjoyed a 64-yard Bowen TD pass to Ryan Connelly, a 60-yard Bowen-to-Reeves TD, and a 17-yard Sam Fayad TD reception.

The teams predictably then traded touchdowns to start the third quarter with North’s Jedwin Lluveres stripping the ball from Bowen during a typical dive play and racing 53 yards to paydirt just over three minutes in. Guertin answered with a 17 play, 80-yard drive, Bowen ran it in from three yards out and kicked the PAT to tie it at 28.

Bishop Guertin receiver Alex Dolan tries to fend off Nashua North’s Caleb Smith during Friday’s game at North High School. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Bishop Guertin receiver Alex Dolan tries to fend off Nashua North’s Caleb Smith during Friday’s game at North High School. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Then, until the final half of the fourth quarter, it was all North. Dahryus Sisay hit Peters on a fourth down, 6-yard TD pass with 8:10 to play for the 35-28 lead (Marco Raposo was 6 of 6 on PATs), and the Titans added Peters’ fourth score of the day on the 43-yard run for the 42-28 advantage with 6:05 to play. He had 134 yards on 15 carries.

“He’s a stud,” Nalen said. “It’s like there’s two of him out there. Everytime we’re throwing the ball, we’re trying to identify where he (is). That’s what all our play calls are off of. Whatever side he’s on, we’re throwing it the other way. I shook his hand after, I haven’t slept all week after the nightmare from last year when he torched us. He’s a good player.”

And then it all changed. Reeves got his TD run, and North got pinned on the kickoff on their own 10. The Titans were close to a first down on a pass play,but were called for illegal man downfield and moved back to the 5. Then the safety and it all changed.

“This time we played four quarters,” Zibolis said. “We played four quarters, we just didn’t finish that last minute. … We played tough, we played hard, we played physical. We did the things we wanted to do, we just didn’t finish.”

After their score, the Cards went for two but the conversion failed. BG on the kickoff, knowing Noble, Peters and Sisay were all back to return, kicked it out of bounds twice, North declined to take it at the 35 so Guertin was moved back 10 yards. But Bowen boomed a kick to the North 19. It was over.

“That,” Nalen said, “was wild.”

That is BG vs. North.